San José State has produced 40 NFL draft picks since 1980, including 3 first-rounders — 83rd all-time among college programs.
Mountain West · NFL draft picks 1980–2023 · 83rd nationally
San José State College Draft History
San José State has produced 40 NFL draft picks since 1980, including 3 first-rounders — 83rd all-time among college programs.
- Total picks
- 40
- First-rounders
- 3
- No. 1 overall
- 0
- Pro Bowlers
- 25% of picks
- Pro Bowl nods
- 3
- Hall of Famers
- 0
Notable San José State draft picks
Ranked by Hall of Fame status, Pro Bowls, and career value.
Gill Byrd
San Diego Chargers
2× Pro Bowl
149 games · 10 yrs as starter
Johnny Johnson
Phoenix Cardinals
1× Pro Bowl
72 games · 5 yrs as starter
James Jones
Green Bay Packers
136 games · 4 yrs as starter
Dwight Lowery
New York Jets
116 games · 6 yrs as starter
Mervyn Fernandez
Los Angeles Raiders
86 games · 4 yrs as starter
Wes Schweitzer
Atlanta Falcons
90 games · 3 yrs as starter
Gerald Willhite
Denver Broncos
78 games · 1 yrs as starter
Stacey Bailey
Atlanta Falcons
91 games · 5 yrs as starter
San José State draft trends
Picks by class year, position group, and the NFL clubs that shop here most.
Picks by draft class
Earlier classes
Positions produced
- DB 9
- WR 9
- RB 7
- TE 4
- QB 3
- G 2
- OL 1
- DL 1
- DT 1
- FB 1
- CB 1
- T 1
NFL clubs that draft here
- LAC San Diego Chargers 4
- ATL Atlanta Falcons 4
- KC Kansas City Chiefs 4
- HOU Houston Texans 3
- NYJ New York Jets 3
- JAX Jacksonville Jaguars 2
- ARI Phoenix Cardinals 2
- CHI Chicago Bears 2
Every San José State draft pick
40 selections, newest class first.
| Pick | Player | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 |
Viliami Fehoko
East Palo Alto, CA
|
DL | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 2019 |
Josh Oliver
Paso Robles, CA
|
TE | JAX Jacksonville Jaguars | 82 games · 3 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 2018 |
Jermaine Kelly
Los Angeles, CA
|
CB | HOU Houston Texans | No regular-season snaps |
| 2016 |
Tyler Ervin
Colton, CA
|
RB | HOU Houston Texans | 43 games 2 career AV |
| 2016 |
Wes Schweitzer
Scottsdale, AZ
|
G | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 90 games · 3 yrs as starter 27 career AV |
| 2015 |
Akeem King
Nipomo, CA
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 34 games 3 career AV |
| 2014 |
Bene Benwikere
|
DB | CAR Carolina Panthers | 54 games · 1 yrs as starter 10 career AV |
| 2014 |
David Fales
Salinas, CA
|
QB | CHI Chicago Bears | 5 games 1 career AV |
| 2013 |
David Quessenberry
Carlsbad, CA
|
OL | HOU Houston Texans | 97 games · 2 yrs as starter 20 career AV |
| 2009 |
Jarron Gilbert
|
DT | CHI Chicago Bears | 5 games |
| 2009 |
Chris Owens
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 87 games · 1 yrs as starter 11 career AV |
| 2009 |
Coye Francies
|
DB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 23 games 1 career AV |
| 2008 |
Dwight Lowery
|
DB | NYJ New York Jets | 116 games · 6 yrs as starter 35 career AV |
| 2007 |
James Jones
|
WR | GB Green Bay Packers | 136 games · 4 yrs as starter 46 career AV |
| 2007 |
John Broussard
|
WR | JAX Jacksonville Jaguars | 8 games 2 career AV |
| 2004 |
Courtney Anderson
|
TE | LV Oakland Raiders | 43 games · 2 yrs as starter 6 career AV |
| 2003 | Tim Provost | T | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 2001 | Sean Brewer | TE | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 12 games |
| 1999 | David Loverne | G | NYJ New York Jets | 63 games · 2 yrs as starter 12 career AV |
| 1999 | Lyle West | DB | NYG New York Giants | 51 games 4 career AV |
| 1996 | Brian Roche | TE | LAC San Diego Chargers | 22 games 1 career AV |
| 1991 | Sheldon Canley | RB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 1 games |
| 1990 | Johnny Johnson 1× Pro Bowl | RB | ARI Phoenix Cardinals | 72 games · 5 yrs as starter 37 career AV |
| 1990 | Tony Jeffery | WR | KC Kansas City Chiefs | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Jay Taylor | DB | ARI Phoenix Cardinals | 79 games · 1 yrs as starter 11 career AV |
| 1988 | James Saxon | FB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 111 games 8 career AV |
| 1988 | Mike Perez | QB | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Tony Smith | WR | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Eric Richardson | WR | BUF Buffalo Bills | 30 games 1 career AV |
| 1984 | Bobby Johnson | RB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Gill Byrd 2× Pro Bowl | DB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 149 games · 10 yrs as starter 58 career AV |
| 1983 | Ken Thomas | RB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 14 games 2 career AV |
| 1983 | Brian Hawkins | DB | DEN Denver Broncos | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Mervyn Fernandez | WR | LV Los Angeles Raiders | 86 games · 4 yrs as starter 35 career AV |
| 1983 | Tim Kearse | WR | LAC San Diego Chargers | 3 games 1 career AV |
| 1982 | Gerald Willhite | RB | DEN Denver Broncos | 78 games · 1 yrs as starter 26 career AV |
| 1982 | Stacey Bailey | WR | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 91 games · 5 yrs as starter 24 career AV |
| 1981 | Mark Nichols | WR | DET Detroit Lions | 76 games · 3 yrs as starter 21 career AV |
| 1980 | Jewerl Thomas | RB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 56 games 7 career AV |
| 1980 | Ed Luther | QB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 61 games 7 career AV |
Mountain West programs by draft picks
How San José State compares with the rest of the league.
About this program's draft record
Last updated Aug 24, 2026
San José State in the NFL draft
San José State has produced 40 NFL draft picks between 1980 and 2023, including 3 first-round selections. 2 of those picks (5%) went on to make a Pro Bowl.
San José State ranks among college football’s most productive NFL pipelines. FantasyHQ lists every San José State draft pick from 1980 through 2023 — 40 selections, 3 first-rounders, 2 Pro Bowl alumni. Current conference: Mountain West.
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 San José State produced?
San José State has 40 NFL draft picks in FantasyHQ’s archive (1980–2023), including 3 first-rounders. See the full list at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/san-jos-state-spartans.
Who are the most accomplished NFL players from San José State?
Notable San José State draftees include Gill Byrd, Johnny Johnson, James Jones, Dwight Lowery. Browse career outcomes at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/san-jos-state-spartans.
When was San José State’s most recent NFL draft pick?
San José State’s most recent pick in the archive is from the 2023 NFL Draft. See year-by-year totals at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/san-jos-state-spartans.