Hawai'i has produced 57 NFL draft picks since 1980, including 1 first-rounders — 70th all-time among college programs.
Mountain West · NFL draft picks 1980–2020 · 70th nationally
Hawai'i College Draft History
Hawai'i has produced 57 NFL draft picks since 1980, including 1 first-rounders — 70th all-time among college programs.
- Total picks
- 57
- First-rounders
- 1
- No. 1 overall
- 0
- Pro Bowlers
- 24% of picks
- Pro Bowl nods
- 5
- Hall of Famers
- 0
Notable Hawai'i draft picks
Ranked by Hall of Fame status, Pro Bowls, and career value.
Jason Elam
Denver Broncos
3× Pro Bowl
263 games
Jesse Sapolu
San Francisco 49ers
2× Pro Bowl
182 games · 10 yrs as starter
Vince Manuwai
Jacksonville Jaguars
111 games · 7 yrs as starter
Samson Satele
Miami Dolphins
118 games · 8 yrs as starter
Isaac Sopoaga
San Francisco 49ers
139 games · 5 yrs as starter
Kynan Forney
Atlanta Falcons
98 games · 5 yrs as starter
Ashley Lelie
Denver Broncos
107 games · 4 yrs as starter
Pisa Tinoisamoa
St. Louis Rams
98 games · 7 yrs as starter
Hawai'i draft trends
Picks by class year, position group, and the NFL clubs that shop here most.
Picks by draft class
Earlier classes
Positions produced
- WR 11
- RB 7
- LB 7
- DE 6
- DB 6
- G 6
- C 3
- DT 3
- T 3
- QB 2
- K 1
- FB 1
NFL clubs that draft here
- TEN Tennessee Titans 6
- LAR St. Louis Rams 5
- DET Detroit Lions 4
- SF San Francisco 49ers 4
- PHI Philadelphia Eagles 3
- SEA Seattle Seahawks 3
- ARI St. Louis Cardinals 3
- CLE Cleveland Browns 3
Every Hawai'i draft pick
57 selections, newest class first.
| Pick | Player | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 |
Cole McDonald
La Mirada, CA
|
QB | TEN Tennessee Titans | No regular-season snaps |
| 2019 |
Jahlani Tavai
Redondo Beach, CA
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | 107 games · 4 yrs as starter 34 career AV |
| 2019 |
John Ursua
Kailua-Kona, HI
|
WR | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 3 games |
| 2015 |
Joey Iosefa
Pago Pago
|
FB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2 games |
| 2012 |
Aaron Brown
Puyallup, WA
|
LB | LAR St. Louis Rams | No regular-season snaps |
| 2011 |
Alex Green
|
RB | GB Green Bay Packers | 29 games 5 career AV |
| 2011 |
Greg Salas
|
WR | LAR St. Louis Rams | 29 games 4 career AV |
| 2011 |
Kealoha Pilares
Wahiawa, HI
|
WR | CAR Carolina Panthers | 20 games 1 career AV |
| 2009 |
David Veikune
|
LB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 14 games 1 career AV |
| 2009 |
Ryan Mouton
|
DB | TEN Tennessee Titans | 36 games 4 career AV |
| 2009 |
Jake Ingram
|
C | NE New England Patriots | 25 games 1 career AV |
| 2008 |
Colt Brennan
|
QB | WAS Washington Commanders | No regular-season snaps |
| 2007 |
Ikaika Alama-Francis
|
DE | DET Detroit Lions | 35 games 2 career AV |
| 2007 |
Samson Satele
|
C | MIA Miami Dolphins | 118 games · 8 yrs as starter 48 career AV |
| 2007 |
Reagan Maui'a
|
RB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 39 games · 1 yrs as starter |
| 2007 |
Melila Purcell
|
DE | CLE Cleveland Browns | No regular-season snaps |
| 2007 |
Nate Ilaoa
|
RB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | No regular-season snaps |
| 2005 |
Chad Owens
|
WR | JAX Jacksonville Jaguars | 6 games |
| 2004 |
Travis LaBoy
|
DE | TEN Tennessee Titans | 95 games · 3 yrs as starter 21 career AV |
| 2004 |
Isaac Sopoaga
|
DT | SF San Francisco 49ers | 139 games · 5 yrs as starter 38 career AV |
| 2003 | Pisa Tinoisamoa | LB | LAR St. Louis Rams | 98 games · 7 yrs as starter 35 career AV |
| 2003 | Vince Manuwai | G | JAX Jacksonville Jaguars | 111 games · 7 yrs as starter 49 career AV |
| 2003 | Wayne Hunter | T | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 77 games · 1 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 2002 | Ashley Lelie | WR | DEN Denver Broncos | 107 games · 4 yrs as starter 35 career AV |
| 2001 | Kynan Forney | G | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 98 games · 5 yrs as starter 37 career AV |
| 2000 | Adrian Klemm | G | NE New England Patriots | 42 games 10 career AV |
| 2000 | Jeff Ulbrich | LB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 120 games · 4 yrs as starter 31 career AV |
| 2000 | Kaulana Noa | T | LAR St. Louis Rams | No regular-season snaps |
