1971 NFL draft
The 1971 NFL draft was held January 28–29, 1971, at the Belmont Plaza Hotel in New York City, New York. The Boston Patriots, who did not officially change their name to New England Patriots until after the draft, used the first overall pick to select quarterback Jim Plunkett, the Heisman Trophy winner. It was the first draft where the first three selections were quarterbacks.
During round 17, after Falcons coach Norm Van Brocklin had yelled to his staff "Do we want the roughest, toughest s.o.b. in the draft?!", the team drafted the then-64-year-old actor John Wayne, though saying he was from "Fort Apache State" ; NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle rejected the selection.
Player selections
Round 9
| Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
| 209 | Boston Patriots | Josh Ashton | Running back | Tulsa |
| 210 | New Orleans Saints | Tom Williams | Defensive back | Willamette |
| 211 | Philadelphia Eagles | Len Pettigrew | Linebacker | Ashland |
| 212 | Houston Oilers | Floyd Rice | Linebacker | Alcorn A&M |
| 213 | Buffalo Bills | Bob Strickland | Linebacker | Auburn |
| 214 | New York Jets | John Curtis | Tight end | Springfield |
| 215 | Atlanta Falcons | Alvin Griffin | Wide receiver | Tuskegee |
| 216 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Mike Anderson | Linebacker | LSU |
| 217 | Denver Broncos | John Handy | Linebacker | Purdue |
| 218 | Green Bay Packers | Barry Mayer | Running back | Minnesota |
| 219 | Washington Redskins | Mike Fanucci | Defensive end | Arizona State |
| 220 | Chicago Bears | Lester McClain | Wide receiver | Tennessee |
| 221 | San Diego Chargers | John Tanner | Tight end | Tennessee Tech |
| 222 | Cleveland Browns | Wilmur Levels | Defensive back | North Texas State |
| 223 | Cincinnati Bengals | Gary Gustafson | Linebacker | Montana State |
| 224 | Kansas City Chiefs | Alvin Hawes | Tackle | Minnesota |
| 225 | St. Louis Cardinals | Mike Savoy | Wide receiver | Black Hills |
| 226 | New York Giants | Ed Thomas | Linebacker | Lebanon Valley |
| 227 | Oakland Raiders | Dave Garnett | Running back | Pittsburgh |
| 228 | Los Angeles Rams | Joe Schmidt | Wide receiver | Miami |
| 229 | Detroit Lions | Mickey Zofko | Running back | Auburn |
| 230 | Miami Dolphins | Vern Den Herder | Defensive end | Central Iowa |
| 231 | San Francisco 49ers | Therman Couch | Linebacker | Iowa State |
| 232 | Minnesota Vikings | Tim Sullivan | Running back | Iowa |
| 233 | Dallas Cowboys | Honor Jackson | Wide receiver | Pacific |
| 234 | Baltimore Colts | Bill Burnett | Running back | Arkansas |
Round 10
| Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
| 235 | Boston Patriots | Layne McDowell | Tackle | Iowa |
| 236 | San Francisco 49ers | Ron Cardo | Running back | Wisconsin–Oshkosh |
| 237 | Houston Oilers | Russell Price | Defensive end | North Carolina Central |
| 238 | Oakland Raiders | William West | Defensive back | Tennessee State |
| 239 | New Orleans Saints | Rocky Pamplin | Running back | Hawaii |
| 240 | New York Jets | Jim Betts | Defensive back | Michigan |
| 241 | Atlanta Falcons | Faddie Tillman | Defensive end | Boise State |
| 242 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Jim O'Shea | Tight end | Boston College |
