Middle Tennessee has produced 19 NFL draft picks since 1983 — 116th all-time among college programs.
Conference USA · NFL draft picks 1983–2026 · 116th nationally
Middle Tennessee College Draft History
Middle Tennessee has produced 19 NFL draft picks since 1983 — 116th all-time among college programs.
- Total picks
- 19
- First-rounders
- 0
- No. 1 overall
- 0
- Pro Bowlers
- 15% of picks
- Pro Bowl nods
- 3
- Hall of Famers
- 0
Notable Middle Tennessee draft picks
Ranked by Hall of Fame status, Pro Bowls, and career value.
Kevin Byard
Tennessee Titans
3× All-Pro 3× Pro Bowl
164 games · 9 yrs as starter
Don Griffin
San Francisco 49ers
161 games · 9 yrs as starter
Marty Carter
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
161 games · 10 yrs as starter
Erik Walden
Dallas Cowboys
145 games · 6 yrs as starter
Mike Caldwell
Cleveland Browns
159 games · 2 yrs as starter
James Griffin
Cincinnati Bengals
108 games · 2 yrs as starter
Richie James
San Francisco 49ers
66 games · 1 yrs as starter
Tyrone Calico
Tennessee Titans
27 games
Middle Tennessee draft trends
Picks by class year, position group, and the NFL clubs that shop here most.
Picks by draft class
Positions produced
- WR 5
- DB 4
- DT 2
- LB 2
- RB 2
- DE 2
- QB 1
- S 1
NFL clubs that draft here
- JAX Jacksonville Jaguars 4
- CIN Cincinnati Bengals 2
- SEA Seattle Seahawks 2
- SF San Francisco 49ers 2
- TEN Tennessee Titans 2
- MIA Miami Dolphins 1
- TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1
- LAR Los Angeles Rams 1
Every Middle Tennessee draft pick
19 selections, newest class first.
| Pick | Player | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 |
Parker Hughes
Elizabethton, TN
|
LB | JAX Jacksonville Jaguars | Awaiting debut |
| 2018 |
Richie James
Sarasota, FL
|
WR | SF San Francisco 49ers | 66 games · 1 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 2016 |
Kevin Byard
3× All-Pro
3× Pro Bowl
|
S | TEN Tennessee Titans | 164 games · 9 yrs as starter 66 career AV |
| 2014 |
Jimmy Staten
Waycross, GA
|
DT | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 2011 |
Rod Issac
|
DB | JAX Jacksonville Jaguars | 3 games |
| 2010 |
Chris McCoy
Villa Rica, GA
|
DE | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 2008 |
Erik Walden
|
DE | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 145 games · 6 yrs as starter 37 career AV |
| 2003 | Tyrone Calico | WR | TEN Tennessee Titans | 27 games 5 career AV |
| 2002 | Kendall Newson | WR | JAX Jacksonville Jaguars | 6 games 1 career AV |
| 1999 | Sulecio Sanford | WR | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1998 | Jonathan Quinn | QB | JAX Jacksonville Jaguars | 17 games 4 career AV |
| 1993 | Mike Caldwell | LB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 159 games · 2 yrs as starter 31 career AV |
| 1993 | Walter Dunson | WR | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1992 | Chris Burns | DT | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1992 | Joe Campbell | RB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | No regular-season snaps |
| 1991 | Marty Carter | DB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 161 games · 10 yrs as starter 42 career AV |
| 1987 | Tony Burse | RB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 12 games |
| 1986 | Don Griffin | DB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 161 games · 9 yrs as starter 60 career AV |
| 1983 | James Griffin | DB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 108 games · 2 yrs as starter 19 career AV |
Conference USA programs by draft picks
How Middle Tennessee compares with the rest of the league.
About this program's draft record
Last updated Aug 24, 2026
Middle Tennessee in the NFL draft
Middle Tennessee has produced 19 NFL draft picks between 1983 and 2026, including 0 first-round selections. 1 of those picks (5%) went on to make a Pro Bowl.
Middle Tennessee ranks among college football’s most productive NFL pipelines. FantasyHQ lists every Middle Tennessee draft pick from 1983 through 2026 — 19 selections, 0 first-rounders, 1 Pro Bowl alumni. Current conference: Conference USA.
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 Middle Tennessee produced?
Middle Tennessee has 19 NFL draft picks in FantasyHQ’s archive (1983–2026), including 0 first-rounders. See the full list at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/middle-tennessee-blue-raiders.
Who are the most accomplished NFL players from Middle Tennessee?
Notable Middle Tennessee draftees include Kevin Byard, Don Griffin, Marty Carter, Erik Walden. Browse career outcomes at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/middle-tennessee-blue-raiders.
When was Middle Tennessee’s most recent NFL draft pick?
Middle Tennessee’s most recent pick in the archive is from the 2026 NFL Draft. See year-by-year totals at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/middle-tennessee-blue-raiders.