| 1994 | Ta'ase Faumui | DE | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 8 games |
| 1993 | Jason Elam 3× Pro Bowl | K | DEN Denver Broncos | 263 games 43 career AV |
| 1993 | Maa Tanuvasa | DE | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 82 games · 3 yrs as starter 28 career AV |
| 1993 | Darrick Branch | WR | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1992 | Jeff Sydner | WR | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 41 games |
| 1990 | Leo Goeas | G | LAC San Diego Chargers | 111 games · 5 yrs as starter 33 career AV |
| 1988 | Al Noga | DE | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 93 games · 4 yrs as starter 29 career AV |
| 1988 | Marco Johnson | WR | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Colin Scotts | DT | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 7 games 2 career AV |
| 1987 | Ron Hall | TE | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 119 games · 7 yrs as starter 18 career AV |
| 1987 | Joe Onosai | G | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | M.L. Johnson | LB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 37 games · 1 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 1986 | Walter Murray | WR | WAS Washington Commanders | 19 games 4 career AV |
| 1986 | Kent Kafentzis | DB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1986 | Nuu Faaola | RB | NYJ New York Jets | 52 games |
| 1985 | Raphel Cherry | DB | WAS Washington Commanders | 42 games · 1 yrs as starter 10 career AV |
| 1985 | Rich Miano | DB | NYJ New York Jets | 135 games · 4 yrs as starter 26 career AV |
| 1985 | Mike Akiu | WR | TEN Houston Oilers | 20 games |
| 1984 | Bernard Carvalho | G | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Niko Noga | LB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 122 games · 4 yrs as starter 26 career AV |
| 1983 | Anthony Edgar | RB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Jim Mills | T | IND Baltimore Colts | 21 games · 1 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 1983 | Jesse Sapolu 2× Pro Bowl | C | SF San Francisco 49ers | 182 games · 10 yrs as starter 79 career AV |
| 1982 | Gary Allen | RB | TEN Houston Oilers | 30 games 1 career AV |
| 1982 | David Toloumu | RB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1982 | Mark Kafentzis | DB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 40 games · 1 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 1982 | Dana McLemore | DB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 72 games 7 career AV |
| 1980 | DeWayne Jett | WR | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Tom Tuinei | DT | DET Detroit Lions | 12 games 2 career AV |
Mountain West programs by draft picks
How Hawai'i compares with the rest of the league.
About this program's draft record
Last updated Aug 24, 2026
Hawai'i in the NFL draft
Hawai'i has produced 57 NFL draft picks between 1980 and 2020, including 1 first-round selections. 2 of those picks (4%) went on to make a Pro Bowl.
Hawai'i ranks among college football’s most productive NFL pipelines. FantasyHQ lists every Hawai'i draft pick from 1980 through 2020 — 57 selections, 1 first-rounders, 2 Pro Bowl alumni. Current conference: Mountain West.
How to use this page
- Scan the notable alumni for the program's highest-impact NFL careers.
- Read the class-by-class bars to spot the peak recruiting-to-draft cycles.
- Open a draft year to see the full class, or a conference peer to compare pipelines.
Frequently asked questions
How many NFL draft picks has Hawai'i produced?
Hawai'i has 57 NFL draft picks in FantasyHQ’s archive (1980–2020), including 1 first-rounders. See the full list at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/hawai-i-rainbow-warriors.
Who are the most accomplished NFL players from Hawai'i?
Notable Hawai'i draftees include Jason Elam, Jesse Sapolu, Vince Manuwai, Samson Satele. Browse career outcomes at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/hawai-i-rainbow-warriors.
When was Hawai'i’s most recent NFL draft pick?
Hawai'i’s most recent pick in the archive is from the 2020 NFL Draft. See year-by-year totals at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/hawai-i-rainbow-warriors.