Big Ten 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
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 1,501–1,550 of 1,627 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Morten Andersen HOF 3× All-Pro 7× Pro Bowl |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
K | NO New Orleans Saints | 382 games 51 career AV |
| 1982 | Ed Muransky |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
T | LV Los Angeles Raiders | 24 games 2 career AV |
| 1982 | Jim Fahnhorst |
Minnesota
Big Ten
|
LB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 82 games · 2 yrs as starter 23 career AV |
| 1982 | Steve Bryant |
Purdue
Big Ten
|
WR | TEN Houston Oilers | 42 games 4 career AV |
| 1982 | Reggie Brown |
Oregon
Big Ten
|
RB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 13 games 1 career AV |
| 1982 | Brian Carpenter |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
DB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 35 games · 1 yrs as starter 5 career AV |
| 1982 | Anthony Griggs |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
LB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 90 games · 4 yrs as starter 30 career AV |
| 1982 | Wally Kersten |
Minnesota
Big Ten
|
T | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 3 games |
| 1982 | Von Mansfield |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 10 games 2 career AV |
| 1982 | Ken Dallafior |
Minnesota
Big Ten
|
G | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 87 games · 4 yrs as starter 26 career AV |
| 1982 | Mike Meade |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
RB | GB Green Bay Packers | 49 games 3 career AV |
| 1982 | Mark Jerue |
Washington
Big Ten
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | 86 games · 2 yrs as starter 17 career AV |
| 1982 | Kurt Becker |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
G | CHI Chicago Bears | 94 games · 2 yrs as starter 20 career AV |
| 1982 | Vince Williams |
Oregon
Big Ten
|
RB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 3 games 1 career AV |
| 1982 | Chet Parlavecchio |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
LB | GB Green Bay Packers | 12 games 1 career AV |
| 1982 | Fletcher Jenkins |
Washington
Big Ten
|
DE | IND Baltimore Colts | 9 games · 1 yrs as starter 5 career AV |
| 1982 | Henry Waechter |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
DE | CHI Chicago Bears | 53 games 7 career AV |
| 1982 | Phil Bates |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
RB | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 1982 | Tom Morris |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
DB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 20 games 2 career AV |
| 1982 | Jeff Wiska |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
G | NYG New York Giants | 4 games 2 career AV |
| 1982 | Ben Needham |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1982 | Jerry Doerger |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
C | CHI Chicago Bears | 10 games 1 career AV |
| 1982 | Chester Cooper |
Minnesota
Big Ten
|
WR | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1982 | Martin Moss |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
DE | DET Detroit Lions | 42 games 3 career AV |
| 1982 | Jim Fritzsche |
Purdue
Big Ten
|
T | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 15 games 1 career AV |
| 1982 | Darnell Dailey |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
LB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1982 | Matt Bradley |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
DB | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1982 | Dennis Edwards |
USC
Big Ten
|
DE | BUF Buffalo Bills | 3 games |
| 1982 | Joe Gary |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
DT | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1982 | Bryan Clark |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
QB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 1 games |
| 1982 | Joe Turner |
USC
Big Ten
|
DB | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1982 | Rich D'Amico |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
LB | LV Los Angeles Raiders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1982 | Roosevelt Barnes |
Purdue
Big Ten
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | 57 games 7 career AV |
| 1982 | Guy Boliaux |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
LB | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1982 | Ricky Coffman |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
WR | LAR Los Angeles Rams | No regular-season snaps |
| 1982 | Stuart Yatsko |
Oregon
Big Ten
|
G | DEN Denver Broncos | No regular-season snaps |
| 1982 | Frank Naylor |
Rutgers
Big Ten
|
C | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1982 | Dave Levenick |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 24 games 1 career AV |
| 1982 | Bob Atha |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
K | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1982 | Rob Taylor |
Northwestern
Big Ten
|
T | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 110 games · 6 yrs as starter 32 career AV |
| 1982 | Tom Carlstrom |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
G | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Al Washington |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | 16 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Tom Flick |
Washington
Big Ten
|
QB | WAS Washington Commanders | 21 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Todd Bell 1× Pro Bowl |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
DB | CHI Chicago Bears | 103 games · 4 yrs as starter 38 career AV |
| 1981 | Mark Herrmann |
Purdue
Big Ten
|
QB | DEN Denver Broncos | 40 games 11 career AV |
| 1981 | George Lilja |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
G | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 54 games · 1 yrs as starter 11 career AV |
| 1981 | Eric Sievers |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
TE | LAC San Diego Chargers | 122 games · 4 yrs as starter 21 career AV |
| 1981 | Derrie Nelson |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 48 games 3 career AV |
| 1981 | Calvin Murray |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
RB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 8 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Larry Lee |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
G | DET Detroit Lions | 96 games 18 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: 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.