1979 NFL Draft
The Buffalo Bills took Tom Cousineau first overall in the 1979 NFL draft, the first of 192 picks over 7 rounds. The most decorated name in the class is Joe Montana, with 7 awards on the NFL honours list.
What the 1979 class won
- Joe Montana — NFL Comeback Player of the Year, NFL MVP, NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Super Bowl MVP
- Ottis Anderson — NFL Comeback Player of the Year, NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Super Bowl MVP
- Jim Haslett — NFL Coach of the Year, NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
- Phil Simms — Super Bowl MVP
Counted from the NFL award history, every season a pick has won something.
Round 1
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Cousineau |  Buffalo Bills |
| 2 | Mike Bell |  Kansas City Chiefs |
| 3 | Jack Thompson |  Cincinnati Bengals |
| 4 | Dan Hampton |  Chicago Bears |
| 5 | Jerry Butler | Buffalo Bills |
| 6 | Barry Krauss |  Indianapolis Colts |
| 7 | Phil Simms |  New York Giants |
| 8 | Ottis Anderson |  Arizona Cardinals |
| 9 | Al Harris | Chicago Bears |
| 10 | Keith Dorney |  Detroit Lions |
| 11 | Russell Erxleben |  New Orleans Saints |
| 12 | Charles Alexander | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 13 | Kellen Winslow |  Los Angeles Chargers |
| 14 | Marty Lyons |  New York Jets |
| 15 | Eddie Lee Ivery |  Green Bay Packers |
| 16 | Ted Brown |  Minnesota Vikings |
| 17 | Don Smith |  Atlanta Falcons |
| 18 | Manu Tuiasosopo |  Seattle Seahawks |
| 19 | George Andrews |  Los Angeles Rams |
| 20 | Willis Adams |  Cleveland Browns |
| 21 | Jerry Robinson |  Philadelphia Eagles |
| 22 | Kelvin Clark |  Denver Broncos |
| 23 | Steve Fuller | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 24 | Jon Giesler |  Miami Dolphins |
| 25 | Rick Sanford |  New England Patriots |
| 26 | Kent Hill | Los Angeles Rams |
| 27 | Robert Shaw |  Dallas Cowboys |
| 28 | Greg Hawthorne |  Pittsburgh Steelers |
Round 2
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 29 | James Owens |  San Francisco 49ers |
| 30 | Dan Ross | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 31 | Mike Stensrud |  Tennessee Titans |
| 32 | Fred Smerlas | Buffalo Bills |
| 33 | Greg Roberts |  Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 34 | Gordon Jones | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 35 | Theotis Brown | Arizona Cardinals |
| 36 | Earnest Gray | New York Giants |
| 37 | Ken Fantetti | Detroit Lions |
| 38 | Reggie Mathis | New Orleans Saints |
| 39 | Rickey Watts | Chicago Bears |
| 40 | Lawrence Johnson | Cleveland Browns |
| 41 | Mark Gastineau | New York Jets |
| 42 | Willie Jones |  Las Vegas Raiders |
| 43 | Dave Huffman | Minnesota Vikings |
| 44 | Steve Atkins | Green Bay Packers |
| 45 | Joe Norman | Seattle Seahawks |
| 46 | Calvin Favron | Arizona Cardinals |
| 47 | Sam Claphan | Cleveland Browns |
| 48 | Petey Perot | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 49 | Pat Howell | Atlanta Falcons |
| 50 | Jesse Baker | Tennessee Titans |
| 51 | Jim Haslett | Buffalo Bills |
| 52 | Bob Golic | New England Patriots |
| 53 | Jeff Toews | Miami Dolphins |
| 54 | Eddie Hill | Los Angeles Rams |
| 55 | Aaron Mitchell | Dallas Cowboys |
| 56 | Zack Valentine | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Round 3
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 57 | Michael Jackson | Seattle Seahawks |
| 58 | Jeff Moore | Los Angeles Rams |
| 59 | Barney Cotton | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 60 | Jerry Eckwood | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 61 | Tony Nathan | Miami Dolphins |
| 62 | Jon Borchardt | Buffalo Bills |
| 63 | Mel Land | Miami Dolphins |
| 64 | Joe Bostic | Arizona Cardinals |
| 65 | Ronnie Lee | Miami Dolphins |
| 66 | Willie McClendon | Chicago Bears |
| 67 | Bo Robinson | Detroit Lions |
| 68 | Donald Dykes | New York Jets |
| 69 | Kim Anderson | Indianapolis Colts |
| 70 | James Ramey | Cleveland Browns |
| 71 | Charles Johnson | Green Bay Packers |
| 72 | Kenny King | Tennessee Titans |
| 73 | Clifford Thrift | Los Angeles Chargers |
| 74 | Tony Franklin | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 75 | James Mayberry | Atlanta Falcons |
| 76 | Doug Cosbie | Dallas Cowboys |
| 77 | Bruce Radford | Denver Broncos |
| 78 | Reginald Lewis | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 79 | William Andrews | Atlanta Falcons |
| 80 | Rick Berns | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 81 | Mike Wellman | Los Angeles Rams |
| 82 | Joe Montana | San Francisco 49ers |
Round 4
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 83 | Ken Johnson | Buffalo Bills |
| 84 | James White | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 85 | Frank Manumaleuga | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 86 | Russell Davis | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 87 | Jeff Nixon | Buffalo Bills |
| 88 | Ulysses Norris | Detroit Lions |
| 89 | Roy Green | Arizona Cardinals |
| 90 | Phil Tabor | New York Giants |
