1985 DraftBy Patrick Mondout
The first nine picks were all linemen or linebackers and the first
skilled position player taken was wide receiver Al Toon of Wisconsin.
Until injuries cut his career short, Toon was compared favorably with the
best receiver in the game. The Bengals took the second receiver at #13
overall with Eddie Brown of Miami. Brown played in one Pro Bowl and
finished with seven solid, if unspectacular, seasons.
This left the aforementioned "best receiver in the game" on
the draft board and Bill Walsh, sitting at #28 overall, made his move.
Walsh sent the #28 pick plus second- and third-round picks to New England
for the #16 pick and a third-rounder. The Pats selected Trevor Matich, Ben
Thomas and Audrey McMillian, whom combined for 12 career starts in six
years. The 'Niners took future Hall of Famer Jerry Rice. Rice went on to
rewrite the record books and played well into the 21st century. He is
certainly the greatest receiver in the history of the game and has been
called the best player in the history of the game.
Twenty-six teams passed on Dan Marino in 1983, so it is hard to single
out one who blew it. However, Kansas City took QB Todd Blackledge with
Marino and Jim Kelly available and in 1985, took RB Ethan Horton with the
pick right before Jerry Rice was selected!
Rice was not the only certain Hall of Famer selected. The ageless Bruce
Smith was taken #1 overall by Buffalo and became the anchor of a Bills
defense that played in four straight Super Bowls.
Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flute (QB, Boston College) lasted until the
11th round where the Rams picked him up. He was already under contract
with the New Jersey Generals of the USFL. Many forget that he was
projected as the first overall pick before Donald Trump signed him to the
rival league.
The other big USFL-related question was
"where will Herschel Walker, now that he is finally eligible, be
drafted"? The Dallas Cowboys used the 2nd pick of the 5th round on
him - a wise decision that eventually led to the Aikman/Smith/Irvin
dynasty of the mid-90s.
Below is the first round of the 1985 NFL draft. We also have the
entire 12 round draft.
1 - Pick acquired from the Houston Oilers
2 - Pick acquired from the Minnesota Vikings
3 - Pick acquired from the Atlanta Falcons
4 - Pick acquired from the Cleveland Browns
5 - Pick acquired from the New Orleans Saints
6 - Pick acquired from the Green Bay Packers
7 - Pick acquired from the New England Patriots
8 - Pick acquired from the Washington Redskins
9 - Pick acquired from the Seattle Seahawks
10 - Pick acquired from the San Francisco 49ers |
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