The 2005 NFL draft, the 70th in league history, took place on April 23 and 24, 2005. The draft was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City and was televised for the 26th consecutive year, with coverage on ESPN and ESPN2. It was the first to be held at the Javits Center, as Madison Square Garden had been utilized for drafts since 1995.
The draft is best known for quarterback Aaron Rodgers falling to the 24th selection after being projected as one of the top picks. Rodgers believed he would be taken first overall by the San Francisco 49ers, but after the 49ers selected quarterback Alex Smith, Rodgers was passed on by teams with other positional needs until he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers. The fall drew retrospective scrutiny due to Rodgers developing a reputation as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Rodgers is currently the only remaining player from the draft class still in the league, as of 2026.
Compensatory selections were distributed among 14 teams, with the Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams garnering the most with four picks each. Three of the first five picks were running backs, an NFL draft first.
The league also held a supplemental draft in 2005 after the regular draft but before the regular season.
The 255 players chosen in the draft were composed of: 36 linebackers 31 wide receivers 29 cornerbacks 26 offensive tackles 26 running backs 20 safeties 20 defensive ends 15 defensive tackles 15 guards 14 quarterbacks 9 tight ends 8 centers 3 kickers 2 punters 1 kick returner
Player selections * = compensatory selection † = Pro Bowler ‡= Hall of Famer
Supplemental draft selections For each player selected in the supplemental draft, the drafting team forfeited its pick in that round in the regular draft of the following season.
Notable undrafted players † = Pro BowlerPlayers are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro Bowl at any time in their career.
Hall of Famers
DeMarcus Ware, linebacker from Troy taken 11th overall by the Dallas Cowboys, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023.
Trades In the explanations below, (PD) indicates trades completed prior to the start of the draft while (D) denotes trades that took place during the draft.
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
References General
Specific
External links
2005 NFL Draft Listing at Pro Football Reference