2004 NFL draft

The 2004 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held from April 24–25, 2004, at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. No teams chose to claim any players in the supplemental draft that year.

The draft was shown on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2 both days. The draft began with the San Diego Chargers selecting Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning with the first overall selection. Due to his refusal to play for the Chargers, Manning was later traded to the New York Giants for the fourth overall pick Philip Rivers of NC State. There were 32 compensatory selections distributed among 16 teams, with the Eagles, Rams and Jets each receiving four compensatory picks. Seven wide receivers were selected in the first round, a draft record later tied in 2024. Another record set by the draft was the most trades in the first round, with 28 trades. The University of Miami set an NFL record for the most first-rounders drafted with six, which would be tied by Alabama in 2021. Ohio State set an NFL draft record having 14 total players selected through all rounds. It was the first draft to have produced two quarterbacks who each won multiple Super Bowls, with Ben Roethlisberger winning his second in 2008 and Eli Manning his second in 2011.

The 255 players chosen in the draft comprised:

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• 32 wide receivers
• 29 cornerbacks
• 28 linebackers
• 26 offensive tackles
• 24 defensive ends

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• 22 defensive tackles
• 19 safeties
• 17 quarterbacks
• 16 tight ends
• 14 running backs
• 9 centers

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• 8 guards
• 4 fullbacks
• 3 kickers
• 3 punters
• 1 nose tackle

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Player selections

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| = compensatory selection ||

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| = supplemental compensatory selection

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| = extra selection awarded to expansion team

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| = Pro Bowler

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|= Hall of Famer

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thumb|right|upright|Wide receiver [[Larry Fitzgerald is second in NFL receiving yards and receptions.]]

thumb|right|upright|Murdered during his fourth season, safety [[Sean Taylor nonetheless established himself as a dominant and popular player.]]

thumb|right|upright|In a 13-season career, nose tackle [[Vince Wilfork made five Pro Bowls and won two Super Bowls.]]

thumb|right|upright|Running back [[Steven Jackson is the Rams' all-time leading rusher.]]

thumb|right|upright|[[Chris Cooley has the most receptions by a tight end in Washington history.]]

thumb|right|175px|upright|Defensive end [[Jared Allen twice led the league in sacks.]]

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Notable undrafted players

thumb|right|upright|150px|Wide receiver [[Wes Welker was not drafted but was named to five Pro Bowls.]]

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|= Pro Bowler