1988 NFL draft: 29 picks in our player database
29 players from the 1988 draft are in our dataset. The earliest pick we hold is Aundray Bruce (round 1, pick 1). Most common positions: wide receiver 6, defensive end 3, safety 2.
Round 1
| Pick | Player | Pos | Drafted by | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aundray Bruce | DE |  | Auburn |
| 2 | Neil Smith | DE |  | Nebraska |
| 3 | Bennie Blades | S |  | Miami |
| 4 | Paul Gruber | OT |  | Wisconsin |
| 6 | Tim Brown | WR |  | Notre Dame |
| 9 | Terry McDaniel | DB | | Tennessee |
| 11 | Michael Irvin | WR |  | Miami |
| 12 | Ken Harvey | OLB |  | California / Laney College |
| 15 | Anthony Miller | WR |  | Tennessee / San Diego State / Pasadena College |
| 19 | Randall McDaniel | G |  | Arizona State |
| 24 | Craig Heyward | RB |  | Pittsburgh |
Round 2
| Pick | Player | Pos | Drafted by | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Chris Spielman | LB | | Ohio State |
| 30 | Eric Allen | CB |  | Arizona State |
| 32 | Pat Carter | TE | | Florida State |
| 33 | Danny Stubbs | DE |  | Miami |
| 35 | Anthony Newman | S |  | Oregon |
| 36 | Jumbo Elliott | OT |  | Michigan |
| 40 | Thurman Thomas | RB |  | Oklahoma State |
| 41 | Ken Norton | MLB | | UCLA |
| 44 | Dermontti Dawson | C |  | Kentucky |
| 46 | Flipper Anderson | WR | | UCLA |
| 47 | Fred Strickland | LB | | Purdue |
| 49 | Brian Blades | WR |  | Miami |
| 50 | Michael Dean Perry | DT |  | Clemson |
| 52 | Brett Perriman | WR | | Miami |
Round 3
| Pick | Player | Pos | Drafted by | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 68 | Tom Tupa | P | | Ohio State |
| 76 | Chris Chandler | QB |  | Washington |
| 80 | Bill Romanowski | OLB | | Boston College |
Round 12
| Pick | Player | Pos | Drafted by | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 320 | Brian Kinchen | TE |  | LSU |
Only players in our dataset are listed (2025 rosters and long-career legends), not the full draft. Source: nflverse (CC BY 4.0).
1988 draft: questions
Who is the earliest 1988 pick on this page?
Aundray Bruce, round 1, pick 1, by the Atlanta Falcons.
How many 1988 draftees are still playing?
0 of the 29 players listed here are on a 2025 roster.
Which colleges produced the most 1988 picks here?
Miami (5), Arizona State (2), Ohio State (2).