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 RB 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.
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1
Penn State
Big Ten
30picks
Penn State team hub
-
2
Ohio State
Big Ten
27picks
Ohio State team hub
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3
Nebraska
Big Ten
25picks
Nebraska team hub
| # | School | Picks | Rd 1 | Pro Bowlers | HOF | Last 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
USC
Big Ten · last pick 2025
|
24 | 3 | 28% | 1 | 4 |
| 5 |
Michigan
Big Ten · last pick 2025
|
23 | 5 | 14% | 0 | 5 |
| 6 |
UCLA
Big Ten · last pick 2023
|
21 | 2 | 314% | 0 | 4 |
| 7 |
Wisconsin
Big Ten · last pick 2024
|
17 | 3 | 318% | 0 | 2 |
| 8 |
Oregon
Big Ten · last pick 2025
|
15 | 1 | 17% | 0 | 3 |
| 9 |
Michigan State
Big Ten · last pick 2022
|
14 | 2 | 214% | 0 | 1 |
| 10 |
Washington
Big Ten · last pick 2026
|
14 | 1 | 17% | 0 | 2 |
| 11 |
Iowa
Big Ten · last pick 2025
|
13 | 1 | 18% | 0 | 1 |
| 12 |
Maryland
Big Ten · last pick 2021
|
11 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 3 |
| 13 |
Indiana
Big Ten · last pick 2026
|
9 | 1 | 111% | 0 | 1 |
| 14 |
Minnesota
Big Ten · last pick 2015
|
8 | 2 | 112% | 0 | 0 |
| 15 |
Northwestern
Big Ten · last pick 2023
|
8 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 2 |
| 16 |
Purdue
Big Ten · last pick 2024
|
7 | 0 | 114% | 0 | 2 |
| 17 |
Rutgers
Big Ten · last pick 2025
|
7 | 0 | 114% | 0 | 2 |
Draft pick explorer
Showing 201–250 of 273 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Leroy Holt |
USC
Big Ten
|
RB | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1990 | Aaron Emanuel |
USC
Big Ten
|
RB | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1990 | Richard Bell |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
RB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 16 games 2 career AV |
| 1989 | Eric Ball |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
RB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 97 games · 2 yrs as starter 5 career AV |
| 1989 | Vince Workman |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
RB | GB Green Bay Packers | 106 games · 2 yrs as starter 22 career AV |
| 1989 | Byron Sanders |
Northwestern
Big Ten
|
RB | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | Gaston Green 1× Pro Bowl |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
RB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 58 games · 2 yrs as starter 16 career AV |
| 1988 | Lorenzo White 1× Pro Bowl |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
RB | TEN Houston Oilers | 107 games · 3 yrs as starter 43 career AV |
| 1988 | Kevin Harmon |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
RB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 9 games |
| 1988 | Jamie Morris |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
RB | WAS Washington Commanders | 33 games 5 career AV |
| 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 | James Primus |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
RB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 21 games 1 career AV |
| 1988 | Mel Farr |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
RB | DEN Denver Broncos | 1 games |
| 1987 | D.J. Dozier |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
RB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 43 games 8 career AV |
| 1987 | Bob Perryman |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
RB | NE New England Patriots | 68 games · 3 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 1987 | Tim Manoa |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
RB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 53 games · 1 yrs as starter 9 career AV |
| 1987 | Steve Smith |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
RB | LV Los Angeles Raiders | 128 games · 6 yrs as starter 21 career AV |
| 1987 | Rick Fenney |
Washington
Big Ten
|
RB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 63 games 15 career AV |
| 1987 | Joe Armentrout |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
RB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Thomas Wilcher |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
RB | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Alvin Blount |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
RB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 2 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Tommy Neal |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
RB | DEN Denver Broncos | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Marcus Greenwood |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
RB | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Bobby Morse |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
RB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 38 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Larry Emery |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
RB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 5 games |
| 1986 | Keith Byars 1× Pro Bowl |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
RB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 189 games · 12 yrs as starter 60 career AV |
| 1986 | Ronnie Harmon 1× Pro Bowl |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
RB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 181 games · 1 yrs as starter 64 career AV |
| 1986 | Tom Rathman |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
RB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 131 games · 7 yrs as starter 40 career AV |
| 1986 | Ray Wallace |
Purdue
Big Ten
|
RB | TEN Houston Oilers | 29 games · 1 yrs as starter 3 career AV |
| 1986 | Rodney Carter |
Purdue
Big Ten
|
RB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 40 games 10 career AV |
| 1986 | Paul Miles |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
RB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1986 | Rick Badanjek |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
RB | WAS Washington Commanders | 14 games 1 career AV |
| 1986 | Tony Cherry |
Oregon
Big Ten
|
RB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 6 games 1 career AV |
| 1986 | Bobby Howard |
Indiana
Big Ten
|
RB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 20 games 3 career AV |
| 1985 | Owen Gill |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
RB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 32 games 4 career AV |
| 1985 | Bruce King |
Purdue
Big Ten
|
RB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 28 games 1 career AV |
| 1985 | Gary Ellerson |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
RB | GB Green Bay Packers | 39 games 6 career AV |
| 1985 | Jacque Robinson |
Washington
Big Ten
|
FB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 3 games 1 career AV |
| 1985 | Jeff Smith |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
RB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 56 games · 1 yrs as starter 10 career AV |
| 1985 | Tony Mumford |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
RB | NE New England Patriots | 2 games |
| 1984 | Jon Williams |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
RB | NE New England Patriots | 9 games |
| 1984 | Dave D'Addio |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
RB | DET Detroit Lions | 16 games |
| 1984 | Norm Granger |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
RB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 18 games |
| 1984 | Willie Joyner |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
RB | TEN Houston Oilers | 10 games |
| 1984 | Frank Cephous |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
RB | NYG New York Giants | 16 games |
| 1983 | Curt Warner 3× Pro Bowl |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
RB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 100 games · 6 yrs as starter 60 career AV |
| 1983 | Roger Craig HOF 1× All-Pro 4× Pro Bowl |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
RB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 165 games · 9 yrs as starter 95 career AV |
| 1983 | Lawrence Ricks |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
RB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 17 games |
| 1983 | Tim Spencer |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
RB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 78 games · 4 yrs as starter 14 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 — 30
- 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 30 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.