1961 NFL draft
| 1961 NFL draft | |
|---|---|
The Warwick (location of the draft), photographed in 2010 | |
| General information | |
| Date(s) | December 27–28, 1960 |
| Location | Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Overview | |
| 280 total selections in 20 rounds | |
| League | NFL |
| First selection | Tommy Mason, HB Minnesota Vikings |
| Mr. Irrelevant | Jacque MacKinnon, FB Philadelphia Eagles |
| Most selections (26) | San Francisco 49ers |
| Fewest selections (14) | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Hall of Famers | |
The 1961 NFL draft took place at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia on December 27–28, 1960. The league would later hold an expansion draft for the Minnesota Vikings expansion franchise. This draft was also the first regular draft for the Dallas Cowboys as they had only participated in the 1960 NFL expansion draft that year.
The Cowboys held the worst record in the NFL the previous season, but selected second in this draft because the expansion Vikings were awarded the first overall pick. The Vikings used that pick to select running back Tommy Mason.