1997 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
1997 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 1997 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
8picks
Nebraska team hub
-
2
Ohio State
Big Ten
7picks
Ohio State team hub
-
3
Iowa
Big Ten
4picks
Iowa team hub
| # | School | Picks | Rd 1 | Pro Bowlers | HOF | Last 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
USC
Big Ten · last pick 1997
|
4 | 1 | 125% | 0 | 0 |
| 5 |
Michigan
Big Ten · last pick 1997
|
3 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 6 |
Northwestern
Big Ten · last pick 1997
|
3 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 7 |
Oregon
Big Ten · last pick 1997
|
3 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 8 |
Penn State
Big Ten · last pick 1997
|
3 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 9 |
Washington
Big Ten · last pick 1997
|
3 | 0 | 133% | 0 | 0 |
| 10 |
Wisconsin
Big Ten · last pick 1997
|
3 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 11 |
Indiana
Big Ten · last pick 1997
|
2 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 12 |
Michigan State
Big Ten · last pick 1997
|
2 | 0 | 150% | 0 | 0 |
| 13 |
Maryland
Big Ten · last pick 1997
|
1 | 1 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
Draft pick explorer
Showing 1–46 of 46 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Orlando Pace HOF 3× All-Pro 7× Pro Bowl |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
T | LAR St. Louis Rams | 169 games · 12 yrs as starter 104 career AV |
| 1997 | Darrell Russell 1× All-Pro 2× Pro Bowl |
USC
Big Ten
|
DT | LV Oakland Raiders | 83 games · 5 yrs as starter 44 career AV |
| 1997 | Shawn Springs 1× Pro Bowl |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
DB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 169 games · 10 yrs as starter 58 career AV |
| 1997 | Tom Knight |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
DB | ARI Arizona Cardinals | 73 games · 3 yrs as starter 17 career AV |
| 1997 | Michael Booker |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 73 games 9 career AV |
| 1997 | Chad Scott |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
DB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 108 games · 5 yrs as starter 41 career AV |
| 1997 | Ross Verba |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
T | GB Green Bay Packers | 113 games · 8 yrs as starter 42 career AV |
| 1997 | Nathan Davis |
Indiana
Big Ten
|
DE | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 6 games |
| 1997 | Rob Kelly |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
DB | NO New Orleans Saints | 60 games 8 career AV |
| 1997 | Jerry Wunsch |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
T | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 113 games · 3 yrs as starter 28 career AV |
| 1997 | John Allred |
USC
Big Ten
|
TE | CHI Chicago Bears | 53 games 3 career AV |
| 1997 | Jared Tomich |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
DE | NO New Orleans Saints | 57 games · 2 yrs as starter 10 career AV |
| 1997 | Corey Dillon 4× Pro Bowl |
Washington
Big Ten
|
RB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 150 games · 9 yrs as starter 74 career AV |
| 1997 | Mike Minter |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
DB | CAR Carolina Panthers | 148 games · 9 yrs as starter 52 career AV |
| 1997 | Kim Herring |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
DB | BAL Baltimore Ravens | 98 games · 6 yrs as starter 34 career AV |
| 1997 | Sedrick Shaw |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
RB | NE New England Patriots | 18 games 2 career AV |
| 1997 | Bob Sapp |
Washington
Big Ten
|
G | CHI Chicago Bears | 1 games |
| 1997 | Adam Treu |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
C | LV Oakland Raiders | 155 games · 3 yrs as starter 26 career AV |
| 1997 | Rod Payne |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
C | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 6 games |
| 1997 | Paul Wiggins |
Oregon
Big Ten
|
T | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 2 games |
| 1997 | Ty Howard |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
DB | ARI Arizona Cardinals | 37 games 4 career AV |
| 1997 | Brett Conway |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
K | GB Green Bay Packers | 51 games 7 career AV |
| 1997 | Mike Vrabel 1× All-Pro 1× Pro Bowl |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
LB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 206 games · 10 yrs as starter 66 career AV |
| 1997 | Kenny Wheaton |
Oregon
Big Ten
|
DB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 22 games 2 career AV |
| 1997 | Damon Denson |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
G | NE New England Patriots | 14 games 3 career AV |
| 1997 | Derrick Mason 1× All-Pro 2× Pro Bowl |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
WR | TEN Tennessee Titans | 230 games · 11 yrs as starter 86 career AV |
| 1997 | Pete Monty |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | 52 games 5 career AV |
| 1997 | Darnell Autry |
Northwestern
Big Ten
|
RB | CHI Chicago Bears | 24 games · 1 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 1997 | Chris Dishman |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
G | ARI Arizona Cardinals | 98 games · 4 yrs as starter 21 career AV |
| 1997 | Damien Robinson |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
DB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 83 games · 4 yrs as starter 29 career AV |
| 1997 | Tarek Saleh |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
LB | CAR Carolina Panthers | 59 games 4 career AV |
| 1997 | Nicky Sualua |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
RB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 26 games |
| 1997 | Jamel Williams |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
DB | WAS Washington Commanders | 35 games 2 career AV |
| 1997 | Eric Stokes |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
DB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 11 games |
| 1997 | Tim Scharf |
Northwestern
Big Ten
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1997 | John Fiala |
Washington
Big Ten
|
LB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 75 games 6 career AV |
| 1997 | Steve Lee |
Indiana
Big Ten
|
RB | BAL Baltimore Ravens | No regular-season snaps |
| 1997 | Matt Finkes |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
DE | CAR Carolina Panthers | 8 games 1 career AV |
| 1997 | Nigea Carter |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
WR | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1997 | Hudhaifa Ismaeli |
Northwestern
Big Ten
|
DB | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1997 | Tony Graziani |
Oregon
Big Ten
|
QB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 18 games 3 career AV |
| 1997 | Matt Keneley |
USC
Big Ten
|
DT | NYG New York Giants | 7 games |
| 1997 | Chris Miller |
USC
Big Ten
|
WR | GB Green Bay Packers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1997 | William Carr |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
DT | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1997 | Jon Hesse |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
LB | JAX Jacksonville Jaguars | 5 games |
| 1997 | Wally Richardson |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
QB | BAL Baltimore Ravens | 1 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 — 8
- 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 8 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.