Northwestern has produced 63 NFL draft picks since 1980, including 6 first-rounders — 66th all-time among college programs.
Big Ten · NFL draft picks 1980–2026 · 66th nationally
Northwestern College Draft History
Northwestern has produced 63 NFL draft picks since 1980, including 6 first-rounders — 66th all-time among college programs.
- Total picks
- 63
- First-rounders
- 6
- No. 1 overall
- 0
- Pro Bowlers
- 46% of picks
- Pro Bowl nods
- 17
- Hall of Famers
- 0
Notable Northwestern draft picks
Ranked by Hall of Fame status, Pro Bowls, and career value.
Chris Hinton
Denver Broncos
1× All-Pro 7× Pro Bowl
177 games · 11 yrs as starter
Steve Tasker
Houston Oilers
7× Pro Bowl
169 games
Rashawn Slater
Los Angeles Chargers
2× Pro Bowl
51 games · 3 yrs as starter
Curtis Duncan
Houston Oilers
1× Pro Bowl
102 games · 4 yrs as starter
Zach Strief
New Orleans Saints
158 games · 6 yrs as starter
Barry Cofield
New York Giants
138 games · 8 yrs as starter
Matt O'Dwyer
New York Jets
122 games · 7 yrs as starter
Dean Lowry
Green Bay Packers
132 games · 6 yrs as starter
Northwestern draft trends
Picks by class year, position group, and the NFL clubs that shop here most.
Picks by draft class
Earlier classes
Positions produced
- LB 12
- DB 7
- DE 7
- RB 7
- WR 6
- T 4
- OL 3
- QB 3
- C 2
- DL 2
- DT 2
- TE 2
NFL clubs that draft here
- PHI Philadelphia Eagles 4
- TEN Tennessee Titans 4
- LAR St. Louis Rams 4
- LAC San Diego Chargers 4
- CHI Chicago Bears 4
- MIA Miami Dolphins 4
- CLE Cleveland Browns 4
- CIN Cincinnati Bengals 3
Every Northwestern draft pick
63 selections, newest class first.
| Pick | Player | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 |
Caleb Tiernan
Franklin, MI
|
OT | MIN Minnesota Vikings | Awaiting debut |
| 2026 |
Evan Beerntsen
De Pere, WI
|
OL | BAL Baltimore Ravens | Awaiting debut |
| 2023 |
Peter Skoronski
Park Ridge, IL
|
OL | TEN Tennessee Titans | 48 games · 3 yrs as starter 15 career AV |
| 2023 |
Adetomiwa Adebawore
Kansas City, MO
|
DL | IND Indianapolis Colts | 43 games 6 career AV |
| 2023 |
Cameron Mitchell
Bolingbrook, IL
|
DB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 40 games 4 career AV |
| 2023 |
Evan Hull
Maple Grove, MN
|
RB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 8 games |
| 2021 |
Rashawn Slater
2× Pro Bowl
|
OL | LAC Los Angeles Chargers | 51 games · 3 yrs as starter 32 career AV |
| 2021 |
Greg Newsome II
Chicago, IL
|
DB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 71 games · 4 yrs as starter 19 career AV |
| 2021 |
Earnest Brown IV
Aubrey, TX
|
DE | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 15 games 1 career AV |
| 2019 |
Clayton Thorson
Wheaton, IL
|
QB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | No regular-season snaps |
| 2018 |
Justin Jackson
Carol Stream, IL
|
RB | LAC Los Angeles Chargers | 59 games 12 career AV |
| 2017 |
Anthony Walker
|
LB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 101 games · 5 yrs as starter 36 career AV |
| 2017 |
Ifeadi Odenigbo
Centerville, OH
|
DL | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 55 games · 1 yrs as starter 11 career AV |
| 2016 |
Dean Lowry
Rockford, IL
|
DE | GB Green Bay Packers | 132 games · 6 yrs as starter 38 career AV |
| 2016 |
Danny Vitale
Wheaton, IL
|
FB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 44 games · 1 yrs as starter 1 career AV |
| 2015 |
Ibraheim Campbell
Philadelphia, PA
|
S | CLE Cleveland Browns | 60 games · 1 yrs as starter 6 career AV |
| 2015 |
Trevor Siemian
Windermere, FL
|
QB | DEN Denver Broncos | 40 games · 2 yrs as starter 16 career AV |
| 2012 |
Drake Dunsmore
Lenexa, KS
|
TE | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 2012 |
Jeremy Ebert
Hilliard, OH
|
WR | NE New England Patriots | 5 games |
| 2010 |
Corey Wootton
|
DE | CHI Chicago Bears | 60 games · 1 yrs as starter 14 career AV |
| 2010 |
Mike Kafka
|
QB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 4 games |
| 2010 |
Sherrick McManis
Peoria, IL
|
DB | HOU Houston Texans | 142 games 9 career AV |
| 2006 |
Barry Cofield
|
DT | NYG New York Giants | 138 games · 8 yrs as starter 46 career AV |
| 2006 |
Zach Strief
|
G | NO New Orleans Saints | 158 games · 6 yrs as starter 50 career AV |
| 2006 |
Tim McGarigle
|
LB | LAR St. Louis Rams | 12 games 1 career AV |
| 2005 |
Luis Castillo
|
DE | LAC San Diego Chargers | 82 games · 6 yrs as starter 33 career AV |
| 2005 |
Trai Essex
|
T | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 76 games · 1 yrs as starter 19 career AV |
