Each NFL franchise seeks to add new players through the annual NFL Draft. The team with the worst record the previous year picks first, the next-worst team second, and so on. Teams that did not make the playoffs are ordered by their regular-season record, with any remaining ties broken by strength of schedule. Playoff participants are sequenced after non-playoff teams, based on their round of elimination (wild card, division, conference, and Super Bowl).[4]
Before the AFL–NFL merger agreements in 1966, the American Football League (AFL) operated in direct competition with the NFL and held a separate draft. This led to a massive bidding war over top prospects between the two leagues. As part of the merger agreement on June 8, 1966, the two leagues would hold a multiple round "Common Draft". Once the AFL officially merged with the NFL in 1970, the "Common Draft" simply became the NFL Draft.[1][2] This list includes players that have transferred to or from Wisconsin.
^Because of the NFL–AFL merger agreement, the history of the AFL is officially recognized by the NFL and therefore this list includes the AFL Draft (1960–1966) and the Common Draft (1967–1969).[1][2]
^In American and Canadianfootball, a back is a player who is lined up behind the linemen, the players who line up closest to the line of scrimmage.
^ abThis is the team that drafted the player, not their most recent team.
^ abRon Miller was drafted in the 1961 AFL Draft by the Houston Oilers (168th overall) and in the 1961 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams (41st overall).
^ abPat Richter was drafted in the 1963 AFL Draft by the Denver Broncos (78th overall) and in the 1963 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins (7th overall).
^ abGary Kroner was drafted in the 1963 AFL Draft by the New York Jets (147th overall) and in the 1963 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers (93rd overall).
^ abRoger Pillath was drafted in the 1964 AFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills (53rd overall) and in the 1964 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams (39th overall).
^ abKen Bowman was drafted in the 1964 AFL Draft by the New York Jets (75th overall) and in the 1964 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers (111th overall).
^ abJimmy Jones was drafted in the 1964 AFL Draft by the Denver Broncos (193rd overall) and in the 1964 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears (84th overall).
^ abAl Piraino was drafted in the 1965 AFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs (85th overall) and in the 1965 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles (104th overall).