1980 NFL Draft broken down by the college programs that produced each pick — first-rounders, conference totals, and the full board.
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College Football
NFL Draft History by college program
1980 NFL Draft broken down by the college programs that produced each pick — first-rounders, conference totals, and the full board.
- Draft picks
- 12,927
- Colleges
- 446
- First-rounders
- 1,427
- Hall of Famers
- 102
- Pro Bowlers
- 1,326
- Drafts covered
- 47
Showing picks from the 1980 draft out of the ACC · 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
NC State
ACC
5picks
NC State team hub
-
2
Boston College
ACC
4picks
Boston College team hub
-
3
California
ACC
4picks
California team hub
| # | School | Picks | Rd 1 | Pro Bowlers | HOF | Last 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Florida State
ACC · last pick 1980
|
4 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 5 |
Clemson
ACC · last pick 1980
|
3 | 1 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 6 |
Georgia Tech
ACC · last pick 1980
|
3 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 7 |
North Carolina
ACC · last pick 1980
|
3 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 8 |
Stanford
ACC · last pick 1980
|
3 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 9 |
Syracuse
ACC · last pick 1980
|
3 | 1 | 133% | 1 | 0 |
| 10 |
Louisville
ACC · last pick 1980
|
2 | 1 | 150% | 0 | 0 |
| 11 |
Pittsburgh
ACC · last pick 1980
|
2 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 12 |
SMU
ACC · last pick 1980
|
2 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 13 |
Virginia
ACC · last pick 1980
|
2 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 14 |
Virginia Tech
ACC · last pick 1980
|
2 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 15 |
Miami
ACC · last pick 1980
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 16 |
Wake Forest
ACC · last pick 1980
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
Draft pick explorer
Showing 1–44 of 44 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Jim Ritcher 2× Pro Bowl |
NC State
ACC
|
G | BUF Buffalo Bills | 218 games · 11 yrs as starter 70 career AV |
| 1980 | Art Monk HOF 1× All-Pro 3× Pro Bowl |
Syracuse
ACC
|
WR | WAS Washington Commanders | 224 games · 14 yrs as starter 90 career AV |
| 1980 | Otis Wilson 1× Pro Bowl |
Louisville
ACC
|
LB | CHI Chicago Bears | 110 games · 7 yrs as starter 58 career AV |
| 1980 | Jim Stuckey |
Clemson
ACC
|
DE | SF San Francisco 49ers | 93 games · 3 yrs as starter 25 career AV |
| 1980 | Buddy Curry |
North Carolina
ACC
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 109 games · 8 yrs as starter 44 career AV |
| 1980 | Andre Hines |
Stanford
ACC
|
T | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 9 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | Daryle Skaugstad |
California
ACC
|
NT | TEN Houston Oilers | 37 games 4 career AV |
| 1980 | Syd Kitson |
Wake Forest
ACC
|
G | GB Green Bay Packers | 50 games · 1 yrs as starter 9 career AV |
| 1980 | John Schmeding |
Boston College
ACC
|
G | BUF Buffalo Bills | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Bill Hurley |
Syracuse
ACC
|
DB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 23 games 4 career AV |
| 1980 | Tony Blount |
Virginia
ACC
|
DB | NYG New York Giants | 3 games |
| 1980 | Doug Paschal |
North Carolina
ACC
|
RB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 16 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | Paul Jones |
California
ACC
|
RB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Doug McDougald |
Virginia Tech
ACC
|
DE | NE New England Patriots | 8 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | Kenny Lewis |
Virginia Tech
ACC
|
RB | LV Oakland Raiders | 19 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | Craig Wolfley |
Syracuse
ACC
|
G | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 153 games · 8 yrs as starter 45 career AV |
| 1980 | Chris Dieterich |
NC State
ACC
|
T | DET Detroit Lions | 105 games · 3 yrs as starter 29 career AV |
| 1980 | Jo Heath |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
DB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 27 games 2 career AV |
| 1980 | Karl Swanke |
Boston College
ACC
|
T | GB Green Bay Packers | 84 games · 5 yrs as starter 30 career AV |
| 1980 | Henry Johnson |
Georgia Tech
ACC
|
LB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 46 games 3 career AV |
| 1980 | Emanuel Tolbert |
SMU
ACC
|
WR | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Joe Rose |
California
ACC
|
TE | MIA Miami Dolphins | 83 games 15 career AV |
| 1980 | Lester Brown |
Clemson
ACC
|
RB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Mark Lyles |
Florida State
ACC
|
RB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Al Richardson |
Georgia Tech
ACC
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 77 games · 5 yrs as starter 34 career AV |
| 1980 | Sam Stepney |
Boston College
ACC
|
LB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Jeff Dziama |
Boston College
ACC
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Chuck Evans |
Stanford
ACC
|
LB | NO New Orleans Saints | 26 games 2 career AV |
| 1980 | Grant Hudson |
Virginia
ACC
|
DT | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Turk Schonert |
Stanford
ACC
|
QB | CHI Chicago Bears | 72 games 12 career AV |
| 1980 | Greg Bracelin |
California
ACC
|
LB | DEN Denver Broncos | 68 games · 2 yrs as starter 15 career AV |
| 1980 | Jackie Flowers |
Florida State
ACC
|
WR | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Woodrow Wilson |
NC State
ACC
|
DB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Walter Carter |
Florida State
ACC
|
DE | LV Oakland Raiders | 2 games |
| 1980 | Tom Daniel |
Georgia Tech
ACC
|
C | NE New England Patriots | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Bob Gruber |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
T | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 1 games |
| 1980 | Ricky Skiles |
Louisville
ACC
|
LB | GB Green Bay Packers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Phil Farris |
North Carolina
ACC
|
WR | DEN Denver Broncos | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Lee Jukes |
NC State
ACC
|
WR | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Jimmy Jordan |
Florida State
ACC
|
QB | NE New England Patriots | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Bob Fisher |
SMU
ACC
|
TE | CHI Chicago Bears | 22 games 2 career AV |
| 1980 | Marvin Sims |
Clemson
ACC
|
FB | IND Baltimore Colts | 32 games 2 career AV |
| 1980 | Chuck Stone |
NC State
ACC
|
G | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Gene Coleman |
Miami
ACC
|
DB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 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: NC State — 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
- 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?
NC State 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.