The 2009 NFL draft was the 74th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day, starting at 4:00 pm EDT, and five rounds on the second day, starting at 10:00 am EDT. To compensate for the time change from the previous year and in an effort to help shorten the draft, teams were no longer on the clock for 15 minutes in the first round and 10 minutes in the second round. Each team now had 10 minutes to make their selection in the first round and seven minutes in the second round. Rounds three through seven were shortened to five minutes per team. This was the first year that the NFL used this format and it was changed again the following year for the 2010 NFL draft. The 2009 NFL draft was televised by both NFL Network and ESPN and was the first to have cheerleaders. The Detroit Lions, who became the first team in NFL history to finish a season at 0–16, used the first selection in the draft to select University of Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford.
First overall pick Matthew Stafford is the fastest quarterback to reach 40,000 passing yards in NFL history and led the Los Angeles Rams to a victory in Super Bowl LVI.
Linebacker Brian Orakpo, taken 13th overall, was a 4-time Pro Bowl selection.
Cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, drafted 14th overall, won two Super Bowls with two different teams and was named to 3 Pro Bowls.
Linebacker Clay Matthews III, picked 26th overall, is a member of the Matthews family of football players and was one of the league's premier pass-rushers throughout his career.
The National Football League draft, also called the NFL draft or (officially) the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order relative to its record in the previous year, which means that the last place team is positioned first and the Super Bowl champion is last. From this position, the team can either select a player or trade its position to another team for other draft positions, a player or players, or any combination thereof. The round is complete when each team has either selected a player or traded its position in the draft. The first draft was held in 1936, and has been held every year since.
League commissioner Roger Goodell announcing a pick live at the 2010 NFL draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York City
"Selection Square" for the 2016 NFL draft at Grant Park's Buckingham Fountain in Chicago.
The set for the 2010 NFL draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York City
The stage for the 2017 NFL draft on Eakins Oval in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art