American programs ranked by NFL draft picks since 1980 — first-rounders, Pro Bowl alumni, and recent draft classes.
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College Football
NFL Draft History by college program
American programs ranked by NFL draft picks since 1980 — first-rounders, Pro Bowl alumni, and recent draft classes.
- Draft picks
- 12,927
- Colleges
- 446
- First-rounders
- 1,427
- Hall of Famers
- 102
- Pro Bowlers
- 1,326
- Drafts covered
- 47
Showing WR picks out of the American · reset
Schools that produce the most NFL draft picks
Ranked by total picks within the current filters. Open a program for its full draft board.
-
1
East Carolina
American
9picks
East Carolina team hub
-
2
Tulane
American
7picks
Tulane team hub
-
3
Memphis
American
6picks
Memphis team hub
| # | School | Picks | Rd 1 | Pro Bowlers | HOF | Last 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Rice
American · last pick 2024
|
4 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 1 |
| 5 |
South Florida
American · last pick 2018
|
4 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 2 |
| 6 |
UAB
American · last pick 2024
|
4 | 1 | 125% | 0 | 1 |
| 7 |
Temple
American · last pick 1987
|
3 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 8 |
Charlotte
American · last pick 2023
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 1 |
| 9 |
North Texas
American · last pick 2021
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 1 |
| 10 |
Tulsa
American · last pick 1994
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
Draft pick explorer
Showing 1–40 of 40 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 |
Anthony Smith
Huntingtown, MD
|
East Carolina
American
|
WR | DAL Dallas Cowboys | Awaiting debut |
| 2024 |
Luke McCaffrey
Highlands Ranch, CO
|
Rice
American
|
WR | WAS Washington Commanders | 26 games 4 career AV |
| 2024 |
Jha'Quan Jackson
Luling, LA
|
Tulane
American
|
WR | TEN Tennessee Titans | 12 games |
| 2024 |
Tejhaun Palmer
Milwaukee, WI
|
UAB
American
|
WR | ARI Arizona Cardinals | 1 games |
| 2023 |
Grant Dubose
Montgomery, AL
|
Charlotte
American
|
WR | GB Green Bay Packers | 3 games |
| 2022 |
Calvin Austin III
Memphis, TN
|
Memphis
American
|
WR | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 48 games 12 career AV |
| 2021 |
Jaelon Darden
Houston, TX
|
North Texas
American
|
WR | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 36 games |
| 2020 |
Darnell Mooney
Gadsden, AL
|
Tulane
American
|
WR | CHI Chicago Bears | 91 games · 5 yrs as starter 33 career AV |
| 2018 |
Anthony Miller
Memphis, TN
|
Memphis
American
|
WR | CHI Chicago Bears | 52 games · 2 yrs as starter 12 career AV |
| 2018 |
Marquez Valdes-Scantling
St. Petersburg, FL
|
South Florida
American
|
WR | GB Green Bay Packers | 116 games · 5 yrs as starter 29 career AV |
| 2017 |
Zay Jones
|
East Carolina
American
|
WR | BUF Buffalo Bills | 123 games · 3 yrs as starter 25 career AV |
| 2017 |
Rodney Adams
St. Petersburg, FL
|
South Florida
American
|
WR | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 1 games |
| 2015 |
Justin Hardy
Vanceboro, NC
|
East Carolina
American
|
WR | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 73 games 8 career AV |
| 2015 |
JJ Nelson
Midfield, AL
|
UAB
American
|
WR | ARI Arizona Cardinals | 58 games 12 career AV |
| 2014 |
Ryan Grant
Beaumont, TX
|
Tulane
American
|
WR | WAS Washington Commanders | 80 games · 1 yrs as starter 10 career AV |
| 2011 |
Dwayne Harris
1× Pro Bowl
|
East Carolina
American
|
WR | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 109 games 12 career AV |
| 2010 |
Carlton Mitchell
Lutz, FL
|
South Florida
American
|
WR | CLE Cleveland Browns | 16 games |
| 2010 |
Joe Webb
Birmingham, AL
|
UAB
American
|
WR | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 104 games 4 career AV |
| 2009 |
Jarett Dillard
|
Rice
American
|
WR | JAX Jacksonville Jaguars | 21 games 4 career AV |
| 2007 |
Aundrae Allison
|
East Carolina
American
|
WR | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 26 games 3 career AV |
| 2005 |
Roddy White
1× All-Pro
4× Pro Bowl
|
UAB
American
|
WR | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 171 games · 10 yrs as starter 88 career AV |
| 2005 |
Roydell Williams
|
Tulane
American
|
WR | TEN Tennessee Titans | 56 games · 1 yrs as starter 10 career AV |
| 2003 | DeAndrew Rubin |
South Florida
American
|
WR | GB Green Bay Packers | No regular-season snaps |
| 2003 | Travis Anglin |
Memphis
American
|
WR | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 2000 | JaJuan Dawson |
Tulane
American
|
WR | CLE Cleveland Browns | 30 games 5 career AV |
| 1999 | Troy Smith |
