The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting",[1] was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City from April 26–28.[3][4][5] The Indianapolis Colts, who compiled the league's worst record in the 2011 season with a 2–14 record, had the right to the first selection.[6]

On April 17, Indianapolis general manager Ryan Grigson announced that the team would take Andrew Luck as their first pick, saying it was "the right thing to do" in anticipation of the "media gauntlet" Luck would face in the days leading up to the draft.[7] Luck, being highly regarded as one of the best quarterback prospects in years, had been the subject of the "Suck for Luck" campaigns by fans hoping their teams would end up with the worst record in the 2011 season so they would have the chance to draft Luck. Something rare occurred when the first and last picks in the draft were both quarterbacks and were taken by the same team. Chandler Harnish, chosen with the final pick of the draft by the Colts, made him Mr. Irrelevant for 2012.[8]

Even at a relatively early stage, the strength of the quarterbacks in the 2012 class had been noted. For the first time since the 1970 merger, five rookie quarterbacks would start during opening week – first-round draft picks Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill, and Brandon Weeden, as well as third-rounder Russell Wilson.[9][10] By season's end, three more rookie quarterbacks would start their first games – third-round draft pick Nick Foles, fourth-rounder Kirk Cousins, and sixth-rounder Ryan Lindley.[11][12][13] Undrafted quarterbacks Austin Davis, Case Keenum, and Kellen Moore, who were each signed to teams following the draft, as well as second-round draft pick Brock Osweiler, would each eventually start at quarterback in one or more NFL games during later seasons. Luck, Griffin, and Wilson would be named to the Pro Bowl following the conclusion of the regular season, while Foles and Cousins would be recognized as Pro Bowlers later on in their careers. Wilson, Osweiler, and Foles have each been a part of a Super Bowl winning team, with Nick Foles eventually becoming the MVP of Super Bowl LII.

In the draft, a record 5 players not from the United States were drafted, being Canadians Tyrone Crawford (drafted 81st overall by the Dallas Cowboys) and Philip Blake (drafted 108th overall by the Denver Broncos), Angolan Christo Bilukidi (drafted 189th overall by Oakland Raiders), Englishman Jack Crawford (drafted 158th overall by Oakland), and German Markus Kuhn (drafted 239th overall by the New York Giants).[14]

The following is the breakdown of the 253 players selected by position: