| 1973 NFL draft | |
| Date: | January 30–31, 1973 |
| Location: | Americana Hotel in New York City, NY |
| League: | NFL |
| Mr Irrelevant: | Charlie Wade, WR Miami Dolphins |
| First: | John Matuszak, DE Houston Oilers |
| Fewnum: | 10 |
| Fewest: | Washington Redskins |
| Mostnum: | 23 |
| Most: | Los Angeles Rams |
| Overall: | 442 |
| Rounds: | 17 |
| Prev: | 1972 |
The 1973 NFL draft was held January 30–31, 1973, at the Americana Hotel in New York City, New York.[1] [2] With the first overall pick of the draft, the Houston Oilers selected defensive end John Matuszak.
| = Pro Bowler | = Hall of Famer |
|
| Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 261 | Houston Oilers | Larry Eaglin | Defensive back | Stephen F. Austin | |
| 262 | New Orleans Saints | James Owens | Running back | Auburn | |
| 263 | Philadelphia Eagles | Gary Van Elst | Defensive tackle | Michigan State | |
| 264 | New England Patriots | Homer May | Tight end | Texas A&M | |
| 265 | Buffalo Bills | Richard Earl | Tackle | Tennessee | |
| 266 | Chicago Bears | Ed Siegler | Kicker | Clemson | |
| 267 | St. Louis Cardinals | Dan Sanspree | Defensive end | Auburn | |
| 268 | San Diego Chargers | Jay Douglas | Center | Memphis State | |
| 269 | Denver Broncos | Elton Brown | Defensive end | Utah State | |
| 270 | Baltimore Colts | Dan Neal | Center | Kentucky | |
| 271 | Los Angeles Rams | Jeff Inmon | Running back | North Carolina Central | |
| 272 | New York Jets | David Knight | Wide receiver | William & Mary | |
| 273 | Atlanta Falcons | Byron Buelow | Defensive back | Lacrosse | |
| 274 | Minnesota Vikings | Geary Murdock | Guard | Iowa State | |
| 275 | New York Giants | William Wideman | Defensive tackle | North Carolina A&T | |
| 276 | Kansas City Chiefs | Monroe Eley | Running back | Arizona State | |
| 277 | Cincinnati Bengals | William Montgomery | Defensive back | Morehouse (Ga) | |
| 278 | San Francisco 49ers | Tom Dahlberg | Running back | Gustavus Adolphus | |
| 279 | Detroit Lions | Scott Freeman | Wide receiver | Wyoming | |
| 280 | Green Bay Packers | Phil Engle | Defensive tackle | South Dakota State | |
| 281 | Cleveland Browns | Carl Barisich | Defensive tackle | Princeton | |
| 282 | Dallas Cowboys | Gerald Caswell | Guard | Colorado State | |
| 283 | Oakland Raiders | Jerry List | Running back | Nebraska | |
| 284 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Bob White | Defensive back | Arizona | |
| 285 | Los Angeles Rams | Willie Jackson | Wide receiver | Florida | |
| 286 | Miami Dolphins | Chris Kete | Center | Boston University |
| Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 287 | Houston Oilers | Brad Lyman | Wide receiver | UCLA | |
| 288 | Philadelphia Eagles | Joe Lavender | Cornerback | San Diego State | |
| 289 | New Orleans Saints | Paul Orndorff | Running back | Tampa | |
| 290 | New England Patriots | Bruce Barnes | Punter | UCLA | |
| 291 | Chicago Bears | Mike Griffin | Guard | Arkansas | |
| 292 | St. Louis Cardinals | Dean Unruh | Tackle | Oklahoma | |
| 293 | San Diego Chargers | Lynn Ahrens | Tackle | Eastern Montana | |
| 294 | Buffalo Bills | Ronnie Carroll | Defensive tackle | Sam Houston State | |
| 295 | Baltimore Colts | Bernard Thomas | Defensive end | Western Michigan | |
| 296 | Denver Broncos | Jim O'Malley | Linebacker | Notre Dame | |
| 297 | Los Angeles Rams | Robert Storck | Defensive tackle | Wisconsin | |
| 298 | Atlanta Falcons | Mike Samples | Linebacker | Drake | |
| 299 | Minnesota Vikings | Alan Spencer | Wide receiver | Pittsburg (KS) | |
| 300 | New York Jets | Garry Puetz | Tackle | Valparaiso | |
