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 Day 3 picks from the 1980 draft 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
Nebraska
Big Ten
6picks
Nebraska team hub
-
2
Washington
Big Ten
5picks
Washington team hub
-
3
USC
Big Ten
4picks
USC team hub
| # | School | Picks | Rd 1 | Pro Bowlers | HOF | Last 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Michigan
Big Ten · last pick 1980
|
3 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 5 |
Michigan State
Big Ten · last pick 1980
|
3 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 6 |
Ohio State
Big Ten · last pick 1980
|
3 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 7 |
Iowa
Big Ten · last pick 1980
|
2 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 8 |
Minnesota
Big Ten · last pick 1980
|
2 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 9 |
Oregon
Big Ten · last pick 1980
|
2 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 10 |
Penn State
Big Ten · last pick 1980
|
2 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 11 |
Purdue
Big Ten · last pick 1980
|
2 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 12 |
Maryland
Big Ten · last pick 1980
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 13 |
Northwestern
Big Ten · last pick 1980
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 14 |
Wisconsin
Big Ten · last pick 1980
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
Draft pick explorer
Showing 1–37 of 37 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Ray Butler |
USC
Big Ten
|
WR | IND Baltimore Colts | 120 games · 6 yrs as starter 33 career AV |
| 1980 | Jim Laughlin |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 88 games 13 career AV |
| 1980 | Dennis Johnson |
USC
Big Ten
|
LB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 85 games · 3 yrs as starter 27 career AV |
| 1980 | Mike Jolly |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
DB | NO New Orleans Saints | 35 games 4 career AV |
| 1980 | Terry Dion |
Oregon
Big Ten
|
DE | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 9 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | Elmer Bailey |
Minnesota
Big Ten
|
WR | MIA Miami Dolphins | 31 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | I.M. Hipp |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
RB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 1 games |
| 1980 | Paul McDonald |
USC
Big Ten
|
QB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 85 games · 1 yrs as starter 16 career AV |
| 1980 | Dan Pensick |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
DT | KC Kansas City Chiefs | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Joe Steele |
Washington
Big Ten
|
RB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Mike Harden |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
DB | DEN Denver Broncos | 158 games · 9 yrs as starter 54 career AV |
| 1980 | Chris Foote |
USC
Big Ten
|
C | IND Baltimore Colts | 104 games 10 career AV |
| 1980 | Tom Schremp |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
DE | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Mike Guman |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
RB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 106 games · 4 yrs as starter 24 career AV |
| 1980 | Mike Guess |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
DB | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Eugene Byrd |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
WR | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Greg Murtha |
Minnesota
Big Ten
|
T | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 5 games |
| 1980 | Ron Simpkins |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 91 games · 2 yrs as starter 14 career AV |
| 1980 | Chris Linnin |
Washington
Big Ten
|
DE | NYG New York Giants | 10 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | John Havekost |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
G | DEN Denver Broncos | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Don Coleman |
Oregon
Big Ten
|
WR | DEN Denver Broncos | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Larry Savage |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Stafford Mays |
Washington
Big Ten
|
DE | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 119 games 14 career AV |
| 1980 | Kelly Saalfeld |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
C | GB Green Bay Packers | 7 games |
| 1980 | Tom Donovan |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
WR | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 5 games |
| 1980 | Dennis Mosley |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
RB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Jim Swift |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
T | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Mark Goodspeed |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
T | MIA Miami Dolphins | 3 games |
| 1980 | Larry Stewart |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
T | IND Baltimore Colts | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Joe Sanford |
Washington
Big Ten
|
T | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Kenny Brown |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
WR | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Tanya Webb |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
DE | NO New Orleans Saints | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Ken Fritz |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
G | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Wayne Smith |
Purdue
Big Ten
|
DB | DET Detroit Lions | 108 games · 6 yrs as starter 33 career AV |
| 1980 | Mike Lansford |
Washington
Big Ten
|
K | NYG New York Giants | 124 games 22 career AV |
| 1980 | Marcus Jackson |
Purdue
Big Ten
|
DE | CLE Cleveland Browns | 1 games |
| 1980 | Norm Wells |
Northwestern
Big Ten
|
DT | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 3 games |
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: Nebraska — 6
- 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?
Nebraska leads FantasyHQ’s archive with 6 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.