Northern Illinois has produced 25 NFL draft picks since 1980, including 2 first-rounders — 105th all-time among college programs.
MAC · NFL draft picks 1980–2019 · 105th nationally
Northern Illinois College Draft History
Northern Illinois has produced 25 NFL draft picks since 1980, including 2 first-rounders — 105th all-time among college programs.
- Total picks
- 25
- First-rounders
- 2
- No. 1 overall
- 0
- Pro Bowlers
- 28% of picks
- Pro Bowl nods
- 3
- Hall of Famers
- 0
Notable Northern Illinois draft picks
Ranked by Hall of Fame status, Pro Bowls, and career value.
Michael Turner
San Diego Chargers
1× All-Pro 2× Pro Bowl
134 games · 5 yrs as starter
Kenny Golladay
Detroit Lions
1× Pro Bowl
73 games · 4 yrs as starter
Ryan Diem
Indianapolis Colts
157 games · 10 yrs as starter
Doug Free
Dallas Cowboys
124 games · 7 yrs as starter
Justin McCareins
Tennessee Titans
114 games · 5 yrs as starter
Jimmie Ward
San Francisco 49ers
126 games · 6 yrs as starter
Randy Clark
Chicago Bears
94 games · 4 yrs as starter
Todd Peat
St. Louis Cardinals
79 games · 2 yrs as starter
Northern Illinois draft trends
Picks by class year, position group, and the NFL clubs that shop here most.
Picks by draft class
Positions produced
- T 5
- WR 5
- DB 3
- DT 3
- RB 3
- QB 1
- LB 1
- DE 1
- G 1
- C 1
- NT 1
NFL clubs that draft here
- IND Indianapolis Colts 4
- LAC San Diego Chargers 3
- TEN Tennessee Titans 3
- DAL Dallas Cowboys 2
- CHI Chicago Bears 2
- KC Kansas City Chiefs 1
- LAR Los Angeles Rams 1
- NE New England Patriots 1
Every Northern Illinois draft pick
25 selections, newest class first.
| Pick | Player | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 |
Max Scharping
Green Bay, WI
|
T | HOU Houston Texans | 81 games · 3 yrs as starter 18 career AV |
| 2019 |
Sutton Smith
Saint Charles, MO
|
DE | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 8 games |
| 2017 |
Kenny Golladay
1× Pro Bowl
|
WR | DET Detroit Lions | 73 games · 4 yrs as starter 27 career AV |
| 2015 |
Da'Ron Brown
Chicago, IL
|
WR | KC Kansas City Chiefs | No regular-season snaps |
| 2014 |
Jimmie Ward
Mobile, AL
|
DB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 126 games · 6 yrs as starter 31 career AV |
| 2014 |
Ken Bishop
Lauderhill, FL
|
DT | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 5 games |
| 2012 |
Chandler Harnish
Bluffton, IN
|
QB | IND Indianapolis Colts | No regular-season snaps |
| 2009 |
Larry English
|
LB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 64 games · 1 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 2007 |
Garrett Wolfe
|
RB | CHI Chicago Bears | 50 games 2 career AV |
| 2007 |
Doug Free
|
T | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 124 games · 7 yrs as starter 49 career AV |
| 2004 |
Michael Turner
1× All-Pro
2× Pro Bowl
|
RB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 134 games · 5 yrs as starter 55 career AV |
| 2002 | Darrell Hill | WR | TEN Tennessee Titans | 33 games |
| 2001 | Ryan Diem | T | IND Indianapolis Colts | 157 games · 10 yrs as starter 72 career AV |
| 2001 | Justin McCareins | WR | TEN Tennessee Titans | 114 games · 5 yrs as starter 33 career AV |
| 1994 | LeShon Johnson | RB | GB Green Bay Packers | 62 games · 1 yrs as starter 12 career AV |
| 1990 | Brett Tucker | DB | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Doug Bartlett | DT | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 10 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Clarence Vaughn | DB | WAS Washington Commanders | 48 games 5 career AV |
| 1987 | Todd Peat | G | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 79 games · 2 yrs as starter 19 career AV |
| 1986 | Scott Kellar | NT | IND Indianapolis Colts | 17 games 4 career AV |
| 1986 | Curt Pardridge | WR | LAC San Diego Chargers | 3 games 2 career AV |
| 1986 | Steve O'Malley | DT | IND Indianapolis Colts | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Scott Bolzan | T | NE New England Patriots | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Jim Hannula | T | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 15 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | Randy Clark | C | CHI Chicago Bears | 94 games · 4 yrs as starter 27 career AV |
MAC programs by draft picks
How Northern Illinois compares with the rest of the league.
About this program's draft record
Last updated Aug 24, 2026
Northern Illinois in the NFL draft
Northern Illinois has produced 25 NFL draft picks between 1980 and 2019, including 2 first-round selections. 2 of those picks (8%) went on to make a Pro Bowl.
Northern Illinois ranks among college football’s most productive NFL pipelines. FantasyHQ lists every Northern Illinois draft pick from 1980 through 2019 — 25 selections, 2 first-rounders, 2 Pro Bowl alumni. Current conference: MAC.
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 Northern Illinois produced?
Northern Illinois has 25 NFL draft picks in FantasyHQ’s archive (1980–2019), including 2 first-rounders. See the full list at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/northern-illinois-huskies.
Who are the most accomplished NFL players from Northern Illinois?
Notable Northern Illinois draftees include Michael Turner, Kenny Golladay, Ryan Diem, Doug Free. Browse career outcomes at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/northern-illinois-huskies.
When was Northern Illinois’s most recent NFL draft pick?
Northern Illinois’s most recent pick in the archive is from the 2019 NFL Draft. See year-by-year totals at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/northern-illinois-huskies.