| 301 | Kansas City Chiefs | Tom Ramsey | Defensive tackle | Northern Arizona | |
| 302 | Cincinnati Bengals | Charles "Boobie" Clark | Running back | Bethune-Cookman | |
| 303 | New York Giants | Ron Lumpkin | Defensive back | Arizona State | |
| 304 | Detroit Lions | Tom Scott | Wide receiver | Washington | |
| 305 | San Francisco 49ers | Larry Pettus | Tackle | Tennessee State | |
| 306 | Cleveland Browns | Stan Simmons | Tight end | Lewis & Clark | |
| 307 | Dallas Cowboys | Jim Arneson | Guard | Arizona | |
| 308 | Green Bay Packers | Larry McCarren | Center | Illinois | |
| 309 | Oakland Raiders | Jim Krapf | Guard | Alabama | |
| 310 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Willie Lee | Running back | Indiana State | |
| 311 | Washington Redskins | Ernie Webster | Guard | Pittsburgh | |
| 312 | Miami Dolphins | Mike Mullen | Linebacker | Tulane |
| Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 313 | Houston Oilers | Willie Martin | Guard | N.E. Oklahoma | |
| 314 | New Orleans Saints | Richard Watkins | Defensive tackle | Weber State | |
| 315 | Philadelphia Eagles | Stan Davis | Wide receiver | Memphis State | |
| 316 | New England Patriots | Alan Lowry | Defensive back | Texas | |
| 317 | St. Louis Cardinals | Edward Robinson | Defensive back | Lamar | |
| 318 | San Diego Chargers | Alfred Reese | Running back | Tennessee State | |
| 319 | Denver Broncos | Ed Smith | Defensive end | Colorado College | |
| 320 | Chicago Bears | John Cieszkowski | Running back | Notre Dame | |
| 321 | Denver Broncos | Ed White | Running back | Tulsa | |
| 322 | Baltimore Colts | Tom Pierantozzi | Quarterback | West Chester | |
| 323 | Los Angeles Rams | Rod Milburn | Wide receiver | Southern | |
| 324 | Minnesota Vikings | Ron Just | Guard | Minot | |
| 325 | New York Jets | Robert Parrish | Defensive tackle | Duke | |
| 326 | Atlanta Falcons | Chris Stecher | Tackle | Claremont-Mudd | |
| 327 | Cincinnati Bengals | Brooks West | Defensive tackle | Texas-El Paso | |
| 328 | New York Giants | Clifton Davis | Running back | Alcorn A&M | |
| 329 | Kansas City Chiefs | Paul Metallo | Defensive back | Massachusetts | |
| 330 | San Francisco 49ers | Alan Kelso | Center | Washington | |
| 331 | Detroit Lions | John Moss | Linebacker | Pittsburgh | |
| 332 | Dallas Cowboys | John Smith | Wide receiver | UCLA | |
| 333 | Green Bay Packers | Tim Alderson | Defensive back | Minnesota | |
| 334 | Cleveland Browns | Jim Romaniszyn | Linebacker | Edinboro | |
| 335 | Los Angeles Rams | Clinton Spearman | Linebacker | Michigan | |
| 336 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Rick Fergerson | Wide receiver | Kansas State | |
| 337 | Washington Redskins | Dennis Johnson | Defensive tackle | Delaware | |
| 338 | Miami Dolphins | Joe Booker | Running back | Miami (OH) |
| Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 339 | Houston Oilers | Ron Lou | Center | Arizona State | |
| 340 | Philadelphia Eagles | Ralph Sacra | Tackle | Texas A&M | |
| 341 | New Orleans Saints | Paul Fersen | Tackle | Georgia | |
| 342 | New England Patriots | Ray Hamilton | Defensive End | Oklahoma | |
| 343 | San Diego Chargers | Tony Adams | Quarterback | Utah State | |
| 344 | Buffalo Bills | Merv Krakau | Linebacker | Iowa State | |
| 345 | Chicago Bears | Dave Juenger | Wide receiver | Ohio | |
| 346 | St. Louis Cardinals | Dan Peiffer | Guard | Southeast Missouri State | |
| 347 | Baltimore Colts | Ed Williams | Running back | West Virginia | |
| 348 | Denver Broncos | John Hufnagel | Quarterback | Penn State | |
| 349 | Los Angeles Rams | Walter Rhone | Defensive back | Central Missouri | |
