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 751–800 of 1,122 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Richard Tardits |
Georgia
SEC
|
LB | ARI Phoenix Cardinals | 27 games 2 career AV |
| 1989 | Greg Gilbert |
Alabama
SEC
|
LB | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Wes Pritchett |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
|
LB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 3 games |
| 1989 | Derrick Little |
South Carolina
SEC
|
LB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Quintus McDonald |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
LB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 40 games 6 career AV |
| 1989 | Mark Messner |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
LB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 4 games |
| 1989 | Steve Hendrickson |
California
ACC
|
LB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 100 games · 1 yrs as starter 14 career AV |
| 1989 | Kevin Peterson |
Northwestern
Big Ten
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Ron Sancho |
LSU
SEC
|
LB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Eric Lindstrom |
Boston College
ACC
|
LB | NE New England Patriots | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Kevin Hendrix |
South Carolina
SEC
|
LB | WAS Washington Commanders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | David Griggs |
Virginia
ACC
|
LB | NO New Orleans Saints | 78 games · 4 yrs as starter 30 career AV |
| 1989 | George Bethune |
Alabama
SEC
|
LB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 32 games 2 career AV |
| 1989 | Tracy Rogers |
Fresno State
Mountain West
|
LB | TEN Houston Oilers | 75 games · 1 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 1989 | Kurt Larson |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
LB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 42 games 4 career AV |
| 1989 | Chris Chenault |
Kentucky
SEC
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | A.J. Jenkins | Cal State Fullerton | LB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 21 games 2 career AV |
| 1989 | Chris Dunn |
Cal Poly
Big Sky
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Dana Batisite |
Texas A&M
SEC
|
LB | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | LaSalle Harper |
Arkansas
SEC
|
LB | CHI Chicago Bears | 4 games |
| 1989 | Jerry Leggett | Cal State Fullerton | LB | NO New Orleans Saints | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Rudy Harmon |
LSU
SEC
|
LB | SF San Francisco 49ers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Rod Carter |
Miami
ACC
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Rob McGovern |
Holy Cross
Patriot League
|
LB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 46 games 4 career AV |
| 1989 | Jerry Olsavsky |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
LB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 117 games · 1 yrs as starter 22 career AV |
| 1989 | Ricky Andrews |
Washington
Big Ten
|
LB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 15 games 1 career AV |
| 1989 | Adam Bob |
Texas A&M
SEC
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | 5 games |
| 1989 | Randy Shannon |
Miami
ACC
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 17 games 2 career AV |
| 1989 | Keith Karpinski |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | 16 games 1 career AV |
| 1989 | Jerome Rinehart |
UT Martin
OVC-Big South
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Richard Harvey |
Tulane
American
|
LB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 143 games · 5 yrs as starter 32 career AV |
| 1989 | Antonio Goss |
North Carolina
ACC
|
LB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 92 games 6 career AV |
| 1989 | Aaron Chubb |
Georgia
SEC
|
LB | NE New England Patriots | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Eric Smith |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Marlon Brown |
Memphis
American
|
LB | CLE Cleveland Browns | No regular-season snaps |
| 1989 | Shawn Woodson |
James Madison
Sun Belt
|
LB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | Ricky Shaw |
Oklahoma State
Big 12
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | 37 games 4 career AV |
| 1988 | Darrell Reed |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
LB | GB Green Bay Packers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | Chris Gaines |
Vanderbilt
SEC
|
LB | ARI Phoenix Cardinals | 4 games |
| 1988 | Darin Jordan |
Northeastern
|
LB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 59 games 9 career AV |
| 1988 | Troy Johnson |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
LB | CHI Chicago Bears | 64 games 7 career AV |
| 1988 | Erwin Grabisna |
Case Western Reserve
Presidents'
|
LB | LV Los Angeles Raiders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | Dan Murray |
East Stroudsburg
Pennsylvania State Athletic
|
LB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 4 games |
| 1988 | Cedric Figaro |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
|
LB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 98 games · 1 yrs as starter 16 career AV |
| 1988 | Kurt Crain |
Auburn
SEC
|
LB | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | Rich Romer | Union (NY) | LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 9 games |
| 1988 | Troy Stedman |
Washburn
Mid America
|
LB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 5 games |
| 1988 | Brian Forde |
Washington State
Pac-12
|
LB | NO New Orleans Saints | 64 games 7 career AV |
| 1988 | Kevin Bryant |
Delaware State
MEAC
|
LB | SF San Francisco 49ers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | Phillip Brown |
Alabama
SEC
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
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.