| 243 | Denver Broncos | Carlis Harris | Wide receiver | Idaho State |
| 244 | Washington Redskins | Jesse Taylor | Running back | Cincinnati |
| 245 | Chicago Bears | Larry Rowden | Linebacker | Houston |
| 246 | Green Bay Packers | Kevin Hunt | Tackle | Doane |
| 247 | San Diego Chargers | Gary Nowak | Tight end | Michigan State |
| 248 | Cleveland Browns | Steve Casteel | Linebacker | Oklahoma |
| 249 | Cincinnati Bengals | Jack Stambaugh | Guard | Oregon |
| 250 | Kansas City Chiefs | Bruce Jankowski | Wide receiver | Ohio State |
| 251 | St. Louis Cardinals | Ronald Miller | Tackle | McNeese State |
| 252 | New York Giants | Henry Reed | Linebacker | Weber State |
| 253 | Oakland Raiders | Tim Oesterling | Defensive tackle | UCLA |
| 254 | Los Angeles Rams | Don Popplewell | Center | Colorado |
| 255 | Miami Dolphins | Ron Maree | Defensive tackle | Purdue |
| 256 | Philadelphia Eagles | Tom Bailey | Running back | Florida State |
| 257 | San Francisco 49ers | Ernie Jennings | Wide receiver | Air Force |
| 258 | Minnesota Vikings | Chris Morris | Guard | Indiana |
| 259 | Dallas Cowboys | Rodney Wallace | Defensive tackle | New Mexico |
| 260 | Baltimore Colts | Rex Kern | Quarterback | Ohio State |
Round 11
| Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
| 261 | Boston Patriots | Dan Schneiss | Tight end | Nebraska |
| 262 | New Orleans Saints | Bob Pollard | Defensive end | Weber State |
| 263 | Buffalo Bills | Andy Browder | Tackle | Texas A&I |
| 264 | Philadelphia Eagles | Albert Davis | Running back | Tennessee State |
| 265 | Houston Oilers | Macon Hughes | Wide receiver | Rice |
| 266 | New York Jets | Vernon Studdard | Wide receiver | Mississippi |
| 267 | Atlanta Falcons | Larry Shears | Defensive back | Lincoln |
| 268 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Mike Wagner | Defensive back | Western Illinois |
| 269 | Denver Broncos | Roger Roitsch | Defensive tackle | Rice |
| 270 | Chicago Bears | Cliff Hardy | Defensive back | Michigan State |
| 271 | Green Bay Packers | John Lanier | Running back | Parsons |
| 272 | Washington Redskins | George Starke | Tackle | Columbia |
| 273 | San Diego Chargers | Don Pinson | Defensive back | Tennessee State |
| 274 | Cleveland Browns | Mike Sikich | Guard | Northwestern |
| 275 | Cincinnati Bengals | Edward Marshall | Wide receiver | Cameron State |
| 276 | Kansas City Chiefs | Nate Allen | Defensive back | Texas Southern |
| 277 | St. Louis Cardinals | Rick Ogle | Linebacker | Colorado |
| 278 | New York Giants | Marshall Ellison | Guard | Dayton |
| 279 | Oakland Raiders | Jim Poston | Defensive tackle | South Carolina |
| 280 | Los Angeles Rams | Charlie Richards | Quarterback | Richmond |
| 281 | Detroit Lions | Phil Webb | Defensive back | Colorado State |
| 282 | Miami Dolphins | Vic Surma | Tackle | Penn State |
| 283 | San Francisco 49ers | Joe Reed | Quarterback | Mississippi State |
| 284 | Minnesota Vikings | Mike Walker | Linebacker | Tulane |
| 285 | Dallas Cowboys | Ernest Bonwell | Defensive tackle | Lane |
| 286 | Baltimore Colts | Dave Jones | Linebacker | Baylor |
Round 12
| Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
| 287 | Boston Patriots | John Rodman | Tackle | Northwestern |
