10 Documented Cases of NFL Owners Making Their Own Selections

Published on April 9th, 2026 12:57 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


One of the perks of owning a NFL team is that everybody on the staff works for you.

This means that if there is a player that you really want to draft, you can overrule your General Manager and scouting staff to make any selection that you want.

In most cases, the overruling owner ends up with egg on their face, as their selection ends up being a terrible idea.

Here are 10 documented cases where an owner overruled their staff to make their own selection:

Bud Adams Selects Vince Young in 2006 NFL Draft

The Titans staff wanted to select either Matt Leinart or Jay Cutler with the #3 overall pick in 2006, though owner Bud Adams had a different idea. Adams ordered his staff to draft Texas quarterback Vince Young with the #3 overall pick, as Adams was starstruck by Young's performance in the Rose Bowl.

Al Davis Selects JaMarcus Russell in 2007 NFL Draft

In one of the most infamous draft blunders in NFL history, Head Coach Lane Kiffin and much of the scouting staff practically begged Davis to select Calvin Johnson with the #1 overall pick. Davis, who was famously obsessed with size and elite arm strength, overruled his football people and locked in on LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell. Johnson went on to become a Hall of Famer with the Detroit Lions. Russell is widely considered one of the biggest busts in NFL history.

Dan Snyder Selects Dwayne Haskins in 2019 NFL Draft

Snyder completely bypassed his entire personnel department on this one. Vice President of Player Personnel Kyle Smith, GM Bruce Allen, and head coach Jay Gruden did not even have a first-round grade on Haskins and were pushing to target defensive players with the #15 overall pick. Snyder took over the war room and made the call himself. Haskins was released less than two years later.

David Tepper Selects Bryce Young in 2023 NFL Draft

After trading up to the #1 overall pick at significant cost, widespread reports indicated that Head Coach Frank Reich and several members of the scouting department preferred C.J. Stroud. Tepper stepped in and mandated the selection of Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. Reich was fired halfway through Young's rookie season. Stroud, meanwhile, made the Pro Bowl in his first year in Houston.

Jimmy Haslam Forces the Selection of Johnny Manziel in 2014 NFL Draft

The front office initially denied that Haslam had forced the pick, but extensive reporting told a different story. Haslam reportedly pushed hard for Manziel on draft night, with the scouting staff preferring either Teddy Bridgewater or Derek Carr. The story that has followed this pick ever since is that Haslam claimed part of his decision was influenced by a conversation with a homeless man who told him to draft Johnny Football. Both Bridgewater and Carr went on to have long NFL careers. Manziel was out of the league within two years.

Al Davis Selects Darrius Heyward-Bey in 2009 NFL Draft

Davis's obsession with track speed struck again just two years after the Russell disaster. He completely overruled his draft board and selected Heyward-Bey at #7 overall based almost entirely on his 4.30 40-yard dash. The scouting department had both Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin rated significantly higher. Crabtree went on to become a key piece of the San Francisco 49ers' run to multiple NFC Championship Games. Heyward-Bey never developed into a meaningful starter.

Jerry Jones Selects Quincy Carter in 2001 NFL Draft

Acting as both owner and GM, Jones shocked his own scouting staff by selecting Carter in the second round. He ignored the team's draft board entirely, catching the war room by surprise to take a quarterback most analysts considered a late-round project at best. Carter started for two seasons in Dallas before his NFL career quietly faded out.

Mike Brown Refuses the Saints' Trade Offer and Selects Akili Smith in 1999 NFL Draft

This one is particularly painful when you look back on it. Brown overruled his own coaches and scouting staff who desperately wanted to accept Mike Ditka's legendary trade offer from New Orleans - every single one of the Saints' 1999 draft picks plus their 2000 first-rounder in exchange for the #3 overall pick. Brown turned down the historic haul and stayed put to draft Smith. Smith threw 13 career touchdowns against 20 interceptions in four seasons and was out of the league by 2003. The Saints used those picks on Ricky Williams and never looked back.

Jerry Jones Selects Ezekiel Elliott Over Jalen Ramsey in 2016 NFL Draft

The Cowboys' draft room was reportedly split right down the middle on this one. Executive VP Stephen Jones and several top scouts were pushing hard for cornerback Jalen Ramsey, arguing the value of the premium defensive position. Jerry overruled the room and pulled the trigger on Elliott at #4 overall. To his credit, this one actually worked out - Elliott was one of the best running backs in the NFL for several years. Ramsey also went on to have an excellent career in Jacksonville and Los Angeles, so the debate about which call was truly correct has never really been settled.

Dan Snyder Vetoes Stefon Diggs in 2015 NFL Draft

This entry is unique because it is a case of an owner stepping in to prevent a pick rather than force one. Former GM Scot McCloughan has stated publicly that Diggs was the highest-rated player on his board in the middle rounds of that draft. Snyder, who was sitting directly beside him in the war room, strictly forbade McCloughan from selecting the Maryland product, giving no clear explanation for the decision. Washington passed. The Minnesota Vikings took Diggs in the fifth round and watched him develop into one of the best receivers in the NFL. McCloughan was fired by Snyder two years later.