1981 NFL Draft broken down by the college programs that produced each pick — first-rounders, conference totals, and the full board.
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College Football
NFL Draft History by college program
1981 NFL Draft broken down by the college programs that produced each pick — first-rounders, conference totals, and the full board.
- Draft picks
- 12,927
- Colleges
- 446
- First-rounders
- 1,427
- Hall of Famers
- 102
- Pro Bowlers
- 1,326
- Drafts covered
- 47
Showing Day 3 picks from the 1981 draft · 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
Ohio State
Big Ten
7picks
Ohio State team hub
-
2
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
6picks
Notre Dame team hub
-
3
Oklahoma
SEC
6picks
Oklahoma team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 51–100 of 249 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Steve Cox |
Arkansas
SEC
|
P | CLE Cleveland Browns | 89 games 12 career AV |
| 1981 | Calvin Clark |
Purdue
Big Ten
|
DE | BUF Buffalo Bills | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Eric Sanders |
Nevada
Mountain West
|
T | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 158 games · 1 yrs as starter 23 career AV |
| 1981 | Danny Spradlin |
Tennessee
SEC
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 63 games 5 career AV |
| 1981 | Tommy Vigorito |
Virginia
ACC
|
RB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 35 games 11 career AV |
| 1981 | Nat Hudson |
Georgia
SEC
|
G | NO New Orleans Saints | 18 games 2 career AV |
| 1981 | Steve Durham |
Clemson
ACC
|
DE | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 8 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Andrew Gissinger |
Syracuse
ACC
|
T | LAC San Diego Chargers | 41 games · 1 yrs as starter 14 career AV |
| 1981 | John Woodring |
Brown
Ivy League
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | 52 games 12 career AV |
| 1981 | Dave Ahrens |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
LB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 130 games · 3 yrs as starter 26 career AV |
| 1981 | Johnnie Poe |
Missouri
SEC
|
DB | NO New Orleans Saints | 100 games · 6 yrs as starter 40 career AV |
| 1981 | Melvin Hoover |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
WR | NYG New York Giants | 32 games 3 career AV |
| 1981 | Rex Robinson |
Georgia
SEC
|
K | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 3 games |
| 1981 | Pete Kugler |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
NT | SF San Francisco 49ers | 81 games · 2 yrs as starter 20 career AV |
| 1981 | Larry Kubin |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
LB | WAS Washington Commanders | 43 games 4 career AV |
| 1981 | Bubba Green |
NC State
ACC
|
DT | IND Baltimore Colts | 15 games · 1 yrs as starter 2 career AV |
| 1981 | Reuben Henderson |
San Diego State
Mountain West
|
DB | CHI Chicago Bears | 46 games · 1 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 1981 | Alvin Lewis |
Colorado State
Mountain West
|
RB | DEN Denver Broncos | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Mack Moore |
Texas A&M
SEC
|
DE | MIA Miami Dolphins | 26 games 2 career AV |
| 1981 | Dock Luckie |
Florida
SEC
|
DT | KC Kansas City Chiefs | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Fulton Walker |
West Virginia
Big 12
|
DB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 81 games 5 career AV |
| 1981 | Sam Johnson |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
DB | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Bryan Hinkle |
Oregon
Big Ten
|
LB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 163 games · 8 yrs as starter 57 career AV |
| 1981 | Ron Wooten |
North Carolina
ACC
|
G | NE New England Patriots | 98 games · 7 yrs as starter 37 career AV |
| 1981 | William Daniels |
Alabama State
SWAC
|
DT | LAR Los Angeles Rams | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Bill Kay |
Purdue
Big Ten
|
DB | TEN Houston Oilers | 56 games 7 career AV |
| 1981 | Ron Simmons |
Florida State
ACC
|
DT | CLE Cleveland Browns | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Robert Holt |
Baylor
Big 12
|
WR | BUF Buffalo Bills | 7 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Bobby Duckworth |
Arkansas
SEC
|
WR | LAC San Diego Chargers | 62 games 16 career AV |
| 1981 | Vince Skillings |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
DB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Harry Stanback |
North Carolina
ACC
|
DE | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 2 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Edward O'Neal |
Tuskegee
SIAC
|
RB | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Glen Redd |
BYU
Big 12
|
LB | NO New Orleans Saints | 76 games · 2 yrs as starter 14 career AV |
| 1981 | Kevin Williams |
USC
Big Ten
|
WR | NO New Orleans Saints | 11 games |
| 1981 | Louis Jackson |
Cal Poly
Big Sky
|
RB | NYG New York Giants | 11 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Kenny Neil |
Iowa State
Big 12
|
DE | NYJ New York Jets | 42 games · 2 yrs as starter 16 career AV |
| 1981 | Ron Johnson | Long Beach State | WR | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 47 games · 1 yrs as starter 10 career AV |
| 1981 | Kevin Donnalley |
North Dakota State
MVFC
|
DB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 1 games |
| 1981 | Bill Whitaker |
Missouri
SEC
|
DB | GB Green Bay Packers | 39 games 2 career AV |
| 1981 | Ron Fellows |
Missouri
SEC
|
DB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 112 games · 4 yrs as starter 29 career AV |
| 1981 | Alan Duncan |
Tennessee
SEC
|
K | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Ron Battle |
North Texas
American
|
TE | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 13 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Jeff Schuh |
Minnesota
Big Ten
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 87 games · 2 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 1981 | Jeff Fisher |
USC
Big Ten
|
DB | CHI Chicago Bears | 49 games 3 career AV |
| 1981 | Obed Ariri |
Clemson
ACC
|
K | IND Baltimore Colts | 18 games 3 career AV |
| 1981 | Mike Daum |
Cal Poly
Big Sky
|
T | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Billy Jackson |
Alabama
SEC
|
RB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 57 games · 2 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 1981 | Steve Busick |
USC
Big Ten
|
LB | DEN Denver Broncos | 78 games · 3 yrs as starter 26 career AV |
| 1981 | Lee Spivey |
SMU
ACC
|
T | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | David Little 1× Pro Bowl |
Florida
SEC
|
LB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 179 games · 9 yrs as starter 63 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: Ohio State — 7
- 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?
Ohio State leads FantasyHQ’s archive with 7 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.