Sam Houston St. has produced 9 NFL draft picks since 1983 — 175th all-time among college programs.
- Total picks
- 9
- First-rounders
- 0
- No. 1 overall
- 0
- Pro Bowlers
- 00% of picks
- Pro Bowl nods
- 0
- Hall of Famers
- 0
Notable Sam Houston St. draft picks
Ranked by Hall of Fame status, Pro Bowls, and career value.
Michael Bankston
Phoenix Cardinals
144 games · 9 yrs as starter
Josh McCown
Arizona Cardinals
102 games · 5 yrs as starter
Keith Heinrich
Carolina Panthers
22 games
Ricky Royal
Phoenix Cardinals
1 games
Garry Kimble
Washington Commanders
3 games
Carl Mims
Washington Commanders
No regular-season snaps
John Solomon
Minnesota Vikings
No regular-season snaps
Darius Smith
Oakland Raiders
No regular-season snaps
Sam Houston St. draft trends
Picks by class year, position group, and the NFL clubs that shop here most.
Picks by draft class
Positions produced
- DB 3
- DE 1
- C 1
- QB 1
- RB 1
- TE 1
- LB 1
NFL clubs that draft here
- ARI Phoenix Cardinals 3
- WAS Washington Commanders 2
- CAR Carolina Panthers 1
- LV Oakland Raiders 1
- MIN Minnesota Vikings 1
- PIT Pittsburgh Steelers 1
Every Sam Houston St. draft pick
9 selections, newest class first.
| Pick | Player | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Josh McCown | QB | ARI Arizona Cardinals | 102 games · 5 yrs as starter 40 career AV |
| 2002 | Keith Heinrich | TE | CAR Carolina Panthers | 22 games 1 career AV |
| 1996 | Darius Smith | C | LV Oakland Raiders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1995 | John Solomon | LB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1992 | Michael Bankston | DE | ARI Phoenix Cardinals | 144 games · 9 yrs as starter 48 career AV |
| 1989 | Ricky Royal | DB | ARI Phoenix Cardinals | 1 games |
| 1988 | Carl Mims | DB | WAS Washington Commanders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Garry Kimble | DB | WAS Washington Commanders | 3 games |
| 1983 | Roger Wiley | RB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | No regular-season snaps |
About this program's draft record
Last updated Aug 24, 2026
Sam Houston St. in the NFL draft
Sam Houston St. has produced 9 NFL draft picks between 1983 and 2002, including 0 first-round selections. 0 of those picks (0%) went on to make a Pro Bowl.
Sam Houston St. ranks among college football’s most productive NFL pipelines. FantasyHQ lists every Sam Houston St. draft pick from 1983 through 2002 — 9 selections, 0 first-rounders, 0 Pro Bowl alumni.
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 Sam Houston St. produced?
Sam Houston St. has 9 NFL draft picks in FantasyHQ’s archive (1983–2002), including 0 first-rounders. See the full list at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/samhoustonstate.
Who are the most accomplished NFL players from Sam Houston St.?
Notable Sam Houston St. draftees include Michael Bankston, Josh McCown, Keith Heinrich, Ricky Royal. Browse career outcomes at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/samhoustonstate.
When was Sam Houston St.’s most recent NFL draft pick?
Sam Houston St.’s most recent pick in the archive is from the 2002 NFL Draft. See year-by-year totals at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/samhoustonstate.