| 350 | New York Jets | Joe Schwartz | Running back | Toledo | |
| 351 | Atlanta Falcons | John Madeya | Quarterback | Louisville | |
| 352 | Minnesota Vikings | Eddie Bishop | Defensive back | Southern | |
| 353 | New York Giants | Brian Kelley | Linebacker | Cal Lutheran | |
| 354 | Kansas City Chiefs | Albert White | Wide receiver | Ft. Valley State | |
| 355 | Cincinnati Bengals | Hurles Scales | Defensive back | North Texas State | |
| 356 | Detroit Lions | Jay Corey | Tackle | Santa Clara | |
| 357 | San Francisco 49ers | Dennis Morrison | Quarterback | Kansas State | |
| 358 | Green Bay Packers | James Anderson | Defensive tackle | Northwestern | |
| 359 | Cleveland Browns | Robert Popelka | Defensive back | Southern Methodist | |
| 360 | Dallas Cowboys | Bob Thornton | Guard | North Carolina | |
| 361 | Oakland Raiders | Bruce Polen | Defensive back | William Penn | |
| 362 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Roger Cowan | Defensive end | Stanford | |
| 363 | Washington Redskins | Herb Marshall | Defensive back | Cameron | |
| 364 | Miami Dolphins | Greg Boyd | Running back | Arizona |
| Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 365 | Houston Oilers | Roger Goree | Linebacker | Baylor | |
| 366 | New Orleans Saints | Mike Evenson | Center | North Dakota State | |
| 367 | Philadelphia Eagles | Ken Schlezes | Defensive back | Notre Dame | |
| 368 | New England Patriots | Condie Pugh | Running back | Norfolk State | |
| 369 | Buffalo Bills | Joe Rizzo | Linebacker | Kings Point | |
| 370 | Chicago Bears | Don Rives | Linebacker | Texas Tech | |
| 371 | St. Louis Cardinals | Melvin Parker | Linebacker | Duke | |
| 372 | San Diego Chargers | Gary Parris | Tight end | Florida State | |
| 373 | Denver Broncos | Calvin Jones | Defensive back | Washington | |
| 374 | Baltimore Colts | Jackie Brown | Defensive back | South Carolina | |
| 375 | Los Angeles Rams | Jerry Bond | Defensive back | Weber State | |
| 376 | Atlanta Falcons | Thomas Gage | Defensive back | Lamar | |
| 377 | Minnesota Vikings | Tony Chandler | Running back | Missouri Valley | |
| 378 | New York Jets | Mahlon Williams | Tight end | North Carolina State | |
| 379 | Buffalo Bills | Vince O'Neil | Running back | Kansas | |
| 380 | Cincinnati Bengals | Ted McNulty | Quarterback | Indiana | |
| 381 | New York Giants | Carl Schaukowitch | Guard | Penn State | |
| 382 | San Francisco 49ers | Mike Bettiga | Wide receiver | Humboldt State | |
| 383 | San Francisco 49ers | Dan Hansen | Defensive back | BYU | |
| 384 | Cleveland Browns | Dave Sullivan | Wide receiver | Virginia | |
| 385 | Dallas Cowboys | Walt Baisy | Linebacker | Grambling | |
| 386 | Green Bay Packers | Reggie Echols | Wide receiver | UCLA | |
| 387 | Oakland Raiders | Dave Leffers | Center | Vanderbilt | |
| 388 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Charles Cross | Defensive back | Iowa | |
| 389 | Miami Dolphins | Bill Palmer | Tight end | St. Thomas | |
| 390 | Los Angeles Rams | Curt Matter | Defensive end | Washington |
| Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 391 | Houston Oilers | Tim Dameron | Wide receiver | East Carolina | |
| 392 | Philadelphia Eagles | Frank Dowsing | Defensive back | Mississippi State | |
| 393 | New Orleans Saints | Howard Stevens | Running back | Louisville | |
| 394 | New England Patriots | Mike Kutter | Defensive end | Concordia (Moorhead) | |
| 395 | Chicago Bears | Bill Hart | Center | Michigan | |
| 396 | St. Louis Cardinals | Jim Hann | Linebacker | Montana | |
| 397 | San Diego Chargers | Joe Petty | Defensive back | Arizona State | |
| 398 | Denver Broncos | Oliver Ross | Running back | Alabama A&M | |