| 288 | New Orleans Saints | Ron Gathright | Defensive back | Morehead State |
| 289 | Philadelphia Eagles | Rich Saathoff | Defensive end | Northern Arizona |
| 290 | Houston Oilers | John Thompson | Guard | Minnesota |
| 291 | Buffalo Bills | Jim Sheffield | Kicker | Texas A&M |
| 292 | New York Jets | Rich Sowells | Defensive back | Alcorn A&M |
| 293 | Atlanta Falcons | Ronnie Lowe | Wide receiver | Ft. Valley State |
| 294 | Baltimore Colts | Bob Wuensch | Tackle | Texas |
| 295 | Denver Broncos | Floyd Franks | Wide receiver | Mississippi |
| 296 | Green Bay Packers | Greg Hendren | Guard | California |
| 297 | Washington Redskins | Jeff Severson | Defensive back | Cal State-Long Beach |
| 298 | Chicago Bears | Steve Booras | Defensive end | Mesa Jr. College |
| 299 | San Diego Chargers | Wesley Garnett | Wide receiver | Utah State |
| 300 | Cleveland Browns | Tony Blanchard | Tight end | North Carolina |
| 301 | Cincinnati Bengals | James Hayden | Defensive end | Memphis State |
| 302 | Kansas City Chiefs | Tony Esposito | Running back | Pittsburgh |
| 303 | St. Louis Cardinals | Tim Von Dulm | Quarterback | Portland State |
| 304 | New York Giants | Tom Blanchard | Kicker | Oregon |
| 305 | Oakland Raiders | Horace Jones | Defensive tackle | Louisville |
| 306 | Los Angeles Rams | Kirk Behrendt | Tackle | Whitewater |
| 307 | Miami Dolphins | Leroy Byars | Running back | Alcorn A&M |
| 308 | Detroit Lions | Bill Pilconis | Wide receiver | Pittsburgh |
| 309 | San Francisco 49ers | Jim Bunch | Defensive tackle | Wisconsin–Platteville |
| 310 | Minnesota Vikings | Reggie Holmes | Defensive back | Wisconsin–Stout |
| 311 | Dallas Cowboys | Steve Goepel | Quarterback | Colgate |
| 312 | Baltimore Colts | Bill Triplett | Wide receiver | Michigan State |
Round 13
| Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
| 313 | Boston Patriots | Lewis Swain | Defensive back | Alabama A&M |
| 314 | New Orleans Saints | Don Burchfield | Tight end | Ball State |
| 315 | Houston Oilers | Joe Hoing | Guard | Arkansas Tech |
| 316 | Buffalo Bills | Busty Underwood | Quarterback | Texas Christian |
| 317 | Philadelphia Eagles | Danny Lester | Defensive back | Texas |
| 318 | New York Jets | John Eggold | Defensive end | Arizona |
| 319 | Atlanta Falcons | Dan Crooks | Defensive back | Wisconsin |
| 320 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Alfred Young | Wide receiver | South Carolina State |
| 321 | Denver Broncos | Craig Blackford | Quarterback | Evansville |
| 322 | Washington Redskins | Dan Ryczek | Center | Virginia |
| 323 | Chicago Bears | Ed Nicholas | Tackle | North Carolina State |
| 324 | Green Bay Packers | Jack Martin | Running back | Angelo State |
| 325 | San Diego Chargers | Sammy Milner | Wide receiver | Mississippi State |
| 326 | Cleveland Browns | Thad Jamula | Tackle | Lehigh |
| 327 | Cincinnati Bengals | David Knapman | Tight end | Central Washington |
| 328 | Kansas City Chiefs | Chuck Hixson | Quarterback | Southern Methodist |
| 329 | St. Louis Cardinals | Jeff Allen | Defensive back | Iowa State |
| 330 | New York Giants | Dave Roller | Defensive tackle | Kentucky |
| 331 | Los Angeles Rams | Russell Harrison | Running back | Kansas State |
| 332 | Detroit Lions | David Abercrombie | Running back | Tulane |
