With the first pick, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected defensive end Lee Roy Selmon from the University of Oklahoma.
Due to expansion, the NFL needed a new crew to help handle the weekly workload of 14 games.
The most notable new official was Jerry Markbreit, hired as a line judge on the crew of referee Tommy Bell.
The two expansion clubs, Tampa Bay and Seattle, were "swing" teams that did not participate in regular conference play.
Lee Leonard replaced Jack Buck, joining Bryant Gumbel on NBC's pregame show GrandStand.
Al DeRogatis also left the network, leaving Curt Gowdy and Don Meredith as NBC's lead broadcast team in a two-man booth.