List of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in the NFL draft

The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football team, representing the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, has had 69 American football players drafted into the National Football League (NFL) since the first draft in 1936.[A 1] The highest that a Warrior has ever been drafted is 19th overall, which occurred when Ashley Lelie was drafted in 2002.[3] The St. Louis Rams have drafted the most Warriors with six.[3]

Jason Elam was drafted 70th overall by the Denver Broncos in the 1993 NFL Draft.

Each NFL franchise seeks to add new players through the annual NFL Draft. The draft rules were last updated in 2009. The team with the worst record the previous year picks first, the next-worst team second, and so on. Teams that did not make the playoffs are ordered by their regular-season record, with any remaining ties broken by strength of schedule. Playoff participants are sequenced after non-playoff teams, based on their round of elimination (wild card, division, conference, and Super Bowl).[4]

Before the merger agreement in 1966, the American Football League (AFL) operated in direct competition with the NFL and held a separate draft. This led to a massive bidding war over top prospects between the two leagues, along with the subsequent drafting of the same player in each draft. As part of the merger agreement on June 8, 1966, the two leagues held a multiple round "Common Draft". Once the AFL officially merged with the NFL in 1970, the "Common Draft" simply became the NFL Draft.[1][2][5]

The most Warriors selected in a single NFL Draft is five, in 2007.[6] Of the Warriors selected in the NFL Draft, two have been selected to a Pro Bowl: Jason Elam and Jesse Sapolu. Nine have been a member of a Super Bowl winning team, including Sapolu and Elam. One Warrior, Jim Mills, is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.[7]

B Back K Kicker NT Nose tackle
C Center LB Linebacker FB Fullback
DB Defensive back P Punter HB Halfback
DE Defensive end QB Quarterback WR Wide receiver
DT Defensive tackle RB Running back G Guard
E End T Offensive tackle TE Tight end
* Selected to a Pro Bowl
Won a Super Bowl championship
Selected to a Pro Bowl and won a Super Bowl

Players selected

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Jesse Sapolu was drafted 289th overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1983 NFL Draft.
 
Jeff Ulbrich was drafted 86th overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2000 NFL Draft.
 