East Carolina
American
|
WR | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 1 games |
| 1998 | Larry Shannon |
East Carolina
American
|
WR | MIA Miami Dolphins | 2 games |
| 1994 | Isaac Bruce HOF 4× Pro Bowl |
Memphis
American
|
WR | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 223 games · 13 yrs as starter 101 career AV |
| 1994 | Bert Emanuel |
Rice
American
|
WR | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 103 games · 6 yrs as starter 39 career AV |
| 1994 | Chris Penn |
Tulsa
American
|
WR | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 70 games · 1 yrs as starter 15 career AV |
| 1993 | Russell Copeland |
Memphis
American
|
WR | BUF Buffalo Bills | 72 games · 1 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 1992 | Dion Johnson |
East Carolina
American
|
WR | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1990 | Charles Wilson |
Memphis
American
|
WR | GB Green Bay Packers | 76 games · 2 yrs as starter 15 career AV |
| 1988 | Marc Zeno |
Tulane
American
|
WR | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Willie Marshall |
Temple
American
|
WR | GB Green Bay Packers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1986 | Elliston Stinson |
Rice
American
|
WR | SF San Francisco 49ers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Ricky Nichols |
East Carolina
American
|
WR | IND Indianapolis Colts | 3 games |
| 1982 | Gerald Lucear |
Temple
American
|
WR | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Alton Alexis |
Tulane
American
|
WR | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 1 games |
| 1980 | Wiley Pitts |
Temple
American
|
WR | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
Browse by draft class
Every year from 1980 to 2026 — school counts, conference splits, and the full first round.
NFL draft history guide
Last updated Aug 24, 2026
What this page tracks
NFL Draft History by College ranks every program by the NFL players it has produced since 1980. Browse 12,927 picks across 446 schools — first-rounders, Pro Bowl alumni, Hall of Famers, and recent draft classes — then open any school or year for the full board.
By the numbers
- 12,927 drafted players from 446 colleges, 1980–2026.
- 1,427 first-round selections across 47 drafts.
- 1,326 of those picks made at least one Pro Bowl; 102 reached the Hall of Fame.
- Most picks all-time: East Carolina — 9
- Most picks since 2017: Alabama — 95
- Top conference: SEC — 2,760 picks
- Most-drafted first-round position: DB — 181 picks
How to read the board
- Start with the school leaderboard — sort by total picks, first-rounders, Pro Bowls, or the last ten drafts.
- Use the round, conference, and position chips to isolate a pipeline, like SEC defensive backs in Round 1.
- Open a program for its full draft board, or a year for the complete class in pick order.
First round vs. career outcomes
Volume and quality are different signals. A program can lead in raw picks while another turns fewer selections into more Pro Bowlers. The Pro Bowler rate next to each school shows how often its picks became long-term NFL contributors, so read it alongside the Round 1 column rather than instead of it.
Frequently asked questions
Which college has produced the most NFL draft picks?
East Carolina leads FantasyHQ’s archive with 9 NFL draft picks since 1980. Compare every program at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history.
How far back does FantasyHQ’s NFL draft history go?
The archive covers every NFL draft from 1980 through 2026 — 12,927 picks across 446 college programs. Open a school page or a draft class year for the full pick list.
Can I see first-round NFL draft picks by college?
Yes. Filter the board to Round 1, or sort schools by first-rounders. FantasyHQ lists 1,427 first-round selections since 1980. Start at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history.
Does the page show NFL career outcomes for drafted players?
Where available, each pick includes Pro Bowls, All-Pro selections, Hall of Fame status, games played, and Approximate Value. The archive currently tracks 1,326 Pro Bowl alumni and 102 Hall of Famers.
How is this different from a fantasy football mock draft?
This page is the real NFL draft pipeline — college programs to NFL clubs — not a fantasy league draft board. For fantasy mock drafts and rankings, use FantasyHQ’s fantasy tools. Draft history lives at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history.
How often is the draft history page updated?
New draft classes land when the board is published each spring. Career outcomes refresh as seasons complete. This page was last labeled Aug 24, 2026.