1988 NFL Draft
The Atlanta Falcons took Aundray Bruce first overall in the 1988 NFL draft, the first of 192 picks over 7 rounds. The most decorated name in the class is Thurman Thomas, with 2 awards on the NFL honours list.
What the 1988 class won
- Thurman Thomas — NFL MVP, NFL Offensive Player of the Year
- Erik McMillan — NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
- John Stephens — NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
Counted from the NFL award history, every season a pick has won something.
Round 1
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aundray Bruce |  Atlanta Falcons |
| 2 | Neil Smith |  Kansas City Chiefs |
| 3 | Bennie Blades |  Detroit Lions |
| 4 | Paul Gruber |  Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 5 | Rickey Dixon |  Cincinnati Bengals |
| 6 | Tim Brown |  Las Vegas Raiders |
| 7 | Sterling Sharpe |  Green Bay Packers |
| 8 | Dave Cadigan |  New York Jets |
| 9 | Terry McDaniel | Las Vegas Raiders |
| 10 | Eric Moore |  New York Giants |
| 11 | Michael Irvin |  Dallas Cowboys |
| 12 | Ken Harvey |  Arizona Cardinals |
| 13 | Keith Jackson |  Philadelphia Eagles |
| 14 | Gaston Green |  Los Angeles Rams |
| 15 | Anthony Miller |  Los Angeles Chargers |
| 16 | Eric Kumerow |  Miami Dolphins |
| 17 | John Stephens |  New England Patriots |
| 18 | Aaron Jones |  Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 19 | Randall McDaniel |  Minnesota Vikings |
| 20 | Aaron Cox | Los Angeles Rams |
| 21 | Clifford Charlton |  Cleveland Browns |
| 22 | Lorenzo White |  Tennessee Titans |
| 23 | Brad Muster |  Chicago Bears |
| 24 | Craig Heyward |  New Orleans Saints |
| 25 | Scott Davis | Las Vegas Raiders |
| 26 | Ted Gregory |  Denver Broncos |
| 27 | Wendell Davis | Chicago Bears |
Round 2
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | Marcus Cotton | Atlanta Falcons |
| 29 | Chris Spielman | Detroit Lions |
| 30 | Eric Allen | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 31 | Ickey Woods | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 32 | Pat Carter | Detroit Lions |
| 33 | Daniel Stubbs |  San Francisco 49ers |
| 34 | Shawn Patterson | Green Bay Packers |
| 35 | Anthony Newman | Los Angeles Rams |
| 36 | John Elliott | New York Giants |
| 37 | Terry Williams | New York Jets |
| 38 | Tony Jeffery | Arizona Cardinals |
| 39 | Pierce Holt | San Francisco 49ers |
| 40 | Thurman Thomas |  Buffalo Bills |
| 41 | Ken Norton Jr | Dallas Cowboys |
| 42 | Jarvis Williams | Miami Dolphins |
| 43 | Vincent Brown | New England Patriots |
| 44 | Dermontti Dawson | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 45 | Gerald Perry | Denver Broncos |
| 46 | Willie Anderson | Los Angeles Rams |
| 47 | Fred Strickland | Los Angeles Rams |
| 48 | Quintin Jones | Tennessee Titans |
| 49 | Brian Blades |  Seattle Seahawks |
| 50 | Michael Dean Perry | Cleveland Browns |
| 51 | Dante Jones | Chicago Bears |
| 52 | Brett Perriman | New Orleans Saints |
| 53 | Lars Tate | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 55 | Chip Lohmiller |  Washington Commanders |
Round 3
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 56 | Alex Higdon | Atlanta Falcons |
| 57 | Kevin Walker | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 58 | Ray Roundtree | Detroit Lions |
| 59 | Kevin Porter | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 60 | Quinn Early | Los Angeles Chargers |
| 61 | Keith Woodside | Green Bay Packers |
| 62 | Sheldon White | New York Giants |
| 63 | Erik McMillan | New York Jets |
| 64 | Matt Patchan | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 65 | Bernard Ford | Buffalo Bills |
| 66 | Mike Oliphant | Washington Commanders |
| 67 | Mark Hutson | Dallas Cowboys |
| 68 | Tom Tupa | Arizona Cardinals |
| 69 | Tom Rehder | New England Patriots |
| 70 | Chuck Lanza | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 71 | Al Noga | Minnesota Vikings |
| 72 | Greg Montgomery | Tennessee Titans |
| 73 | Ferrell Edmunds | Miami Dolphins |
| 74 | James Hasty | New York Jets |
| 75 | Tommy Kane | Seattle Seahawks |
| 76 | Chris Chandler |  Indianapolis Colts |
| 77 | Van Waiters | Cleveland Browns |
| 78 | Ralph Jarvis | Chicago Bears |
| 79 | Kevin Guidry | Denver Broncos |
| 80 | Bill Romanowski | San Francisco 49ers |
| 81 | Tony Stephens | New Orleans Saints |
| 82 | Mike Piel | Los Angeles Rams |
Round 4
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 83 | Robert Goff | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 84 | David Grant | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 85 | William White | Detroit Lions |
| 86 | John Bruhin | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 87 | Tim Goad | New England Patriots |
| 88 | Rollin Putzier | Green Bay Packers |
| 89 | Chuck Cecil | Green Bay Packers |
| 90 | Tim Rother | Las Vegas Raiders |
| 91 | Joe Campbell | Los Angeles Chargers |
| 92 | Ricky Shaw | New York Giants |
| 93 | Stacy Searels | Los Angeles Chargers |
