The 1951 National Football League Draft was held January 18–19, 1951, at the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago. The Baltimore Colts folded after the 1950 season, and the NFL placed their players in the 1951 NFL draft. This was the fifth year that the first overall pick was a bonus pick determined by lottery, with the previous four winners (Chicago Bears in 1947, Washington Redskins in 1948, Philadelphia Eagles in 1949, and Detroit Lions in 1950) ineligible from the draw; it was won by the New York Giants, who selected halfback Kyle Rote.