| 333 | Miami Dolphins | Lionel Hepburn | Defensive back | Texas Southern |
| 334 | Oakland Raiders | Mick Natzel | Defensive back | Central Michigan |
| 335 | San Francisco 49ers | John Bullock | Running back | Purdue |
| 336 | Minnesota Vikings | Benny Fry | Center | Houston |
| 337 | Dallas Cowboys | James Ford | Running back | Texas Southern |
| 338 | Baltimore Colts | Tom Neville | Linebacker | Yale |
Round 14
| Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
| 339 | Boston Patriots | Alfred Sykes | Wide receiver | Florida A&M |
| 340 | New Orleans Saints | Bobby Scott | Quarterback | Tennessee |
| 341 | Buffalo Bills | Jim Hoots | Defensive end | Missouri Southern |
| 342 | Philadelphia Eagles | Robert Creech | Linebacker | Texas Christian |
| 343 | Houston Oilers | Dick Adams | Defensive back | Miami |
| 344 | New York Jets | John Harpring | Guard | Michigan |
| 345 | Atlanta Falcons | Daryl Comer | Tight end | Texas |
| 346 | Pittsburgh Steelers | McKinney Evans | Defensive back | New Mexico Highlands |
| 347 | Chicago Bears | Willie Lewis | Running back | Arizona |
| 348 | Green Bay Packers | LeRoy Spears | Defensive end | Moorhead |
| 349 | Washington Redskins | Bill Bynum | Quarterback | W. New Mexico |
| 350 | Denver Broncos | Tommy Lyons | Center | Georgia |
| 351 | San Diego Chargers | Edward O'Daniel | Defensive end | Texas Southern |
| 352 | Cleveland Browns | Rick Kingrea | Linebacker | Tulane |
| 353 | Cincinnati Bengals | Irvin Mallory | Defensive back | Virginia Union |
| 354 | Kansas City Chiefs | Bruce Bergey | Defensive end | UCLA |
| 355 | St. Louis Cardinals | Doug Klausen | Tackle | Arizona |
| 356 | New York Giants | Charlie Evans | Running back | USC |
| 357 | Oakland Raiders | Tom Gipson | Defensive tackle | North Texas State |
| 358 | Los Angeles Rams | Lionel Coleman | Defensive back | Oregon |
| 359 | Miami Dolphins | David Vaughn | Tight end | Memphis State |
| 360 | Detroit Lions | Tom Lorenz | Tight end | Iowa State |
| 361 | San Francisco 49ers | Bill Dunstan | Defensive end | Utah State |
| 362 | Minnesota Vikings | Jim Gallagher | Linebacker | Yale |
| 363 | Dallas Cowboys | Tyrone Covey | Defensive back | Utah State |
| 364 | Baltimore Colts | Mike Mikolayunas | Running back | Davidson |
Round 15
| Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
| 365 | Boston Patriots | Nick McGarry | Tight end | Massachusetts |
| 366 | New Orleans Saints | Bart Graves | Tackle | Tulane |
| 367 | Philadelphia Eagles | Ed Fisher | Guard | Prairie View A&M |
| 368 | Houston Oilers | Andy Hopkins | Running back | Stephen F. Austin |
| 369 | Buffalo Bills | Charles Cole | Running back | Toledo |
| 370 | New York Jets | Dan Dyches | Center | South Carolina |
| 371 | Atlanta Falcons | Wallace Clark | Running back | Auburn |
| 372 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Ray Makin | Guard | Kentucky |
| 373 | Denver Broncos | Larry James | Running back | Norfolk State |
| 374 | Green Bay Packers | Len Garrett | Tight end | New Mexico Highlands |
| 375 | Washington Redskins | Anthony Christnovich | Guard | LaCrosse |
| 376 | Chicago Bears | Ron Maciejowski | Quarterback | Ohio State |
| 377 | San Diego Chargers | Eric Humston | Linebacker | Muskingum |
