Each spring, the NFL Draft offers franchises the chance to reshape their futures with a few smart picks—or a few disastrous ones. The event has evolved from a quiet hotel ballroom meeting in the early 20th century to a glitzy, prime-time spectacle watched by millions. But no matter the era, the draft has consistently delivered moments that range from jaw-dropping to downright bizarre. So buckle up—we’re diving into the strangest, most surreal events in NFL Draft history.
1. The Time Nobody Picked… Because the Vikings Forgot (2003)
Yes, you read that right. The Minnesota Vikings actually missed their turn to pick in the first round of the 2003 draft.
The Vikings held the No. 7 overall pick, and everyone expected them to take defensive tackle Kevin Williams out of Oklahoma State. But as their 15-minute time limit expired, chaos ensued. Minnesota’s front office was trying to trade the pick, but time ran out before they submitted the paperwork.
The Jaguars (No. 8) and Panthers (No. 9) jumped ahead and rushed their picks to the podium. Only after that did the Vikings finally make their selection. Ironically, they still got Williams, who went on to have a stellar career.
It was a gaffe that looked like a complete disaster—until it accidentally worked out perfectly.
2. The Wrong Call: Jets Fans and the 1983 Ken O’Brien Pick
If you’ve ever seen old NFL Draft clips, you know the New York Jets faithful can be, let’s say, vocally passionate. But nothing topped their reaction during the 1983 draft, arguably the greatest quarterback class ever.
With Dan Marino still on the board, the Jets selected Ken O’Brien, a relatively unknown quarterback from UC Davis. The crowd at Madison Square Garden absolutely lost it. Boos rained down like confetti. Fans were chanting for Marino, visibly furious.
The kicker? O’Brien wasn’t bad. He even made a Pro Bowl. But when Marino went on to a Hall of Fame career, it only amplified the mystique around the Jets’ blunder.
3. Ricky Williams and the Saints’ One-Man Draft (1999)
This one feels like a fever dream—but it actually happened.
In 1999, then-Saints head coach Mike Ditka was so enamored with Texas running back Ricky Williams that he traded away every single pick New Orleans had in that draft—and then some. He gave up the team’s first-, third-, fourth-, fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-round picks in 1999, plus first- and third-round picks in 2000, all to move up to No. 5 and draft Williams.
ESPN’s cover story showing Ditka and Ricky in wedding outfits only added to the surrealism.
The kicker? Williams had a solid but unspectacular rookie year, Ditka was fired after a 3–13 season, and the Saints had to rebuild from scratch.
4. Bo Jackson Refuses to Play (1986)
The 1986 draft featured one of the strangest power plays in sports history.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Bo Jackson, the Heisman-winning running back from Auburn, with the first overall pick. But Bo had warned them: if you draft me, I won’t play for you.
Tampa had flown Bo to visit their facilities in a move that cost him his NCAA eligibility in baseball, and Jackson felt disrespected and manipulated.
True to his word, Bo refused to sign and opted instead to play baseball with the Kansas City Royals. Tampa got nothing from their No. 1 pick, and Bo entered the NFL a year later with the Raiders, creating one of the most famous “what if” stories in sports history.
5. The Mystery of Larry Allen (1994)
Larry Allen eventually became one of the most dominant offensive linemen in NFL history. But when he was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round in 1994, most fans—and even some experts—had never heard of him.
Why? He played at Sonoma State, a tiny Division II school few had ever scouted. He was a mystery man with a jaw-dropping bench press and tape that showed him annihilating undersized competition.
Some teams passed because they didn’t believe a guy from a no-name school could hang in the NFL. They were very wrong—Allen would go on to make 11 Pro Bowls and earn a Hall of Fame jacket.
6. The Trade That Gave the Cowboys a Dynasty (1989)
This one isn’t so much weird as it is mind-blowingly lopsided.
In 1989, the Dallas Cowboys traded star running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a massive haul of players and draft picks—13 in total. Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson cleverly structured the trade so that if the players didn’t stick around, Dallas would receive draft picks instead.
Most of those players were cut. The Cowboys got the picks—and used them to build a dynasty. They drafted Emmitt Smith, Darren Woodson, and more, creating the core of a team that would win three Super Bowls in the 1990s.
The Vikings? They flamed out, and the trade is still considered the most lopsided in NFL history.
7. A Kicker in the First Round? (1979)
Teams drafting a kicker early is rare. Taking one in the first round? That’s just about unheard of.
But that’s exactly what the New Orleans Saints did in 1979, selecting kicker Russell Erxleben with the No. 11 overall pick. Not only did he fail to make an impact as a kicker, but the Saints also tried to turn him into a punter—and that didn’t work either.
He lasted just six years in the league and became a cautionary tale about using high picks on special teamers. (Oh, and he also ended up serving prison time for investment fraud years later—but that’s another story.)
8. The Legend of “Johnny Football” (2014)
When the Cleveland Browns selected Johnny Manziel with the 22nd overall pick in 2014, they thought they had the next great dual-threat QB.
But the signs of weirdness were already there. Manziel had a turbulent college career and major questions about his off-field focus. According to reports, team owner Jimmy Haslam made the pick because a homeless man told him to draft Johnny.
Whether that story is 100% true is unclear—but what is clear is that Manziel’s NFL career was a mess. He flamed out after two rocky seasons and became the poster child for overhyped busts.
9. Tom Brady: The GOAT Nobody Wanted (2000)
We all know the story now, but it still never stops being weird.
Tom Brady was a sixth-round pick in the 2000 NFL Draft—No. 199 overall. Six quarterbacks were taken before him. He had a modest college career at Michigan and didn’t wow scouts at the Combine. There’s a now-famous photo of his Combine body: shirtless, awkward, unimpressive.
But Brady went on to win seven Super Bowls and become the greatest quarterback of all time. The 199 players taken ahead of him? Most are forgotten.
It’s the ultimate “how did every team miss this?” moment—and it’ll live forever in draft lore.
10. The Time a Team Drafted the Wrong Player (1985)
In one of the most embarrassing mix-ups ever, the Washington Redskins meant to draft defensive end Ken O’Brien in the third round of the 1985 draft. Instead, they mistakenly called in the name of Edwin Bennett, another player they had scouted but not actually ranked that high.
The error wasn’t caught in time, and the pick went through. Bennett never played a down in the NFL. The gaffe revealed how chaotic the draft process could be before digitization and modern safeguards.
11. The Brady Quinn Green Room Slide (2007)
It’s not always the picks themselves—it’s what happens between the picks.
Quarterback Brady Quinn was widely expected to be a top-five selection in 2007. He attended the draft in person and was seated in the green room with his family, smiling confidently.
Then the picks came… and went. He kept sliding. Teams passed. Cameras zoomed in on his increasingly anxious face. It wasn’t until the Cleveland Browns traded up to No. 22 that he was finally selected.
It was a brutally awkward moment that became a defining image of the modern NFL Draft experience.
12. The Mystery of Barkevious Mingo’s Name (2013)
Sometimes, it’s just the names.
When the Cleveland Browns picked Barkevious Mingo sixth overall in 2013, fans were as stunned by his name as they were by the pick. ESPN’s Chris Berman famously said, “That’s a name you don’t forget,” and he was right.
Unfortunately for the Browns, Mingo’s career never lived up to his elite draft status. But his name lives on in draft trivia history forever.