The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft was held April 26–27, 2003 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season.
First overall pick Carson Palmer found early success as the starting quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals before conflicts with team ownership. He was then traded to the Oakland Raiders before finishing his career strong with the Arizona Cardinals.
Wide receiver Andre Johnson was one of the first offensive superstars for the newly formed Houston Texans.
Troy Polamalu was the highest-picked safety in the draft and won two Super Bowls including multiple Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has since been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Terrell Suggs was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens and went on to win the 2011 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award and Super Bowl XLVII.
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and the highest professional level of American football in the world. Each NFL season begins annually with a three-week preseason in August, followed by the 18-week regular season which runs from early September to early January, with each team playing 17 games and having one bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, seven teams from each conference advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament that culminates in the Super Bowl, which is contested in February and is played between the winners of the AFC and NFC championship games.
The Akron Pros won the first APFA (NFL) Championship in 1920.
Roger Goodell, National Football League Commissioner since 2006 (pictured in 2012)
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, the first overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft