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 601–650 of 1,691 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 |
Zach Diles
|
Kansas State
Big 12
|
LB | HOU Houston Texans | 74 games · 3 yrs as starter 15 career AV |
| 2007 |
Kelvin Smith
|
Syracuse
ACC
|
LB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 7 games |
| 2007 |
Marvin Mitchell
|
Tennessee
SEC
|
LB | NO New Orleans Saints | 98 games · 1 yrs as starter 12 career AV |
| 2007 |
Brandon Siler
|
Florida
SEC
|
LB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 74 games · 1 yrs as starter 12 career AV |
| 2007 |
Chad Nkang
|
Elon
CAA
|
LB | JAX Jacksonville Jaguars | 23 games 3 career AV |
| 2006 |
A.J. Hawk
1× Pro Bowl
|
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
LB | GB Green Bay Packers | 159 games · 10 yrs as starter 55 career AV |
| 2006 |
Ernie Sims
|
Florida State
ACC
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | 109 games · 4 yrs as starter 29 career AV |
| 2006 |
Chad Greenway
2× Pro Bowl
|
Iowa
Big Ten
|
LB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 156 games · 10 yrs as starter 66 career AV |
| 2006 |
Bobby Carpenter
|
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 93 games 11 career AV |
| 2006 |
DeMeco Ryans
2× Pro Bowl
|
Alabama
SEC
|
LB | HOU Houston Texans | 140 games · 8 yrs as starter 58 career AV |
| 2006 |
D'Qwell Jackson
1× Pro Bowl
|
Maryland
Big Ten
|
LB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 141 games · 9 yrs as starter 61 career AV |
| 2006 |
Rocky McIntosh
|
Miami
ACC
|
LB | WAS Washington Commanders | 124 games · 5 yrs as starter 38 career AV |
| 2006 |
Thomas Howard
|
UTEP
Conference USA
|
LB | LV Oakland Raiders | 95 games · 5 yrs as starter 33 career AV |
| 2006 |
Abdul Hodge
|
Iowa
Big Ten
|
LB | GB Green Bay Packers | 35 games 2 career AV |
| 2006 |
Anthony Schlegel
|
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | 17 games 2 career AV |
| 2006 |
Jon Alston
|
Stanford
ACC
|
LB | LAR St. Louis Rams | 39 games 5 career AV |
| 2006 |
Clint Ingram
|
Oklahoma
SEC
|
LB | JAX Jacksonville Jaguars | 56 games · 3 yrs as starter 21 career AV |
| 2006 |
James Anderson
|
Virginia Tech
ACC
|
LB | CAR Carolina Panthers | 123 games · 4 yrs as starter 31 career AV |
| 2006 |
Freddy Keiaho
|
San Diego State
Mountain West
|
LB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 55 games · 2 yrs as starter 15 career AV |
| 2006 |
Gerris Wilkinson
|
Georgia Tech
ACC
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | 58 games 6 career AV |
| 2006 |
Leon Williams
|
Miami
ACC
|
LB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 61 games 9 career AV |
| 2006 |
Stephen Tulloch
|
NC State
ACC
|
LB | TEN Tennessee Titans | 159 games · 7 yrs as starter 49 career AV |
| 2006 |
Jamar Williams
|
Arizona State
Big 12
|
LB | CHI Chicago Bears | 54 games 5 career AV |
| 2006 |
Terna Nande
|
Miami (OH)
MAC
|
LB | TEN Tennessee Titans | 1 games |
| 2006 |
Brandon Johnson
|
Louisville
ACC
|
LB | ARI Arizona Cardinals | 87 games · 1 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 2006 |
Tim Dobbins
|
Iowa State
Big 12
|
LB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 110 games · 1 yrs as starter 19 career AV |
| 2006 |
A.J. Nicholson
|
Florida State
ACC
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 2 games |
| 2006 |
Omar Gaither
|
Tennessee
SEC
|
LB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 92 games · 2 yrs as starter 25 career AV |
| 2006 |
Keith Ellison
|
Oregon State
Pac-12
|
LB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 58 games · 3 yrs as starter 19 career AV |
| 2006 |
Ryan LaCasse
|
Syracuse
ACC
|
LB | BAL Baltimore Ravens | 12 games 1 career AV |
| 2006 |
Tim McGarigle
|
Northwestern
Big Ten
|
LB | LAR St. Louis Rams | 12 games 1 career AV |
| 2006 |
Charles Bennett
|
Clemson
ACC
|
LB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3 games |
| 2006 |
Spencer Toone
|
Utah
Big 12
|
LB | TEN Tennessee Titans | 3 games |
| 2006 |
Anthony Cannon
|
Tulane
American
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | 32 games 3 career AV |
| 2006 |
Kevin Simon
|
Tennessee
SEC
|
LB | WAS Washington Commanders | No regular-season snaps |
| 2005 |
DeMarcus Ware
HOF
4× All-Pro
9× Pro Bowl
|
Troy
Sun Belt
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 178 games · 11 yrs as starter 100 career AV |
| 2005 |
Shawne Merriman
1× All-Pro
3× Pro Bowl
|
Maryland
Big Ten
|
LB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 75 games · 4 yrs as starter 40 career AV |
| 2005 |
Thomas Davis
1× All-Pro
3× Pro Bowl
|
Georgia
SEC
|
LB | CAR Carolina Panthers | 199 games · 12 yrs as starter 80 career AV |
| 2005 |
Derrick Johnson
1× All-Pro
4× Pro Bowl
|
Texas
SEC
|
LB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 188 games · 11 yrs as starter 80 career AV |
| 2005 |
David Pollack
|
Georgia
SEC
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 16 games 3 career AV |
| 2005 |
Barrett Ruud
|
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
LB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 116 games · 5 yrs as starter 41 career AV |
| 2005 |
Kevin Burnett
|
Tennessee
SEC
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 136 games · 4 yrs as starter 40 career AV |
| 2005 |
Lofa Tatupu
1× All-Pro
3× Pro Bowl
|
USC
Big Ten
|
LB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 84 games · 5 yrs as starter 49 career AV |
| 2005 |
Odell Thurman
|
Georgia
SEC
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 16 games · 1 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 2005 |
Matt McCoy
|
San Diego State
Mountain West
|
LB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 65 games · 1 yrs as starter 9 career AV |
| 2005 |
Channing Crowder
|
Florida
SEC
|
LB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 82 games · 6 yrs as starter 31 career AV |
| 2005 |
Kirk Morrison
|
San Diego State
Mountain West
|
LB | LV Oakland Raiders | 112 games · 6 yrs as starter 38 career AV |
| 2005 |
Alfred Fincher
|
UConn
FBS Ind.
|
LB | NO New Orleans Saints | 38 games 3 career AV |
| 2005 |
Jordan Beck
|
Cal Poly
Big Sky
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 26 games 2 career AV |
| 2005 |
Darryl Blackstock
|
Virginia
ACC
|
LB | ARI Arizona Cardinals | 74 games 6 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: 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.