Common Draft
Encyclopedia
The Common Draft was the name given to the selection of college football players in a combined draft from 1967 to 1969 by the American Football League
(AFL) and the National Football League
(NFL). This took place after the AFL-NFL merger
agreement in 1966.
From 1960 to 1966, the AFL
and NFL draft
s were separate and each league competed for players
, a major factor in their merger. During the three years of the Common Draft, teams from both leagues were combined in a single ranking to determine the order of the draft. The team with the worst record in either league the previous year picked first, the next-worst team second, and so on, with the exception that the loser of the previous year's World Championship Game picked second to last, and the reigning World Champion picked last. As is the case today, any team's draft order could be affected by trades. When the two leagues formally merged for the 1970 season, the "Common Draft" became the modern NFL draft.
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
(AFL) and the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL). This took place after the AFL-NFL merger
AFL-NFL Merger
The AFL–NFL merger of 1970 was the merger of the two major professional American football leagues in the United States at the time: the National Football League and the American Football League...
agreement in 1966.
From 1960 to 1966, the AFL
American Football League Draft
The American Football League stocked its teams in two ways:# Signing free agents ....
and NFL draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
s were separate and each league competed for players
AFL and NFL Era competitive college drafts
During the first seven years of existence of the American Football League , the AFL and the NFL held separate, competing drafts for college football talent....
, a major factor in their merger. During the three years of the Common Draft, teams from both leagues were combined in a single ranking to determine the order of the draft. The team with the worst record in either league the previous year picked first, the next-worst team second, and so on, with the exception that the loser of the previous year's World Championship Game picked second to last, and the reigning World Champion picked last. As is the case today, any team's draft order could be affected by trades. When the two leagues formally merged for the 1970 season, the "Common Draft" became the modern NFL draft.