| 378 | Cleveland Browns | Bill Green | Defensive back | Western Kentucky |
| 379 | Cincinnati Bengals | Bob Thomas | Running back | Arizona State |
| 380 | Kansas City Chiefs | Mike Montgomery | Defensive back | Southwest Texas State |
| 381 | St. Louis Cardinals | Ted Heiskell | Running back | Houston |
| 382 | New York Giants | Jim Wright | Linebacker | Notre Dame |
| 383 | Oakland Raiders | Andy Giles | Defensive end | William & Mary |
| 384 | Los Angeles Rams | Vontez Norman VI | Guard | Notre Dame |
| 385 | Detroit Lions | Ed Coates | Wide receiver | Central Missouri |
| 386 | Miami Dolphins | Bob Richards | Guard | California |
| 387 | San Francisco 49ers | John Lennon | Tackle | Colgate |
| 388 | Minnesota Vikings | Jeff Wright | Defensive back | Minnesota |
| 389 | Dallas Cowboys | Bob Young | Tight end | Delaware |
| 390 | Baltimore Colts | Mike Hogan | Linebacker | Michigan State |
Round 17
| Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
| 417 | Boston Patriots | Ronald Leigh | Defensive end | Elizabeth City State |
| 418 | Los Angeles Rams | Randy Vataha | Wide receiver | Stanford |
| 419 | Buffalo Bills | Pat Morrison | Tight end | Arkansas |
| 420 | Philadelphia Eagles | John Sage | Linebacker | LSU |
| 421 | Houston Oilers | Calvin Fox | Linebacker | Michigan State |
| 422 | New York Jets | Greg Flaska | Defensive end | Western Michigan |
| 423 | Atlanta Falcons | Willie Martin | Running back | Johnson C. Smith |
| 424 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Danny Ehle | Running back | Howard Payne |
| 425 | Denver Broncos | Jack Simcsak | Kicker | Virginia Tech |
| 426 | Chicago Bears | Ray Garganes | Linebacker | Millersville |
| 427 | Green Bay Packers | Monty Johnson | Defensive back | Oklahoma |
| 428 | New Orleans Saints | Hermann Eben | Wide receiver | Oklahoma State |
| 429 | San Diego Chargers | Chip Kell | Center | Tennessee |
| 430 | Cleveland Browns | Leo Dillon | Center | Dayton |
| 431 | Kansas City Chiefs | Travis Hill | Defensive back | Prairie View A&M |
| 432 | Cincinnati Bengals | Sam Pearson | Defensive back | Western Kentucky |
| 433 | St. Louis Cardinals | Preston Watkins | Wide receiver | Bluefield |
| 434 | New York Giants | Coleman Zeno | Wide receiver | Grambling |
| 435 | Los Angeles Rams | Joe Sweet | Wide receiver | Tennessee State |
| 436 | Detroit Lions | Gordon Jolley | Tackle | Utah |
| 437 | Miami Dolphins | Curt Mark | Linebacker | Mayville |
| 438 | San Francisco 49ers | Leroy Charlton | Defensive back | Florida A&M |
| 439 | Minnesota Vikings | Ken Duncan | Punter | Tulsa |
| 440 | Dallas Cowboys | John Bomer | Center | Memphis State |
| 441 | Baltimore Colts | Don Nottingham | Running back | Kent State |
| 442 | Oakland Raiders | Charles Hill | Wide receiver | Sam Houston State |
Hall of Famers
- Jack Ham, linebacker from Pennsylvania State, taken 2nd round 34th overall by Pittsburgh Steelers
- John Riggins, running back from Kansas, taken 1st round 6th overall by New York Jets
- Dan Dierdorf, offensive tackle from Michigan, taken 2nd round 43rd overall by St. Louis Cardinals
- Jack Youngblood, defensive end from Florida, taken 1st round 20th overall by Los Angeles Rams
- Harold Carmichael, wide receiver from Southern, taken 7th round 161st overall by Philadelphia Eagles