NEW YORK, NY — The New York Jets selected Keyshawn Johnson with the first overall pick in the 1996 NFL draft at Madison Square Garden after a morning of contract negotiations at a Manhattan hotel. Johnson remains, as of 2026, the most recent wide receiver taken first overall in the draft.

On the morning of the draft, the Jets sent front office official Pat Kirwan to a Manhattan hotel to meet with Johnson and his agent, Jerome Stanley. The draft was set to begin at noon. Johnson stood on a stool in his hotel room modeling a custom-made beige suit for his personal tailor while Stanley and Kirwan negotiated contract terms. Johnson considered the offer below market value and, using profanity during the exchange, told the Jets through Stanley, "Don't draft me!"

The Jets drafted him anyway. When Johnson received the call from the team, the first voice he heard was that of New York Jets owner Leon Hess. "Well, son, I guess we've got to go to the bank. You're our guy," Hess said. Johnson had a contract dispute with the Jets following the draft but eventually signed a six-year, $15 million rookie contract, a record for a rookie deal at the time.

In the common-draft era since 1967, only two wide receivers have been selected first overall: Irving Fryar in 1984 and Johnson in 1996. Quarterbacks have gone first overall 29 times in that span, and defensive linemen 15 times.

While no wide receiver has gone first overall since Johnson, several have been taken near the top of the draft. The New England Patriots selected Terry Glenn seventh overall in the same 1996 draft. The Detroit Lions took Charles Rogers second overall in 2003 and Calvin Johnson second overall in 2007. The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Travis Hunter with the second overall pick in 2025. Over the 30 drafts from 1996 through 2025, wide receivers have been selected among the top 10 picks 43 times.

NFL executive and personnel consultant Phil Savage said he does not expect the position to return to the top of the draft. "I don't know that we'll ever see a wide receiver go No. 1 again because it's harder to find a tackle, a defensive end and a quarterback than a wide receiver." Savage added: "Now they're a dime a dozen, and I don't think you feel near the stress to have to take one at the very top of the draft. We still see some go in the top 10, but for the most part, you can find receivers through the whole draft now."

The salary of the highest-paid NFL wide receiver has increased by more than 600% since 1996. In that year, Jerry Rice had the highest annual salary among NFL receivers at $5.8 million per year, according to Over the Cap. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba signed a contract extension averaging $42.2 million per year, making him the league's highest-paid receiver.