American programs ranked by NFL draft picks since 1980 — first-rounders, Pro Bowl alumni, and recent draft classes.

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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
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Showing first-round 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. 1 Memphis American 5picks 5 Rd 1 · 3 Pro Bowlers Memphis team hub
  2. 2 Temple American 4picks 4 Rd 1 · 2 Pro Bowlers Temple team hub
  3. 3 East Carolina American 2picks 2 Rd 1 · 1 Pro Bowlers East Carolina team hub
College programs ranked by NFL draft picks produced
# School Picks Rd 1 Pro Bowlers HOF Last 10
4 South Florida American · last pick 2010 2 2 2100% 0 0
5 Tulane American · last pick 2004 2 2 00% 0 0
6 Tulsa American · last pick 2022 2 2 150% 0 2
7 UAB American · last pick 2005 2 2 150% 0 0
8 Rice American · last pick 1980 1 1 00% 0 0
9 UTSA American · last pick 2018 1 1 00% 0 1

Draft pick explorer

Showing 1–21 of 21 picks · filtered.

NFL draft picks with college, position, drafting team, and career outcome
Pick Player College Pos NFL team Career
2022 #24 · Rd 1 Tyler Smith 3× Pro Bowl Tulsa American OL DAL Dallas Cowboys 63 games · 4 yrs as starter 33 career AV
2021 #16 · Rd 1 Zaven Collins Hominy, OK Tulsa American LB ARI Arizona Cardinals 84 games · 4 yrs as starter 24 career AV
2018 #14 · Rd 1 Marcus Davenport San Antonio, TX UTSA American DE NO New Orleans Saints 77 games · 2 yrs as starter 22 career AV
2017 #13 · Rd 1 Haason Reddick 2× Pro Bowl Temple American LB ARI Arizona Cardinals 137 games · 6 yrs as starter 47 career AV
2016 #26 · Rd 1 Paxton Lynch Deltona, FL Memphis American QB DEN Denver Broncos 5 games 2 career AV
2012 #11 · Rd 1 Dontari Poe 2× Pro Bowl Memphis American DT KC Kansas City Chiefs 128 games · 8 yrs as starter 55 career AV
2011 #30 · Rd 1 Muhammad Wilkerson 1× Pro Bowl Temple American DT NYJ New York Jets 108 games · 7 yrs as starter 58 career AV
2010 #15 · Rd 1 Jason Pierre-Paul 1× All-Pro 3× Pro Bowl South Florida American DE NYG New York Giants 185 games · 11 yrs as starter 74 career AV
2008 #24 · Rd 1 Chris Johnson 1× All-Pro 3× Pro Bowl East Carolina American RB TEN Tennessee Titans 130 games · 7 yrs as starter 70 career AV
2008 #25 · Rd 1 Mike Jenkins 1× Pro Bowl South Florida American DB DAL Dallas Cowboys 101 games · 4 yrs as starter 27 career AV
2006 #27 · Rd 1 DeAngelo Williams 1× Pro Bowl Memphis American RB CAR Carolina Panthers 142 games · 6 yrs as starter 61 career AV
2005 #27 · Rd 1 Roddy White 1× All-Pro 4× Pro Bowl UAB American WR ATL Atlanta Falcons 171 games · 10 yrs as starter 88 career AV
2004 #22 · Rd 1 J.P. Losman Tulane American QB BUF Buffalo Bills 45 games · 1 yrs as starter 19 career AV
2002 #22 · Rd 1 Bryan Thomas UAB American DE NYJ New York Jets 157 games · 7 yrs as starter 49 career AV
2002 #32 · Rd 1 Patrick Ramsey Tulane American QB WAS Washington Commanders 37 games · 1 yrs as starter 14 career AV
1996 #28 · Rd 1 Jerome Woods 1× Pro Bowl Memphis American DB KC Kansas City Chiefs 128 games · 7 yrs as starter 43 career AV
1992 #24 · Rd 1 Robert Jones East Carolina American LB DAL Dallas Cowboys 151 games · 9 yrs as starter 53 career AV
1987 #19 · Rd 1 Paul Palmer Temple American RB KC Kansas City Chiefs 41 games · 2 yrs as starter 14 career AV
1986 #9 · Rd 1 John Rienstra Temple American G PIT Pittsburgh Steelers 65 games · 2 yrs as starter 24 career AV
1985 #14 · Rd 1 Derrick Burroughs Memphis American DB BUF Buffalo Bills 58 games · 3 yrs as starter 15 career AV
1980 #13 · Rd 1 Earl Cooper Rice American RB SF San Francisco 49ers 93 games · 4 yrs as starter 25 career AV

Browse by draft class

Every year from 1980 to 2026 — school counts, conference splits, and the full first round.

All 47 draft years

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: Memphis — 5
  • 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

  1. Start with the school leaderboard — sort by total picks, first-rounders, Pro Bowls, or the last ten drafts.
  2. Use the round, conference, and position chips to isolate a pipeline, like SEC defensive backs in Round 1.
  3. 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?

Memphis leads FantasyHQ’s archive with 5 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.