Big Ten programs ranked by NFL draft picks since 1980 — first-rounders, Pro Bowl alumni, and recent draft classes.
FantasyHQ
College Football
NFL Draft History by college program
Big Ten 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 Day 3 picks out of the Big Ten · 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
Penn State
Big Ten
140picks
Penn State team hub
-
2
Ohio State
Big Ten
137picks
Ohio State team hub
-
3
Nebraska
Big Ten
132picks
Nebraska team hub
| # | School | Picks | Rd 1 | Pro Bowlers | HOF | Last 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
USC
Big Ten · last pick 2026
|
127 | 0 | 54% | 0 | 19 |
| 5 |
Michigan
Big Ten · last pick 2026
|
125 | 0 | 76% | 0 | 37 |
| 6 |
UCLA
Big Ten · last pick 2025
|
111 | 0 | 55% | 0 | 20 |
| 7 |
Washington
Big Ten · last pick 2026
|
110 | 0 | 33% | 0 | 22 |
| 8 |
Wisconsin
Big Ten · last pick 2025
|
105 | 0 | 66% | 0 | 22 |
| 9 |
Michigan State
Big Ten · last pick 2026
|
102 | 0 | 66% | 1 | 14 |
| 10 |
Iowa
Big Ten · last pick 2026
|
98 | 0 | 88% | 0 | 24 |
| 11 |
Oregon
Big Ten · last pick 2026
|
93 | 0 | 11% | 0 | 29 |
| 12 |
Maryland
Big Ten · last pick 2025
|
75 | 0 | 34% | 0 | 18 |
| 13 |
Minnesota
Big Ten · last pick 2026
|
71 | 0 | 23% | 0 | 13 |
| 14 |
Purdue
Big Ten · last pick 2025
|
71 | 0 | 23% | 0 | 14 |
| 15 |
Northwestern
Big Ten · last pick 2026
|
49 | 0 | 24% | 0 | 9 |
| 16 |
Indiana
Big Ten · last pick 2026
|
46 | 0 | 24% | 0 | 12 |
| 17 |
Rutgers
Big Ten · last pick 2026
|
35 | 0 | 13% | 0 | 10 |
Draft pick explorer
Showing 1,201–1,250 of 1,627 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Bob Mrosko |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
TE | TEN Houston Oilers | 42 games · 1 yrs as starter 1 career AV |
| 1989 | Byron Sanders |
Northwestern
Big Ten
|
RB | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Ricky Andrews |
Washington
Big Ten
|
LB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 15 games 1 career AV |
| 1989 | Todd Millikan |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
TE | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Keith Karpinski |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | 16 games 1 career AV |
| 1989 | Marcus Turner |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
DB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 86 games 10 career AV |
| 1989 | Brian Slater |
Washington
Big Ten
|
WR | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Willie Griffin |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
DE | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Mike Baum |
Northwestern
Big Ten
|
DE | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Dan Plocki |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
K | CLE Cleveland Browns | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | J.B. Brown |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
DB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 166 games · 7 yrs as starter 37 career AV |
| 1989 | Todd Nelson |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
G | ARI Phoenix Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Steve Taylor |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
QB | IND Indianapolis Colts | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Chuck Hartlieb |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
QB | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Eric Smith |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Derrell Marshall |
USC
Big Ten
|
T | BUF Buffalo Bills | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Scott Jones |
Washington
Big Ten
|
T | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 22 games 2 career AV |
| 1989 | Everett Ross |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
WR | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | William White |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
DB | DET Detroit Lions | 170 games · 8 yrs as starter 46 career AV |
| 1988 | Rollin Putzier |
Oregon
Big Ten
|
DT | GB Green Bay Packers | 16 games 1 career AV |
| 1988 | Tim Rother |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
DT | LV Los Angeles Raiders | 20 games 1 career AV |
| 1988 | David Richards |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
G | LAC San Diego Chargers | 135 games · 8 yrs as starter 49 career AV |
| 1988 | Kevin Harmon |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
RB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 9 games |
| 1988 | Monte Robbins |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
P | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | Jamie Morris |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
RB | WAS Washington Commanders | 33 games 5 career AV |
| 1988 | Herb Wester |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
T | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | Troy Wolkow |
Minnesota
Big Ten
|
G | NE New England Patriots | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | Cris Dishman 1× All-Pro 2× Pro Bowl |
Purdue
Big Ten
|
DB | TEN Houston Oilers | 199 games · 11 yrs as starter 78 career AV |
| 1988 | Dennis Price |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
DB | LV Los Angeles Raiders | 31 games 3 career AV |
| 1988 | James Washington |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
DB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 114 games · 5 yrs as starter 32 career AV |
| 1988 | David Houle |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
G | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | Keith Jones |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
RB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 16 games 2 career AV |
| 1988 | George Cooper |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
RB | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | Ernie Jones |
Indiana
Big Ten
|
WR | ARI Phoenix Cardinals | 83 games · 3 yrs as starter 26 career AV |
| 1988 | Ray Jackson |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
DB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | Gary Hadd |
Minnesota
Big Ten
|
DT | DET Detroit Lions | 15 games 2 career AV |
| 1988 | Mike Alexander |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
WR | LV Los Angeles Raiders | 19 games 3 career AV |
| 1988 | Darryl Franklin |
Washington
Big Ten
|
WR | LAR Los Angeles Rams | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | Keith Neubert |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
TE | NYJ New York Jets | 17 games · 1 yrs as starter 2 career AV |
| 1988 | Tim Moore |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
LB | ARI Phoenix Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | Mark Nichols |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
DT | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | J.J. Birden |
Oregon
Big Ten
|
WR | CLE Cleveland Browns | 93 games · 5 yrs as starter 30 career AV |
| 1988 | Glenn Derby |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
T | NO New Orleans Saints | 7 games |
| 1988 | James Primus |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
RB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 21 games 1 career AV |
| 1988 | Azizuddin Abdur-Ra'oof |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
WR | KC Kansas City Chiefs | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | Brian Bonner |
Minnesota
Big Ten
|
LB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 6 games |
| 1988 | Mel Farr |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
RB | DEN Denver Broncos | 1 games |
| 1988 | Stan Clayton |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
G | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 26 games · 1 yrs as starter 6 career AV |
| 1988 | Paco Craig |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
WR | DET Detroit Lions | 8 games |
| 1988 | Bud Keyes |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
QB | GB Green Bay Packers | 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: Penn State — 140
- 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?
Penn State leads FantasyHQ’s archive with 140 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.