Alex Green was drafted 96th overall by the Green Bay Packers in the 2011 NFL Draft.
Hawaii Warriors selected in the NFL/AFL Drafts
Year Round Pick Overall Player Team Position Notes
1968 16 20 428 Larry Cole Dallas Cowboys DE Super Bowl champion (VI, XII)[8][9]
1969 8 5 186 Tim Buchanan Cincinnati Bengals LB
10 7 241 McKinley Reynolds New Orleans Saints RB
1970 12 22 308 Larry Arnold Los Angeles Rams QB
1971 10 5 239 Rocky Pamplin New Orleans Saints RB
16 13 403 Ed Foote San Diego Chargers C
1972 10 23 257 Rich Ruppert Kansas City Chiefs T
13 15 327 Henry Sovio Atlanta Falcons TE
1973 2 20 46 Golden Richards[A 2] Dallas Cowboys WR Super Bowl champion (XII)[9]
16 20 410 John Conley Dallas Cowboys TE
1974 2 26 52 Jeris White Miami Dolphins DB Super Bowl champion (XVII)[10]
17 9 425 Levi Stanley San Francisco 49ers G
1976 3 16 76 John Woodcock Detroit Lions DT
9 17 254 Curtis Akins Washington Redskins G
1977 4 22 106 Dan Audick Pittsburgh Steelers T Super Bowl champion (XVI)[11]
1979 8 18 210 Wilbert Haslip San Diego Chargers RB
1980 9 1 222 DeWayne Jett Detroit Lions WR
9 2 223 Tom Tuinei Detroit Lions DT
1982 6 9 148 Gary Allen Houston Oilers RB
7 9 176 David Toloumu Atlanta Falcons RB
8 4 199 Mark Kafentzis Cleveland Browns DB
10 18 269 Dana McLemore San Francisco 49ers DB Super Bowl champion (XIX)[12]
1983 7 6 174 Anthony Edgar Philadelphia Eagles RB
9 1 225 Jim Mills Baltimore Colts T
11 10 289 Jesse Sapolu San Francisco 49ers C Pro Bowl (1993, 1994)[13]
Super Bowl champion (XIX, XXIII, XXIV, XXIX)[12][14][15][16]
1984 7 26 194 Bernard Carvalho Miami Dolphins G
8 5 201 Niko Noga St. Louis Cardinals LB
1985 5 10 122 Raphel Cherry Washington Redskins DB
6 26 166 Rich Miano New York Jets DB
7 2 170 Mike Akiu Houston Oilers WR
1986 2 18 45 Walter Murray Washington Redskins WR
9 6 227 Kent Kafentzis St. Louis Cardinals DB
9 24 245 Nuu Faaola New York Jets RB
1987 3 14 70 Colin Scotts St. Louis Cardinals DT
4 3 87 Ron Hall Tampa Bay Buccaneers TE
6 11 151 Joe Onosai Dallas Cowboys G
9 20 243 M.L. Johnson Seattle Seahawks LB
1988 3 16 71 Al Noga Minnesota Vikings DE
10 22 271 Marco Johnson Houston Oilers WR
1990 3 7 60 Leo Goeas San Diego Chargers G
1992 6 20 160 Jeff Sydner Philadelphia Eagles WR
1993 3 14 70 Jason Elam Denver Broncos K Pro Bowl (1995, 1998, 2002)[17]
Super Bowl champion (XXXII, XXXIII)[18][19]
8 13 209 Maa Tanuvasa Los Angeles Rams DT Super Bowl champion (XXXII, XXXIII)[18][19]
8 24 220 Darrick Branch Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR
1994 4 19 122 Ta'ase Faumui Pittsburgh Steelers DE
2000 2 15 46 Adrian Klemm New England Patriots T Super Bowl champion (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX)[20][21][22]
3 24 86 Jeff Ulbrich San Francisco 49ers LB
4 10 104 Kaulana Noa St. Louis Rams G
2001 7 19 219 Kynan Forney Atlanta Falcons G
2002 1 19 19 Ashley Lelie Denver Broncos WR
2003 2 11 43 Pisa Tinoisamoa St. Louis Rams LB
3 8 72 Vince Manuwai Jacksonville Jaguars G
3 9 73 Wayne Hunter Seattle Seahawks T
2004 2 10 42 Travis LaBoy Tennessee Titans DE
4 8 104 Isaac Sopoaga San Francisco 49ers DT
2005 6 11 185 Chad Owens Jacksonville Jaguars WR
2007 2 26 58 Ikaika Alama-Francis Detroit Lions DE
2 28 60 Samson Satele Miami Dolphins C
6 7 181 Reagan Maui'a Miami Dolphins FB
6 26 200 Melila Purcell Cleveland Browns DE
7 26 236 Nate Ilaoa Philadelphia Eagles RB
2008 6 20 186 Colt Brennan Washington Redskins QB
2009 2 20 52 David Veikune Cleveland Browns DE
3 30 94 Ryan Mouton Tennessee Titans DB
6 25 198 Jake Ingram New England Patriots LS
2011 3 32 96 Alex Green Green Bay Packers RB
4 15 112 Greg Salas St. Louis Rams WR
5 1 132 Kealoha Pilares Carolina Panthers WR
2012 7 2 209 Aaron Brown St. Louis Rams LB
2015 7 14 231 Joey Iosefa Tampa Bay Buccaneers FB
2019 2 11 43 Jahlani Tavai Detroit Lions LB
7 22 236 John Ursua Seattle Seahawks WR
2020 7 10 224 Cole McDonald Tennessee Titans QB

Notes

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  1. ^ Because of the NFL–AFL merger agreement, the history of the AFL is officially recognized by the NFL and therefore this list includes the AFL Draft (1960–1966) and the Common Draft (1967–1969).[1][2]
  2. ^ Golden Richards is listed in sources as being from BYU when drafted, but transferred to Hawaii his senior year of college.

References

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General
  • "Draft History by School–Hawaii". NFL.com. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  • "Hawaii Drafted Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
Specific
  1. ^ a b Cross, B. Duane (January 22, 2001). "The AFL: A Football Legacy". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on December 17, 2009. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "NFL History by Decade: 1961–1970". NFL.com. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Draft History by School–Hawaii". NFL.com. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  4. ^ Clayton, John (March 26, 2009). "Draft order to change for playoff teams". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2010.
  5. ^ "Time Changes for 2008 NFL Draft". NFL.com. April 22, 2008. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
  6. ^ Tsai, Stephen (April 30, 2007). "Unlikely source for NFL draft picks: Hawaii". USA Today. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  7. ^ "Jim Mills". Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  8. ^ "1971 Dallas Cowboys Starters, Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  9. ^ a b "1977 Dallas Cowboys Starters, Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  10. ^ "1982 Washington Redskins Starters, Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  11. ^ "1981 San Francisco 49ers Starters, Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  12. ^ a b "1984 San Francisco 49ers Starters, Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  13. ^ "Jesse Sapolu NFL Football Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  14. ^ "1988 San Francisco 49ers Starters, Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  15. ^ "1989 San Francisco 49ers Starters, Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  16. ^ "1994 San Francisco 49ers Starters, Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  17. ^ "Jason Elam NFL Football Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  18. ^ a b "1997 Denver Broncos Starters, Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  19. ^ a b "1998 Denver Broncos Starters, Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  20. ^ "2001 New England Patriots Starters, Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  21. ^ "2003 New England Patriots Starters, Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  22. ^ "2004 New England Patriots Starters, Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2013.