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 Day 3 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
Penn State
Big Ten
27picks
Penn State team hub
-
2
Washington
Big Ten
23picks
Washington team hub
-
3
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
22picks
Notre Dame team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 501–550 of 1,122 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Warrick Holdman |
Texas A&M
SEC
|
LB | CHI Chicago Bears | 105 games · 5 yrs as starter 36 career AV |
| 1999 | Nate Stimson |
Georgia Tech
ACC
|
LB | WAS Washington Commanders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1999 | Rosevelt Colvin |
Purdue
Big Ten
|
LB | CHI Chicago Bears | 121 games · 5 yrs as starter 38 career AV |
| 1999 | Keith Newman |
North Carolina
ACC
|
LB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 102 games · 6 yrs as starter 28 career AV |
| 1999 | Wali Rainer |
Virginia
ACC
|
LB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 110 games · 4 yrs as starter 26 career AV |
| 1999 | Bryan Jones |
Oregon State
Pac-12
|
LB | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1999 | Khari Samuel | UMass | LB | CHI Chicago Bears | 39 games 3 career AV |
| 1999 | Eric Barton |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
LB | LV Oakland Raiders | 160 games · 8 yrs as starter 50 career AV |
| 1999 | Jay Foreman |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
LB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 84 games · 4 yrs as starter 28 career AV |
| 1999 | Chris Jones |
Clemson
ACC
|
LB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1999 | Clint Kriewaldt |
Wisconsin Stevens Point
Wisconsin
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | 123 games 10 career AV |
| 1999 | Marc Megna |
Richmond
Patriot League
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | 6 games |
| 1999 | Kendall Ogle |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
LB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 2 games |
| 1999 | Jeff Kelly |
Kansas State
Big 12
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 29 games 5 career AV |
| 1999 | Antico Dalton |
Hampton
CAA
|
LB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 5 games 1 career AV |
| 1999 | Melvin Bradley |
Arkansas
SEC
|
LB | ARI Arizona Cardinals | 1 games |
| 1999 | Chad Kelsay |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
LB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 games |
| 1999 | Phil Glover |
Utah
Big 12
|
LB | TEN Tennessee Titans | 10 games 1 career AV |
| 1999 | O.J. Childress |
Clemson
ACC
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | 4 games |
| 1999 | Kory Minor |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
|
LB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 30 games 3 career AV |
| 1999 | J.J. Syvrud | Jamestown Northern Sun | LB | NYJ New York Jets | 1 games |
| 1999 | Corey Terry |
Tennessee
SEC
|
LB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 15 games 1 career AV |
| 1998 | DeShone Myles |
Nevada
Mountain West
|
LB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 18 games 3 career AV |
| 1998 | Kivuusama Mays |
North Carolina
ACC
|
LB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 30 games 2 career AV |
| 1998 | Shawn Barber |
Richmond
Patriot League
|
LB | WAS Washington Commanders | 111 games · 5 yrs as starter 37 career AV |
| 1998 | Greg Favors |
Mississippi State
SEC
|
LB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 101 games · 4 yrs as starter 29 career AV |
| 1998 | Darren Hambrick |
South Carolina
SEC
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 76 games · 4 yrs as starter 25 career AV |
| 1998 | Casey Dailey |
Northwestern
Big Ten
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | 6 games |
| 1998 | Antony Jordan |
Vanderbilt
SEC
|
LB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 27 games 1 career AV |
| 1998 | Jerry Jensen |
Washington
Big Ten
|
LB | CAR Carolina Panthers | 10 games |
| 1998 | Ike Reese 1× Pro Bowl |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
LB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 144 games 15 career AV |
| 1998 | Ron Merkerson |
Colorado College
|
LB | NE New England Patriots | No regular-season snaps |
| 1998 | Travian Smith |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
LB | LV Oakland Raiders | 84 games · 1 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 1998 | Ron Rogers |
Georgia Tech
ACC
|
LB | BAL Baltimore Ravens | No regular-season snaps |
| 1998 | Chris Draft |
Stanford
ACC
|
LB | CHI Chicago Bears | 150 games · 5 yrs as starter 38 career AV |
| 1998 | Zack Walz |
Dartmouth
Ivy League
|
LB | ARI Arizona Cardinals | 46 games · 1 yrs as starter 8 career AV |
| 1998 | Chris Bordano |
SMU
ACC
|
LB | NO New Orleans Saints | 33 games · 1 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 1998 | Ryan Olson |
Colorado College
|
LB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1998 | Jon Haskins |
Stanford
ACC
|
LB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 2 games |
| 1998 | Jimmy Sprotte |
Arizona
Big 12
|
LB | TEN Tennessee Titans | 9 games |
| 1998 | Antwaune Ponds |
Syracuse
ACC
|
LB | WAS Washington Commanders | 3 games |
| 1998 | Chester Burnett |
Arizona
Big 12
|
LB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 12 games |
| 1998 | Brandon Tolbert |
Georgia
SEC
|
LB | JAX Jacksonville Jaguars | No regular-season snaps |
| 1998 | Nate Wayne |
Ole Miss
SEC
|
LB | DEN Denver Broncos | 90 games · 4 yrs as starter 33 career AV |
| 1997 | Henri Crockett |
Florida State
ACC
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 103 games · 7 yrs as starter 28 career AV |
| 1997 | Pete Monty |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | 52 games 5 career AV |
| 1997 | Tyrus McCloud |
Louisville
ACC
|
LB | BAL Baltimore Ravens | 23 games 2 career AV |
| 1997 | Tarek Saleh |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
LB | CAR Carolina Panthers | 59 games 4 career AV |
| 1997 | Alshermond Singleton |
Temple
American
|
LB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 140 games · 3 yrs as starter 30 career AV |
| 1997 | Matt Russell |
Colorado College
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | 14 games 2 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 — 27
- 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 27 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.