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 801–850 of 1,122 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Tim Moore |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
LB | ARI Phoenix Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | Joe Cain | Oregon Tech | LB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 131 games · 4 yrs as starter 37 career AV |
| 1988 | Carlton Bailey |
North Carolina
ACC
|
LB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 142 games · 6 yrs as starter 43 career AV |
| 1988 | Paul McGowan |
Florida State
ACC
|
LB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | David Spradlin |
TCU
Big 12
|
LB | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | Jeff Herrod |
Ole Miss
SEC
|
LB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 153 games · 8 yrs as starter 46 career AV |
| 1988 | Brian Bonner |
Minnesota
Big Ten
|
LB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 6 games |
| 1988 | Blake Peterson |
Colorado Mesa
Rocky Mountain
|
LB | WAS Washington Commanders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | O'Brien Alston |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
LB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 19 games · 1 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 1988 | Vincent Fizer |
Southern
SWAC
|
LB | NO New Orleans Saints | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | John Galvin |
Boston College
ACC
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | 52 games 4 career AV |
| 1988 | Steve Forch |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
LB | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | Victor Jones |
Virginia Tech
ACC
|
LB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 93 games · 1 yrs as starter 11 career AV |
| 1988 | Tom Erlandson |
Washington
Big Ten
|
LB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 4 games |
| 1988 | Ben Hummel |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | James Earle |
Clemson
ACC
|
LB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1988 | John Brantley |
Georgia
SEC
|
LB | TEN Houston Oilers | 20 games 2 career AV |
| 1988 | Greg Clark |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
LB | CHI Chicago Bears | 70 games 6 career AV |
| 1988 | George Jr. Mira |
Miami
ACC
|
LB | SF San Francisco 49ers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Don Graham |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
LB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 13 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Byron Evans |
Arizona
Big 12
|
LB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 113 games · 6 yrs as starter 45 career AV |
| 1987 | Mark Dusbabek |
Minnesota
Big Ten
|
LB | TEN Houston Oilers | 31 games · 1 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 1987 | Tim Jordan |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
LB | NE New England Patriots | 30 games 8 career AV |
| 1987 | Larry Kelm |
Texas A&M
SEC
|
LB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 88 games · 3 yrs as starter 21 career AV |
| 1987 | Marc Munford |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
LB | DEN Denver Broncos | 48 games · 1 yrs as starter 11 career AV |
| 1987 | Hardy Nickerson 2× All-Pro 5× Pro Bowl |
California
ACC
|
LB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 225 games · 14 yrs as starter 97 career AV |
| 1987 | Ilia Jarostchuk |
New Hampshire
CAA
|
LB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 46 games 4 career AV |
| 1987 | Henry Rolling |
Nevada
Mountain West
|
LB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 88 games · 3 yrs as starter 25 career AV |
| 1987 | Will Johnson |
UL Monroe
Sun Belt
|
LB | CHI Chicago Bears | 11 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Al Smith 1× All-Pro 2× Pro Bowl |
Utah State
Mountain West
|
LB | TEN Houston Oilers | 125 games · 8 yrs as starter 54 career AV |
| 1987 | Danny Lockett |
Arizona
Big 12
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | 29 games 2 career AV |
| 1987 | Ron Moten |
Florida
SEC
|
LB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Greg Lloyd 3× All-Pro 5× Pro Bowl |
Fort Valley State
SIAC
|
LB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 147 games · 9 yrs as starter 88 career AV |
| 1987 | Lance Sellers |
Boise State
Mountain West
|
LB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 3 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Toby Caston |
LSU
SEC
|
LB | TEN Houston Oilers | 90 games 6 career AV |
| 1987 | Bob White |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
LB | SF San Francisco 49ers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Michael Reid |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 67 games 7 career AV |
| 1987 | Dennis Gibson |
Iowa State
Big 12
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | 121 games · 8 yrs as starter 43 career AV |
| 1987 | Ron Brown |
USC
Big Ten
|
LB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 19 games 2 career AV |
| 1987 | Curtis Taliaferro |
Virginia Tech
ACC
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | David Grayson |
Fresno State
Mountain West
|
LB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 54 games · 3 yrs as starter 20 career AV |
| 1987 | Steve Bullitt |
Texas A&M
SEC
|
LB | CLE Cleveland Browns | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Paul Migliazzo |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
LB | CHI Chicago Bears | 3 games |
| 1987 | Wayne Davis |
Alabama
SEC
|
LB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 28 games 2 career AV |
| 1987 | Scott Leach |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
LB | NO New Orleans Saints | 3 games 2 career AV |
| 1987 | Tim Pidgeon |
Syracuse
ACC
|
LB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 3 games 2 career AV |
| 1987 | Craig Raddatz |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | M.L. Johnson |
Hawai'i
Mountain West
|
LB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 37 games · 1 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 1987 | Bob Ontko |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
LB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 3 games 2 career AV |
| 1987 | Dale Jones |
Tennessee
SEC
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 3 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.