The 1945 NFL draft was held on April 8, 1945, at the Commodore Hotel in New York City, New York.^[1] Perhaps as a tip of the hat to wartime sensibilities, the 1945 draft was officially called the "1944 Preferred Negotiations List" by the league.^[2]

With the first overall pick of the draft, the Chicago Cardinals selected halfback Charley Trippi.

Although there were formally 32 rounds of the draft, each of the 11 teams made a total of 30 selections, with a total of 330 players chosen.^[3] A total of 22 players were selected before they became eligible for the draft under league rules.^[3] These draft choices were forfeited by the team and are noted below. The actual number of drafted-and-eligible players chosen in the 1945 draft was thus 308.^[3]

• Charley Trippi, halfback from Georgia taken 1st round 1st overall by the Chicago Cardinals.

Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1968.^[6]

• Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch, wide receiver from Michigan taken 1st round 5th overall by the Cleveland Rams.

Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1968.^[6]

• Pete Pihos, defensive end from Indiana University (Bloomington) taken 5th round 41st overall by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1970.^[7]

• Tom Fears, end from the University of California, Los Angeles taken 11th round 103rd overall by the Cleveland Rams.

Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1970.^[7]

• Arnie Weinmeister, defensive tackle from Washington taken 17th round 166th overall by the Brooklyn Tigers.

Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1984.^[8]