UTEP has produced 38 NFL draft picks since 1980 — 86th all-time among college programs.
Conference USA · NFL draft picks 1980–2024 · 86th nationally
UTEP College Draft History
UTEP has produced 38 NFL draft picks since 1980 — 86th all-time among college programs.
- Total picks
- 38
- First-rounders
- 0
- No. 1 overall
- 0
- Pro Bowlers
- 38% of picks
- Pro Bowl nods
- 5
- Hall of Famers
- 0
Notable UTEP draft picks
Ranked by Hall of Fame status, Pro Bowls, and career value.
Seth Joyner
Philadelphia Eagles
3× Pro Bowl
195 games · 11 yrs as starter
Aaron Jones
Green Bay Packers
1× Pro Bowl
126 games · 8 yrs as starter
Tony Tolbert
Dallas Cowboys
1× Pro Bowl
144 games · 7 yrs as starter
Brian Young
St. Louis Rams
123 games · 6 yrs as starter
Will Hernandez
New York Giants
104 games · 5 yrs as starter
Thomas Howard
Oakland Raiders
95 games · 5 yrs as starter
Barron Wortham
Houston Oilers
108 games · 4 yrs as starter
Chris Jacke
Green Bay Packers
1× All-Pro
147 games
UTEP 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 6
- G 5
- LB 5
- WR 4
- RB 4
- C 3
- DE 3
- QB 2
- T 2
- DT 2
- K 1
- P 1
NFL clubs that draft here
- WAS Washington Commanders 4
- PHI Philadelphia Eagles 4
- LAC San Diego Chargers 3
- GB Green Bay Packers 3
- NYG New York Giants 2
- LV Oakland Raiders 2
- KC Kansas City Chiefs 2
- MIN Minnesota Vikings 2
Every UTEP draft pick
38 selections, newest class first.
| Pick | Player | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 |
Tyrice Knight
Lakeland, FL
|
LB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 32 games 9 career AV |
| 2024 |
Elijah Klein
Mt Baldy, CA
|
G | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 26 games 2 career AV |
| 2018 |
Will Hernandez
Las Vegas, NV
|
G | NYG New York Giants | 104 games · 5 yrs as starter 38 career AV |
| 2017 |
Aaron Jones
1× Pro Bowl
|
RB | GB Green Bay Packers | 126 games · 8 yrs as starter 67 career AV |
| 2008 |
Oniel Cousins
|
G | BAL Baltimore Ravens | 75 games 10 career AV |
| 2008 |
Quintin Demps
|
DB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 110 games · 3 yrs as starter 22 career AV |
| 2008 |
Marcus Thomas
|
RB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 3 games |
| 2007 |
Johnnie Lee Higgins
|
WR | LV Oakland Raiders | 60 games 9 career AV |
| 2007 |
Jordan Palmer
|
QB | WAS Washington Commanders | 5 games |
| 2006 |
Thomas Howard
|
LB | LV Oakland Raiders | 95 games · 5 yrs as starter 33 career AV |
| 2005 |
Adrian Ward
|
DB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 2004 |
Trey Darilek
|
G | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 18 games 1 career AV |
| 2002 | Lee Mays | WR | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 49 games 2 career AV |
| 2001 | Menson Holloway | DE | SF San Francisco 49ers | No regular-season snaps |
| 2000 | Paul Smith | RB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 79 games 3 career AV |
| 2000 | Brian Young | DT | LAR St. Louis Rams | 123 games · 6 yrs as starter 39 career AV |
| 2000 | Leif Larsen | DT | BUF Buffalo Bills | 16 games 3 career AV |
| 1998 | David Terrell | DB | WAS Washington Commanders | 77 games · 2 yrs as starter 17 career AV |
| 1994 | Barron Wortham | LB | TEN Houston Oilers | 108 games · 4 yrs as starter 29 career AV |
| 1993 | Ed Bunn | P | WAS Washington Commanders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1992 | Darryl Moore | G | WAS Washington Commanders | 12 games 1 career AV |
| 1991 | Reggie Barrett | WR | DET Detroit Lions | 10 games 1 career AV |
| 1989 | Tony Tolbert 1× Pro Bowl | DE | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 144 games · 7 yrs as starter 57 career AV |
| 1989 | Chris Jacke 1× All-Pro | K | GB Green Bay Packers | 147 games 24 career AV |
| 1987 | Joe MacEsker | T | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Sammy Garza | QB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 2 games 1 career AV |
| 1986 | Seth Joyner 3× Pro Bowl | LB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 195 games · 11 yrs as starter 84 career AV |
| 1986 | Danny Taylor | DB | CLE Cleveland Browns | No regular-season snaps |
| 1986 | Don Sommer | T | TEN Houston Oilers | 3 games 1 career AV |
| 1985 | Mike Smith | DB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 29 games 1 career AV |
| 1985 | Nikita Blair | LB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Dave Toub | C | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Kevin Belcher | C | NYG New York Giants | 32 games · 1 yrs as starter 8 career AV |
| 1983 | Carlos Scott | C | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 45 games 4 career AV |
| 1982 | Del Thompson | RB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 6 games |
| 1982 | Joey Whitley | DB | GB Green Bay Packers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Bubba Garcia | WR | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 6 games |
| 1980 | John Singleton | DE | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
Conference USA programs by draft picks
How UTEP compares with the rest of the league.
About this program's draft record
Last updated Aug 24, 2026
UTEP in the NFL draft
UTEP has produced 38 NFL draft picks between 1980 and 2024, including 0 first-round selections. 3 of those picks (8%) went on to make a Pro Bowl.
UTEP ranks among college football’s most productive NFL pipelines. FantasyHQ lists every UTEP draft pick from 1980 through 2024 — 38 selections, 0 first-rounders, 3 Pro Bowl alumni. Current conference: Conference USA.
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 UTEP produced?
UTEP has 38 NFL draft picks in FantasyHQ’s archive (1980–2024), including 0 first-rounders. See the full list at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/utep-miners.
Who are the most accomplished NFL players from UTEP?
Notable UTEP draftees include Seth Joyner, Aaron Jones, Tony Tolbert, Brian Young. Browse career outcomes at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/utep-miners.
When was UTEP’s most recent NFL draft pick?
UTEP’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/utep-miners.