1972 NFL draft

The 1972 NFL draft was the 37th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft was held on February 1 and 2 at the Essex House in New York City, New York.

With the first overall pick of the draft, the Buffalo Bills selected defensive end Walt Patulski. Patulski would become viewed as a draft bust, after the Bills released him in 1976 — coincidentally replacing Patuski with second overall choice Sherman White of California. NFL historians have frequently described 1972 as one of the league's worst draft classes ever, especially regarding the failure of the majority of 1st round draftees, which has become viewed worse than other notably weak drafts like 2002 and 2009. Only seven of 26 first rounders made the Pro Bowl in their career, and the whole 1972 draft produced just two Hall of Fame members, one of whom, wide receiver Cliff Branch, was inducted posthumously. This was the fewest of any draft class since the 1959 draft, which had only Dick LeBeau enshrined in Canton.