College programs that have produced the most NFL LB draft picks since 1980, with round and career filters.
FantasyHQ
College Football
NFL Draft History by college program
College programs that have produced the most NFL LB draft picks since 1980, with round and career filters.
- Draft picks
- 12,927
- Colleges
- 446
- First-rounders
- 1,427
- Hall of Famers
- 102
- Pro Bowlers
- 1,326
- Drafts covered
- 47
Showing LB picks · 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
Alabama
SEC
43picks
Alabama team hub
-
2
Ohio State
Big Ten
42picks
Ohio State team hub
-
3
Penn State
Big Ten
42picks
Penn State team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 501–550 of 1,691 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 |
Arthur Moats
|
James Madison
Sun Belt
|
LB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 121 games · 3 yrs as starter 22 career AV |
| 2010 |
Travis Goethel
Vista, CA
|
Arizona State
Big 12
|
LB | LV Oakland Raiders | 16 games 1 career AV |
| 2010 |
Dekoda Watson
|
Florida State
ACC
|
LB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 108 games 11 career AV |
| 2010 |
Jamar Chaney
Fort Pierce, FL
|
Mississippi State
SEC
|
LB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 54 games · 1 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 2010 |
Dexter Davis
Phoenix, AZ
|
Arizona State
Big 12
|
LB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 16 games 1 career AV |
| 2010 |
Kavell Conner
|
Clemson
ACC
|
LB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 78 games · 3 yrs as starter 20 career AV |
| 2010 |
Austin Spitler
Bellbrook, OH
|
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
LB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 55 games 5 career AV |
| 2010 |
Josh Hull
Millheim, PA
|
Penn State
Big Ten
|
LB | LAR St. Louis Rams | 39 games 3 career AV |
| 2009 |
Aaron Curry
|
Wake Forest
ACC
|
LB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 48 games · 3 yrs as starter 16 career AV |
| 2009 |
Brian Orakpo
4× Pro Bowl
|
Texas
SEC
|
LB | WAS Washington Commanders | 132 games · 8 yrs as starter 58 career AV |
| 2009 |
Brian Cushing
1× Pro Bowl
|
USC
Big Ten
|
LB | HOU Houston Texans | 104 games · 7 yrs as starter 52 career AV |
| 2009 |
Larry English
|
Northern Illinois
MAC
|
LB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 64 games · 1 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 2009 |
Clay Matthews
1× All-Pro
6× Pro Bowl
|
USC
Big Ten
|
LB | GB Green Bay Packers | 156 games · 10 yrs as starter 77 career AV |
| 2009 |
James Laurinaitis
|
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
LB | LAR St. Louis Rams | 117 games · 7 yrs as starter 51 career AV |
| 2009 |
Rey Maualuga
|
USC
Big Ten
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 120 games · 9 yrs as starter 49 career AV |
| 2009 |
Clint Sintim
|
Virginia
ACC
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | 24 games 2 career AV |
| 2009 |
David Veikune
|
Hawai'i
Mountain West
|
LB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 14 games 1 career AV |
| 2009 |
Cody Brown
|
UConn
FBS Ind.
|
LB | ARI Arizona Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 2009 |
Jason Williams
|
Western Illinois
OVC-Big South
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 60 games 4 career AV |
| 2009 |
DeAndre Levy
|
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | 95 games · 6 yrs as starter 45 career AV |
| 2009 |
Tyrone McKenzie
|
South Florida
American
|
LB | NE New England Patriots | 19 games 1 career AV |
| 2009 |
Kaluka Maiava
|
USC
Big Ten
|
LB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 63 games · 1 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 2009 |
Victor Butler
|
Oregon State
Pac-12
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 65 games 6 career AV |
| 2009 |
Stanley Arnoux
|
Wake Forest
ACC
|
LB | NO New Orleans Saints | 9 games 1 career AV |
| 2009 |
Gerald McRath
|
Southern Mississippi | LB | TEN Tennessee Titans | 40 games · 1 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 2009 |
Jason Phillips
|
TCU
Big 12
|
LB | BAL Baltimore Ravens | 29 games 3 career AV |
| 2009 |
Scott McKillop
|
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
LB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 16 games 2 career AV |
| 2009 |
Nic Harris
|
Oklahoma
SEC
|
LB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 30 games 5 career AV |
| 2009 |
Jasper Brinkley
|
South Carolina
SEC
|
LB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 94 games · 3 yrs as starter 21 career AV |
| 2009 |
Marcus Freeman
|
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
LB | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 2009 |
Cody Glenn
|
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
LB | WAS Washington Commanders | 19 games 2 career AV |
| 2009 |
Spencer Adkins
|
Miami
ACC
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 24 games 2 career AV |
| 2009 |
Robert Henson
Houston, TX
|
TCU
Big 12
|
LB | WAS Washington Commanders | 6 games |
| 2009 |
Kevin Ellison
|
USC
Big Ten
|
LB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 13 games · 1 yrs as starter 4 career AV |
| 2009 |
J.D. Folsom
|
Weber State
Big Sky
|
LB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 2 games |
| 2009 |
Brad Jones
|
Colorado College
|
LB | GB Green Bay Packers | 83 games · 2 yrs as starter 18 career AV |
| 2009 |
Moise Fokou
|
Maryland
Big Ten
|
LB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 73 games · 2 yrs as starter 18 career AV |
| 2009 |
Zack Follett
|
California
ACC
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | 17 games 2 career AV |
| 2008 |
Keith Rivers
|
USC
Big Ten
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 74 games · 4 yrs as starter 24 career AV |
| 2008 |
Jerod Mayo
1× All-Pro
2× Pro Bowl
|
Tennessee
SEC
|
LB | NE New England Patriots | 103 games · 7 yrs as starter 51 career AV |
| 2008 |
Curtis Lofton
|
Oklahoma
SEC
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 128 games · 8 yrs as starter 49 career AV |
| 2008 |
Jordon Dizon
|
Colorado College
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | 28 games 2 career AV |
| 2008 |
Tavares Gooden
|
Miami
ACC
|
LB | BAL Baltimore Ravens | 58 games · 1 yrs as starter 9 career AV |
| 2008 |
Dan Connor
|
Penn State
Big Ten
|
LB | CAR Carolina Panthers | 62 games · 2 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 2008 |
Shawn Crable
|
Michigan
Big Ten
|
LB | NE New England Patriots | 6 games |
| 2008 |
Bryan Smith
|
McNeese
Southland
|
LB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 6 games 1 career AV |
| 2008 |
Bruce Davis
|
UCLA
Big Ten
|
LB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 15 games |
| 2008 |
Cliff Avril
1× Pro Bowl
|
Purdue
Big Ten
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | 140 games · 7 yrs as starter 51 career AV |
| 2008 |
Philip Wheeler
|
Georgia Tech
ACC
|
LB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 133 games · 3 yrs as starter 29 career AV |
| 2008 |
Beau Bell
|
UNLV
Mountain West
|
LB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 5 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: Alabama — 43
- 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?
Alabama leads FantasyHQ’s archive with 43 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.