1981 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
1981 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 1981 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
Pittsburgh
ACC
12picks
Pittsburgh team hub
-
2
North Carolina
ACC
6picks
North Carolina team hub
-
3
Florida State
ACC
5picks
Florida State team hub
| # | School | Picks | Rd 1 | Pro Bowlers | HOF | Last 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Boston College
ACC · last pick 1981
|
4 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 5 |
SMU
ACC · last pick 1981
|
4 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 6 |
California
ACC · last pick 1981
|
3 | 1 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 7 |
Miami
ACC · last pick 1981
|
3 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 8 |
Stanford
ACC · last pick 1981
|
3 | 1 | 133% | 0 | 0 |
| 9 |
Clemson
ACC · last pick 1981
|
2 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 10 |
NC State
ACC · last pick 1981
|
2 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 11 |
Syracuse
ACC · last pick 1981
|
2 | 0 | 150% | 0 | 0 |
| 12 |
Wake Forest
ACC · last pick 1981
|
2 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 13 |
Louisville
ACC · last pick 1981
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 14 |
Virginia
ACC · last pick 1981
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
Draft pick explorer
Showing 1–50 of 50 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Lawrence Taylor HOF 8× All-Pro 10× Pro Bowl |
North Carolina
ACC
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | 184 games · 13 yrs as starter 146 career AV |
| 1981 | Rich Campbell |
California
ACC
|
QB | GB Green Bay Packers | 7 games 2 career AV |
| 1981 | Hugh Green 2× Pro Bowl |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
LB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 136 games · 8 yrs as starter 61 career AV |
| 1981 | Randy McMillan |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
RB | IND Baltimore Colts | 88 games · 6 yrs as starter 32 career AV |
| 1981 | Donnell Thompson |
North Carolina
ACC
|
DE | IND Baltimore Colts | 147 games · 11 yrs as starter 50 career AV |
| 1981 | Brian Holloway 3× Pro Bowl |
Stanford
ACC
|
T | NE New England Patriots | 102 games · 6 yrs as starter 45 career AV |
| 1981 | Mark May 1× Pro Bowl |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
G | WAS Washington Commanders | 159 games · 10 yrs as starter 64 career AV |
| 1981 | Bobby Butler |
Florida State
ACC
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 169 games · 9 yrs as starter 45 career AV |
| 1981 | Jim Collins 1× Pro Bowl |
Syracuse
ACC
|
LB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 93 games · 4 yrs as starter 40 career AV |
| 1981 | Rickey Jackson HOF 6× Pro Bowl |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
LB | NO New Orleans Saints | 227 games · 15 yrs as starter 112 career AV |
| 1981 | Greg Meisner |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
NT | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 135 games · 3 yrs as starter 23 career AV |
| 1981 | John Simmons |
SMU
ACC
|
DB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 72 games 6 career AV |
| 1981 | Carlton Williamson 2× Pro Bowl |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
DB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 88 games · 6 yrs as starter 45 career AV |
| 1981 | Ken Margerum |
Stanford
ACC
|
WR | CHI Chicago Bears | 64 games · 2 yrs as starter 11 career AV |
| 1981 | Russ Grimm HOF 3× All-Pro 4× Pro Bowl |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
G | WAS Washington Commanders | 140 games · 9 yrs as starter 78 career AV |
| 1981 | Rick Donnalley |
North Carolina
ACC
|
C | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 71 games · 2 yrs as starter 24 career AV |
| 1981 | Tim Sherwin |
Boston College
ACC
|
TE | IND Baltimore Colts | 82 games · 2 yrs as starter 8 career AV |
| 1981 | John Swain |
Miami
ACC
|
DB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 77 games · 4 yrs as starter 19 career AV |
| 1981 | Amos Lawrence |
North Carolina
ACC
|
RB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 21 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Bill Neill |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
NT | NYG New York Giants | 40 games · 2 yrs as starter 15 career AV |
| 1981 | Benjie Pryor |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
TE | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Lynn Thomas |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
DB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 24 games 3 career AV |
| 1981 | Ken Lanier |
Florida State
ACC
|
T | DEN Denver Broncos | 179 games · 11 yrs as starter 62 career AV |
| 1981 | Jerry Boyarsky |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
NT | NO New Orleans Saints | 98 games · 3 yrs as starter 17 career AV |
| 1981 | Tommy Vigorito |
Virginia
ACC
|
RB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 35 games 11 career AV |
| 1981 | Steve Durham |
Clemson
ACC
|
DE | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 8 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Andrew Gissinger |
Syracuse
ACC
|
T | LAC San Diego Chargers | 41 games · 1 yrs as starter 14 career AV |
| 1981 | Bubba Green |
NC State
ACC
|
DT | IND Baltimore Colts | 15 games · 1 yrs as starter 2 career AV |
| 1981 | Ron Wooten |
North Carolina
ACC
|
G | NE New England Patriots | 98 games · 7 yrs as starter 37 career AV |
| 1981 | Ron Simmons |
Florida State
ACC
|
DT | CLE Cleveland Browns | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Harry Stanback |
North Carolina
ACC
|
DE | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 2 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Obed Ariri |
Clemson
ACC
|
K | IND Baltimore Colts | 18 games 3 career AV |
| 1981 | Lee Spivey |
SMU
ACC
|
T | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Eddie Johnson |
Louisville
ACC
|
LB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 148 games · 5 yrs as starter 37 career AV |
| 1981 | Ken Naber |
Stanford
ACC
|
K | NE New England Patriots | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Lin Dawson |
NC State
ACC
|
TE | NE New England Patriots | 105 games · 5 yrs as starter 12 career AV |
| 1981 | Paul Piurowski |
Florida State
ACC
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Billy Ard |
Wake Forest
ACC
|
G | NYG New York Giants | 148 games · 8 yrs as starter 51 career AV |
| 1981 | Byron Hunt |
SMU
ACC
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | 100 games · 2 yrs as starter 18 career AV |
| 1981 | Mike Ford |
SMU
ACC
|
QB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Jim Joiner |
Miami
ACC
|
WR | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Mike Mayock |
Boston College
ACC
|
DB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 games |
| 1981 | Pat Graham |
California
ACC
|
DT | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Holden Smith |
California
ACC
|
WR | IND Baltimore Colts | 3 games |
| 1981 | Pat Walker |
Miami
ACC
|
WR | DEN Denver Broncos | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Jim Jensen |
Boston College
ACC
|
WR | MIA Miami Dolphins | 164 games 20 career AV |
| 1981 | Rick Trocano |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
QB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 8 games |
| 1981 | Bill Stephanos |
Boston College
ACC
|
T | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Carlos Bradley |
Wake Forest
ACC
|
LB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 54 games 6 career AV |
| 1981 | Bill Capece |
Florida State
ACC
|
K | TEN Houston Oilers | 37 games 6 career AV |
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: Pittsburgh — 12
- 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?
Pittsburgh leads FantasyHQ’s archive with 12 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.