| 399 | Baltimore Colts | Marty Januszkiewicz | Running back | Syracuse | |
| 400 | Denver Broncos | Ken Muhlbeier | Center | Idaho | |
| 401 | Los Angeles Rams | Fuller Cherry | Defensive back | Arkansas-Monticello | |
| 402 | Minnesota Vikings | Larry Smiley | Defensive end | Texas Southern | |
| 403 | New York Jets | John Czerwinski | Tackle | Bowling Green | |
| 404 | Atlanta Falcons | Rufus Ferguson | Running back | Wisconsin | |
| 405 | Cincinnati Bengals | Harry Unger | Running back | Auburn | |
| 406 | New York Giants | Ben Nitka | Kicker | Colorado College | |
| 407 | Kansas City Chiefs | Wilbur Grooms | Linebacker | Tampa | |
| 408 | Detroit Lions | Larry Nickels | Wide receiver | Dayton | |
| 409 | San Francisco 49ers | Mike Oven | Tight end | Georgia Tech | |
| 410 | Dallas Cowboys | John Conley | Tight end | Hawaii | |
| 411 | Green Bay Packers | Keith Pretty | Tight end | Western Michigan | |
| 412 | Cleveland Browns | George Greenfield | Running back | Murray State | |
| 413 | Oakland Raiders | Jerry Gadlin | Wide receiver | Wyoming | |
| 414 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Glen Nardi | Defensive tackle | Navy | |
| 415 | Washington Redskins | Mike Wedman | Kicker | Colorado | |
| 416 | Miami Dolphins | James Jackson | Defensive end | Norfolk State |
| Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 417 | Houston Oilers | Randy Braband | Linebacker | Texas | |
| 418 | New Orleans Saints | Bobby Garner | Tight end | Winston-Salem | |
| 419 | Philadelphia Eagles | Greg Oliver | Running back | Trinity | |
| 420 | New England Patriots | Eddie McAshan | Quarterback | Georgia Tech | |
| 421 | St. Louis Cardinals | Eric Crone | Quarterback | Harvard | |
| 422 | San Diego Chargers | Barry Darrow | Tackle | Montana | |
| 423 | Buffalo Bills | John Stearns | Defensive back | Colorado | |
| 424 | Chicago Bears | Larry Roach | Defensive back | Oklahoma | |
| 425 | Denver Broncos | Kenneth Morgan | Tight end | Elon | |
| 426 | Baltimore Colts | Guy Falkenhagen | Tackle | Northern Michigan | |
| 427 | Los Angeles Rams | Fred Henry | Running back | New Mexico | |
| 428 | Atlanta Falcons | Jim Hodge | Wide receiver | Arkansas | |
| 429 | Minnesota Vikings | Dave Winfield | Tight end | Minnesota | |
| 430 | New York Giants | John Billizon | Defensive end | Grambling State | |
| 431 | Kansas City Chiefs | Clayton Korver | Tight end | Southern Methodist | |
| 432 | New York Jets | Jim Foote | Punter | Delaware Valley | |
| 433 | Cincinnati Bengals | Wayne Estabrook | Quarterback | Whittier | |
| 434 | San Francisco 49ers | Bob Erickson | Guard | North Dakota State | |
| 435 | Detroit Lions | Earl Belgrave | Tackle | Ohio State | |
| 436 | Green Bay Packers | Harold Sampson | Defensive tackle | Southern | |
| 437 | Cleveland Browns | Robert McClowry | Center | Michigan State | |
| 438 | Dallas Cowboys | Leslie Strayhorn | Running back | East Carolina | |
| 439 | Oakland Raiders | Michael Ryan | Guard | USC | |
| 440 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Mike Shannon | Defensive tackle | Oregon State | |
| 441 | Washington Redskins | Jeff Davis | Running back | Mars Hill | |
| 442 [5] | Miami Dolphins | Charlie Wade | Wide receiver | Tennessee State |
| = Pro Bowler | = Hall of Famer |
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1991.[6]
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1993.
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2003.[7]
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2014.
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021.
| † | = Pro Bowler | Hall of Famer |