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 901–950 of 1,122 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | John McVeigh |
Kentucky
SEC
|
LB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 3 games 1 career AV |
| 1986 | Derek Christian |
West Virginia
Big 12
|
LB | BUF Buffalo Bills | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Tom Briehl |
Stanford
ACC
|
LB | TEN Houston Oilers | 19 games 2 career AV |
| 1985 | Kevin Hancock |
Baylor
Big 12
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | 1 games |
| 1985 | Jamie Kimmel |
Syracuse
ACC
|
LB | LV Los Angeles Raiders | 31 games 3 career AV |
| 1985 | Kevin Greene HOF 2× All-Pro 5× Pro Bowl |
Auburn
SEC
|
LB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 228 games · 11 yrs as starter 93 career AV |
| 1985 | Troy Benson |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | 58 games · 3 yrs as starter 17 career AV |
| 1985 | Dwayne Jiles |
Texas Tech
Big 12
|
LB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 61 games 7 career AV |
| 1985 | Brian Noble |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
LB | GB Green Bay Packers | 117 games · 8 yrs as starter 46 career AV |
| 1985 | Frank Bush |
NC State
ACC
|
LB | TEN Houston Oilers | 19 games · 1 yrs as starter 6 career AV |
| 1985 | Cam Jacobs |
Kentucky
SEC
|
LB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 3 games |
| 1985 | Joe Krakoski |
Washington
Big Ten
|
LB | TEN Houston Oilers | 8 games 1 career AV |
| 1985 | Gregg Carr |
Auburn
SEC
|
LB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 57 games 8 career AV |
| 1985 | Eric Wilson |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
LB | GB Green Bay Packers | 17 games 2 career AV |
| 1985 | Mark Fellows |
Montana State
Big Sky
|
LB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 3 games |
| 1985 | Nikita Blair |
UTEP
Conference USA
|
LB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Tom Polley |
UNLV
Mountain West
|
LB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 4 games 1 career AV |
| 1985 | Joe Kohlbrand |
Miami
ACC
|
LB | NO New Orleans Saints | 72 games 6 career AV |
| 1985 | Matt Monger |
Oklahoma State
Big 12
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | 56 games 6 career AV |
| 1985 | Dave Strobel |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Ronnie Washington |
UL Monroe
Sun Belt
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 20 games 2 career AV |
| 1985 | Micah Moon |
North Carolina
ACC
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | June James |
Texas
SEC
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | 27 games 2 career AV |
| 1985 | Fred Small |
Washington
Big Ten
|
LB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 16 games 1 career AV |
| 1985 | Scott Strasburger |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Gary Swanson |
Cal Poly
Big Sky
|
LB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Bernard King |
Syracuse
ACC
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Gregg Dubroc |
LSU
SEC
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Reggie McKenzie |
Tennessee
SEC
|
LB | LV Los Angeles Raiders | 60 games · 2 yrs as starter 20 career AV |
| 1985 | Ron Anderson |
SMU
ACC
|
LB | DEN Denver Broncos | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | James Seawright |
South Carolina
SEC
|
LB | BUF Buffalo Bills | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Neal Dellocono |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Jim Morrissey |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
LB | CHI Chicago Bears | 114 games · 4 yrs as starter 30 career AV |
| 1985 | Louis Cooper |
Western Carolina
Southern Conference
|
LB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 102 games · 2 yrs as starter 14 career AV |
| 1985 | Karl Jordan |
Vanderbilt
SEC
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Jim Melka |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
LB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1 games |
| 1985 | Bryant Winn |
Houston
Big 12
|
LB | WAS Washington Commanders | 3 games 2 career AV |
| 1984 | Bobby Bell |
Missouri
SEC
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | 18 games 4 career AV |
| 1984 | Rydell Malancon |
LSU
SEC
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 10 games 2 career AV |
| 1984 | John Dorsey |
UConn
FBS Ind.
|
LB | GB Green Bay Packers | 76 games · 1 yrs as starter 11 career AV |
| 1984 | Gary Reasons |
Northwestern State
Southland
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | 134 games · 6 yrs as starter 42 career AV |
| 1984 | Steve DeOssie |
Boston College
ACC
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 175 games · 2 yrs as starter 23 career AV |
| 1984 | Robert Lyles |
TCU
Big 12
|
LB | TEN Houston Oilers | 109 games · 7 yrs as starter 40 career AV |
| 1984 | Jeff Pegues |
East Carolina
American
|
LB | WAS Washington Commanders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Jeff Leiding |
Texas
SEC
|
LB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 21 games 3 career AV |
| 1984 | Jeff Paine |
Texas A&M
SEC
|
LB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 29 games 4 career AV |
| 1984 | John Grimsley 1× Pro Bowl |
Kentucky
SEC
|
LB | TEN Houston Oilers | 133 games · 7 yrs as starter 39 career AV |
| 1984 | Chris Washington |
Iowa State
Big 12
|
LB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 84 games · 3 yrs as starter 19 career AV |
| 1984 | Eugene Lockhart |
Houston
Big 12
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 136 games · 7 yrs as starter 51 career AV |
| 1984 | Rod Clark |
Texas State
Pac-12
|
LB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 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.