| 2005 |
Noah Herron
|
RB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 23 games 3 career AV |
| 2003 | Austin King | C | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 34 games 3 career AV |
| 2002 | Napoleon Harris | LB | LV Oakland Raiders | 100 games · 6 yrs as starter 33 career AV |
| 2002 | Kevin Bentley | LB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 136 games · 2 yrs as starter 23 career AV |
| 2002 | Sam Simmons | WR | MIA Miami Dolphins | 11 games |
| 2001 | Harold Blackmon | DB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 9 games 1 career AV |
| 2001 | Dwayne Missouri | DE | BAL Baltimore Ravens | 2 games |
| 2000 | Jay Tant | TE | ARI Arizona Cardinals | 5 games |
| 1999 | Barry Gardner | LB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 110 games · 1 yrs as starter 18 career AV |
| 1999 | D'Wayne Bates | WR | CHI Chicago Bears | 47 games · 1 yrs as starter 10 career AV |
| 1999 | Sean Bennett | RB | NYG New York Giants | 16 games 1 career AV |
| 1998 | Casey Dailey | LB | NYJ New York Jets | 6 games |
| 1998 | Nathan Strikwerda | C | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1997 | Darnell Autry | RB | CHI Chicago Bears | 24 games · 1 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 1997 | Tim Scharf | LB | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1997 | Hudhaifa Ismaeli | DB | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1995 | Matt O'Dwyer | G | NYJ New York Jets | 122 games · 7 yrs as starter 41 career AV |
| 1995 | Michael Senters | DB | CAR Carolina Panthers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1994 | Steve Shine | LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1994 | Lee Gissendaner | WR | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1992 | Darryl Ashmore | T | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 119 games · 1 yrs as starter 19 career AV |
| 1991 | Bob Christian | RB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 135 games · 6 yrs as starter 22 career AV |
| 1989 | Kevin Peterson | LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Byron Sanders | RB | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Mike Baum | DE | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Curtis Duncan 1× Pro Bowl | WR | TEN Houston Oilers | 102 games · 4 yrs as starter 33 career AV |
| 1986 | Tom Flaherty | LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 3 games 1 career AV |
| 1985 | Alex Moyer | LB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 13 games 1 career AV |
| 1985 | Steve Tasker 7× Pro Bowl | WR | TEN Houston Oilers | 169 games 7 career AV |
| 1985 | Keith Cruise | DE | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Kevin Brown | DB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Mike Guendling | LB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 9 games |
| 1984 | John Kidd | P | BUF Buffalo Bills | 215 games 20 career AV |
| 1983 | Chris Hinton 1× All-Pro 7× Pro Bowl | T | DEN Denver Broncos | 177 games · 11 yrs as starter 79 career AV |
| 1982 | Rob Taylor | T | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 110 games · 6 yrs as starter 32 career AV |
| 1980 | Norm Wells | DT | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 3 games |
Big Ten programs by draft picks
How Northwestern compares with the rest of the league.
About this program's draft record
Last updated Aug 24, 2026
Northwestern in the NFL draft
Northwestern has produced 63 NFL draft picks between 1980 and 2026, including 6 first-round selections. 4 of those picks (6%) went on to make a Pro Bowl.
Northwestern ranks among college football’s most productive NFL pipelines. FantasyHQ lists every Northwestern draft pick from 1980 through 2026 — 63 selections, 6 first-rounders, 4 Pro Bowl alumni. Current conference: Big Ten.
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 Northwestern produced?
Northwestern has 63 NFL draft picks in FantasyHQ’s archive (1980–2026), including 6 first-rounders. See the full list at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/northwestern-wildcats.
Who are the most accomplished NFL players from Northwestern?
Notable Northwestern draftees include Chris Hinton, Steve Tasker, Rashawn Slater, Curtis Duncan. Browse career outcomes at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/northwestern-wildcats.
When was Northwestern’s most recent NFL draft pick?
Northwestern’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/northwestern-wildcats.