| 94 | Dave Widell | Dallas Cowboys |
| 95 | Michael Brim | Arizona Cardinals |
| 96 | J.R. Ambrose | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 97 | Sammy Martin | New England Patriots |
| 98 | David Richards | Los Angeles Chargers |
| 99 | Greg Johnson | Miami Dolphins |
| 100 | Teddy Garcia | New England Patriots |
| 101 | Kevin Harmon | Seattle Seahawks |
| 102 | Barry Helton | San Francisco 49ers |
| 103 | Anthony Blaylock | Cleveland Browns |
| 104 | Michael Ball | Indianapolis Colts |
| 105 | Jim Thornton | Chicago Bears |
| 106 | Lydell Carr | New Orleans Saints |
| 107 | Monte Robbins | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 108 | Todd Kalis | Minnesota Vikings |
| 109 | Jamie Morris | Washington Commanders |
Round 5
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 110 | Charles Dimry | Atlanta Falcons |
| 111 | Eric Andolsek | Detroit Lions |
| 112 | Greg Scales | New Orleans Saints |
| 113 | William Howard | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 114 | Herb Wester | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 115 | Troy Wolkow | New England Patriots |
| 116 | Darrell Reed | Green Bay Packers |
| 117 | Robert Delpino | Los Angeles Rams |
| 118 | Jon Carter | New York Giants |
| 119 | Mike Withycombe | New York Jets |
| 120 | Chris Gaines | Arizona Cardinals |
| 121 | Darin Jordan | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 122 | Eric Everett | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 123 | Ezekial Gadson | Buffalo Bills |
| 124 | Darrell Fullington | Minnesota Vikings |
| 125 | Cris Dishman | Tennessee Titans |
| 126 | Rodney Thomas | Miami Dolphins |
| 127 | Carl Mims | Washington Commanders |
| 128 | Jerry Reese | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 129 | John Baylor | Indianapolis Colts |
| 130 | Chris Verhulst | Tennessee Titans |
| 131 | Dennis Price | Las Vegas Raiders |
| 132 | Tony Jordan | Arizona Cardinals |
| 133 | Troy Johnson | Chicago Bears |
| 134 | Keith Taylor | New Orleans Saints |
| 135 | Kirk Roach | Buffalo Bills |
| 136 | Corris Ervin | Denver Broncos |
| 137 | James Washington | Los Angeles Rams |
Round 6
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 138 | George Thomas | Atlanta Falcons |
| 139 | James Saxon | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 140 | Houston Hoover | Atlanta Falcons |
| 141 | Paul Jetton | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 142 | Carl Painter | Detroit Lions |
| 143 | Erwin Grabisna | Las Vegas Raiders |
| 144 | Nate Hill | Green Bay Packers |
| 145 | David Houle | New York Giants |
| 146 | Paul Frase | New York Jets |
| 147 | Keith Jones | Los Angeles Rams |
| 148 | Jon Phillips | Arizona Cardinals |
| 149 | Don McPherson | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 150 | Dan Murray | Buffalo Bills |
| 151 | Scott Secules | Dallas Cowboys |
| 152 | Cedric Figaro | Los Angeles Chargers |
| 153 | Melvin Bratton | Miami Dolphins |
| 154 | Steve Johnson | New England Patriots |
| 155 | Warren Williams | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 156 | George Cooper | Miami Dolphins |
| 157 | Kurt Crain | Tennessee Titans |
| 158 | Roy Hart | Seattle Seahawks |
| 159 | Stan Humphries | Washington Commanders |
| 160 | Rob Sterling | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 161 | Lemuel Stinson | Chicago Bears |
| 162 | Bob Sims | New Orleans Saints |
| 163 | Shawn Lee | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 164 | Derrick White | Minnesota Vikings |
| 165 | Jeff Knapton | Los Angeles Rams |
Round 7
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 166 | Michael Haynes | Atlanta Falcons |
| 167 | Kerry Goode | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 168 | Rich Romer | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 169 | Jeff James | Detroit Lions |
| 170 | Troy Stedman | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 171 | Derrick Crudup | Las Vegas Raiders |
| 172 | Gary Patton | New York Jets |
| 173 | Gary Richard | Green Bay Packers |
| 174 | Pat Kelly | Denver Broncos |
| 175 | Mike Perez | New York Giants |
| 176 | Todd White | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 177 | Tim Borcky | Buffalo Bills |
| 178 | Owen Hooven | Dallas Cowboys |
| 179 | Ernie Jones | Arizona Cardinals |
| 180 | Kerwin Bell | Miami Dolphins |
| 181 | Darryl Usher | New England Patriots |
| 182 | Marc Zeno | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 183 | Brad Beckman | Minnesota Vikings |
| 184 | Bo Wright | Buffalo Bills |
| 185 | Ray Jackson | Seattle Seahawks |
| 186 | Danta Whitaker | New York Giants |
| 187 | Tracey Eaton | Tennessee Titans |
| 188 | Thane Gash | Cleveland Browns |
| 189 | Caesar Rentie | Chicago Bears |
| 190 | Brian Forde | New Orleans Saints |
| 191 | Kevin Bryant | San Francisco 49ers |
| 192 | Garry Frank | Denver Broncos |
| 193 | Harold Hicks | Washington Commanders |
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.