Rice has produced 23 NFL draft picks since 1980, including 1 first-rounders — 107th all-time among college programs.
American · NFL draft picks 1980–2024 · 107th nationally
Rice College Draft History
Rice has produced 23 NFL draft picks since 1980, including 1 first-rounders — 107th all-time among college programs.
- Total picks
- 23
- First-rounders
- 1
- No. 1 overall
- 0
- Pro Bowlers
- 14% of picks
- Pro Bowl nods
- 2
- Hall of Famers
- 0
Notable Rice draft picks
Ranked by Hall of Fame status, Pro Bowls, and career value.
Ryan Pontbriand
Cleveland Browns
2× Pro Bowl
134 games
Darryl Grant
Washington Commanders
141 games · 8 yrs as starter
Courtney Hall
San Diego Chargers
118 games · 7 yrs as starter
Bert Emanuel
Atlanta Falcons
103 games · 6 yrs as starter
Earl Cooper
San Francisco 49ers
93 games · 4 yrs as starter
N.D. Kalu
Philadelphia Eagles
136 games · 2 yrs as starter
Christian Covington
Houston Texans
102 games · 1 yrs as starter
Vance McDonald
San Francisco 49ers
101 games · 6 yrs as starter
Rice draft trends
Picks by class year, position group, and the NFL clubs that shop here most.
Picks by draft class
Positions produced
- TE 5
- WR 4
- DE 4
- DT 3
- C 2
- RB 2
- DB 1
- LB 1
- QB 1
NFL clubs that draft here
- HOU Houston Texans 3
- WAS Washington Commanders 3
- SF San Francisco 49ers 3
- NYG New York Giants 2
- JAX Jacksonville Jaguars 2
- ATL Atlanta Falcons 2
- LAC San Diego Chargers 1
- CIN Cincinnati Bengals 1
Every Rice draft pick
23 selections, newest class first.
| Pick | Player | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 |
Luke McCaffrey
Highlands Ranch, CO
|
WR | WAS Washington Commanders | 26 games 4 career AV |
| 2015 |
Christian Covington
Vancouver, BC
|
DT | HOU Houston Texans | 102 games · 1 yrs as starter 20 career AV |
| 2014 |
Phillip Gaines
Converse, TX
|
DB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 70 games · 1 yrs as starter 10 career AV |
| 2013 |
Vance McDonald
Winnie, TX
|
TE | SF San Francisco 49ers | 101 games · 6 yrs as starter 14 career AV |
| 2013 |
Luke Willson
LaSalle, ON
|
TE | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 102 games · 2 yrs as starter 12 career AV |
| 2012 |
Scott Solomon
San Antonio, TX
|
DE | TEN Tennessee Titans | 24 games 2 career AV |
| 2011 |
Cheta Ozougwu
Houston, TX
|
DE | HOU Houston Texans | 9 games |
| 2009 |
Jarett Dillard
|
WR | JAX Jacksonville Jaguars | 21 games 4 career AV |
| 2009 |
James Casey
|
TE | HOU Houston Texans | 95 games · 1 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 2003 | Ryan Pontbriand 2× Pro Bowl | C | CLE Cleveland Browns | 134 games 18 career AV |
| 2003 | Brandon Green | DE | JAX Jacksonville Jaguars | 32 games 5 career AV |
| 1997 | N.D. Kalu | DE | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 136 games · 2 yrs as starter 22 career AV |
| 1994 | Bert Emanuel | WR | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 103 games · 6 yrs as starter 39 career AV |
| 1992 | Tony Barker | LB | WAS Washington Commanders | 8 games 1 career AV |
| 1991 | Donald Hollas | QB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 32 games 5 career AV |
| 1989 | Courtney Hall | C | LAC San Diego Chargers | 118 games · 7 yrs as starter 48 career AV |
| 1986 | Elliston Stinson | WR | SF San Francisco 49ers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Clenzie Pierson | DT | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1982 | Robert Hubble | TE | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Frank Wilson | TE | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 1 games |
| 1981 | Darryl Grant | DT | WAS Washington Commanders | 141 games · 8 yrs as starter 49 career AV |
| 1981 | Calvin Fance | RB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Earl Cooper | RB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 93 games · 4 yrs as starter 25 career AV |
American programs by draft picks
How Rice compares with the rest of the league.
About this program's draft record
Last updated Aug 24, 2026
Rice in the NFL draft
Rice has produced 23 NFL draft picks between 1980 and 2024, including 1 first-round selections. 1 of those picks (4%) went on to make a Pro Bowl.
Rice ranks among college football’s most productive NFL pipelines. FantasyHQ lists every Rice draft pick from 1980 through 2024 — 23 selections, 1 first-rounders, 1 Pro Bowl alumni. Current conference: American.
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 Rice produced?
Rice has 23 NFL draft picks in FantasyHQ’s archive (1980–2024), including 1 first-rounders. See the full list at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/rice-owls.
Who are the most accomplished NFL players from Rice?
Notable Rice draftees include Ryan Pontbriand, Darryl Grant, Courtney Hall, Bert Emanuel. Browse career outcomes at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/rice-owls.
When was Rice’s most recent NFL draft pick?
Rice’s most recent pick in the archive is from the 2024 NFL Draft. See year-by-year totals at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/rice-owls.