| 91 | Vaughn Lusby | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 92 | Jonathan Brooks | Detroit Lions |
| 93 | Jim Kovach | New Orleans Saints |
| 94 | Ben Cowins | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 95 | Matt Miller | Cleveland Browns |
| 96 | Eric Cunningham | New York Jets |
| 97 | Steve Dils | Minnesota Vikings |
| 98 | Johnny Lynn | New York Jets |
| 99 | Derwin Tucker | Los Angeles Rams |
| 100 | Lynn Cain | Atlanta Falcons |
| 101 | Charles Johnson | Atlanta Falcons |
| 102 | Mark E. Bell | Seattle Seahawks |
| 103 | Don Warren |  Washington Commanders |
| 104 | John Floyd | Los Angeles Chargers |
| 105 | Charles Jefferson | Denver Broncos |
| 106 | Eddie Hare | New England Patriots |
| 107 | Steve Howell | Miami Dolphins |
| 108 | Jerry Wilkinson | Los Angeles Rams |
| 109 | Ralph DeLoach | Dallas Cowboys |
| 110 | Calvin Sweeney | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Round 5
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 111 | Tom Seabron | San Francisco 49ers |
| 112 | Earl Gant | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 113 | Casey Merrill | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 114 | Rod Kush | Buffalo Bills |
| 115 | Larry Braziel | Indianapolis Colts |
| 116 | Dan Manucci | Buffalo Bills |
| 117 | Cleveland Jackson | New York Giants |
| 118 | Steve Henry | Arizona Cardinals |
| 119 | Jerry Aldridge | San Francisco 49ers |
| 120 | Harlan Huckleby | New Orleans Saints |
| 121 | Bob Hukill | Dallas Cowboys |
| 122 | Victor Hicks | Los Angeles Rams |
| 123 | Kelly Kirchbaum | New York Jets |
| 124 | Rich Dimler | Cleveland Browns |
| 125 | Stan Blinka | New York Jets |
| 126 | Scott Fitzkee | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 127 | Mike Zele | Atlanta Falcons |
| 128 | Curtis Anderson | Dallas Cowboys |
| 129 | Jerry Meter | Minnesota Vikings |
| 130 | Mark R. Bell | Arizona Cardinals |
| 131 | Walt Brown | Detroit Lions |
| 132 | Rick Leach | Denver Broncos |
| 133 | Chuck Fusina | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 134 | Don Bessillieu | Miami Dolphins |
| 135 | John Zamberlin | New England Patriots |
| 136 | Ron Springs | Dallas Cowboys |
| 137 | Dwaine Board | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Round 6
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 138 | Ruben Vaughan | San Francisco 49ers |
| 139 | Steve Kreider | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 140 | Robert Gaines | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 141 | Mike Burrow | Buffalo Bills |
| 142 | Ira Matthews | Las Vegas Raiders |
| 143 | Daryl Hunt | Tennessee Titans |
| 144 | Thomas Lott | Arizona Cardinals |
| 145 | Bob Torrey | New York Giants |
| 146 | Ricky Ray | New Orleans Saints |
| 147 | John Sullivan | Chicago Bears |
| 148 | Jeff McIntyre | Denver Broncos |
| 149 | Bill Dufek | New York Jets |
| 150 | Jim Moore | Indianapolis Colts |
| 151 | Clinton Burrell | Cleveland Browns |
| 152 | Joe Senser | Minnesota Vikings |
| 153 | Dave Simmons | Green Bay Packers |
| 154 | Mike Moroski | Atlanta Falcons |
| 155 | Tim Lavender | Dallas Cowboys |
| 156 | Henry Williams | Las Vegas Raiders |
| 157 | Bill Murrell | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 158 | Eddie Hicks | New York Giants |
| 159 | Mike Murphy | Tennessee Titans |
| 160 | Mike Salzano | Dallas Cowboys |
| 161 | Dwayne Woodruff | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 162 | Steve Lindquist | Miami Dolphins |
| 163 | Jim Ronan | Cleveland Browns |
| 164 | Chris DeFrance | Dallas Cowboys |
| 165 | Matt Bahr | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Round 7
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 166 | Phil Francis | San Francisco 49ers |
| 167 | Ken Kremer | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 168 | Max Montoya | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 169 | Larry Polowski | Seattle Seahawks |
| 170 | Tom Mullady | Buffalo Bills |
| 171 | Tim Ries | Tennessee Titans |
| 172 | Steve Alvers | New York Giants |
| 173 | Kirk Gibson | Arizona Cardinals |
| 174 | Lee Kunz | Chicago Bears |
| 175 | Jack Matia | Las Vegas Raiders |
| 176 | Stan Sytsma | New Orleans Saints |
| 177 | Judson Flint | New England Patriots |
| 178 | Don Swafford | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 179 | Emmett King | New York Jets |
| 180 | Henry Monroe | Green Bay Packers |
| 181 | Bob Winkel | Minnesota Vikings |
| 182 | Rich Milot | Washington Commanders |
| 183 | Cody Risien | Cleveland Browns |
| 184 | Rich Wingo | Green Bay Packers |
| 185 | Curtis Bunche | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 186 | Roger Westlund | Atlanta Falcons |
| 187 | Keith Brown | New York Jets |
| 188 | Luke Prestridge | Denver Broncos |
| 189 | Uwe von Schamann | Miami Dolphins |
| 190 | Jeff Delaney | Los Angeles Rams |
| 191 | Greg Fitzpatrick | Dallas Cowboys |
| 192 | Bruce Kimball | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Picks from ESPN's draft pages. A team links to its page when the franchise is still in the league under that name; a player links when the player is on file.