"1936"^^ . "The 1936 National Football League Draft was the first official draft of the National Football League. It took place on February 8, 1936 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This was the only draft to have nine rounds; the number increased to ten for the 1937 draft. The first player ever drafted, Jay Berwanger, never played in the NFL. His rights were traded from the Eagles to the Bears after he claimed he had no interest in playing for the Eagles, George Halas was unable to convince Berwanger to sign with the Bears. Riley Smith, the second pick, was the first player signed from the draft to play in the NFL."@en . . . . "each team selected nine players"@en . "1936-02-08"^^ . . . . "no television coverage"@en . "Ritz-Carlton Hotel"@en . "Jay Berwanger, HB"@en . . . "81"^^ . "each team selected nine players"@en . . "Phil Flanagan, G"@en . . . "The 1936 National Football League Draft was the first official draft of the National Football League. It took place on February 8, 1936 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This was the only draft to have nine rounds; the number increased to ten for the 1937 draft. The first player ever drafted, Jay Berwanger, never played in the NFL. His rights were traded from the Eagles to the Bears after he claimed he had no interest in playing for the Eagles, George Halas was unable to convince Berwanger to sign with the Bears. Riley Smith, the second pick, was the first player signed from the draft to play in the NFL. The following is the breakdown of the 81 players by position:"@en . "1936 NFL Draft"@en .