2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so. Of the 252 selections, 220 were regular selections in rounds one through seven, and 32 were compensatory selections, distributed among rounds three through seven. As of the end of the 2018 season, 27 players have been selected to the Pro Bowl.
For the first time since the common draft began, no wide receiver was selected in the first round. For the first time ever, the first two picks had the same last name. Also, a then-record 34 trades were made during the draft itself. The number of trades was later broken in 2017.
Changes for 2008
The schedule for the draft was changed: day one began at 3:00 PM EDT, instead of noon, and consisted of just two rounds. Day two began with round three at 10:00 AM EDT, instead of 11:00 AM. Moreover, the time limits for day one selections were reduced, from 15 minutes to ten for first-round picks and from ten minutes to seven in the second. The limit remained five minutes for all picks in rounds three through seven.The draft also marked the official debut of a new NFL shield logo, replacing the old shield logo which had been used since 1970, featuring eight white stars to represent each of the league's eight divisions, and a football rotated to the same angle as the one on the top of the Vince Lombardi Trophy given to the Super Bowl champion.
Player selections
Trades
In the explanations below, ' indicates trades completed prior to the start of the draft, while ' denotes trades that took place during the 2008 draft.;Round one
;Round two
;Round three
;Round four
;Round five
;Round six
;Round seven
Draft day trades
;Fifth round- Redskins to Rams. Washington traded fifth-round and seventh-round selections to St. Louis for its two sixth-round selections.
- Ravens to Texans. See first-round trade above.
- Steelers to Giants. See fourth-round trade above.
- Eagles to Browns. Philadelphia traded to Cleveland the 6th round selection they had previously received from the Browns for Hank Fraley. ' In return, the Browns gave the Eagles their 5th round pick in the 2009 draft.
- Cowboys to Seahawks. See first-round trade above.
- Raiders to Cowboys. See fourth-round trade above.
- Cowboys to Jaguars. See fifth-round trade above.
- Packers to Vikings. See fifth-round trade above.
- Patriots to Buccaneers'. See fifth-round trade above.''
Notable undrafted players
Draft breakdown
By conference
Selection totals by college conference:| # | Conference | Players selected | Division |
| 1 | Southeastern Conference | 35 | I FBS |
| 2 | Pac-10 Conference | 34 | I FBS |
| 3 | Atlantic Coast Conference | 33 | I FBS |
| 4 | Big 12 Conference | 29 | I FBS |
| 5 | Big Ten Conference | 28 | I FBS |
| 6 | Big East Conference | 19 | I FBS |
| 7 | Conference USA | 11 | I FBS |
| 8 | Mid-American Conference | 9 | I FBS |
| 9 | Western Athletic Conference | 8 | I FBS |
| 10 | Mountain West Conference | 7 | I FBS |
| 11 | Independent | 5 | I FBS |
| 12 | Colonial Athletic Association | 4 | I FCS |
| 13 | Big Sky Conference | 3 | I FCS |
| 13 | Southern Conference | 3 | I FCS |
| 13 | Southland Conference | 3 | I FCS |
| 13 | Sun Belt Conference | 3 | I FBS |
| 17 | Big South Conference | 2 | I FCS |
| 17 | Gateway Football Conference | 2 | I FCS |
| 17 | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | 2 | I FCS |
| 17 | Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association | 2 | II |
| 17 | Ohio Valley Conference | 2 | I FCS |
| 22 | Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 1 | II |
| 22 | College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin | 1 | III |
| 22 | Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 1 | II |
| 22 | Great West Conference | 1 | I FCS |
| 22 | Northeast-10 Conference | 1 | II |
| 22 | Ohio Athletic Conference | 1 | III |
| 22 | Pioneer Football League | 1 | I FCS |
| 22 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | 1 | I FCS |