College programs that have produced the most NFL LB draft picks since 1980, with round and career filters.
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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 951–1,000 of 1,122 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Aaron Smith |
Utah State
Mountain West
|
LB | DEN Denver Broncos | 10 games 1 career AV |
| 1984 | John Kaiser |
Arizona
Big 12
|
LB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 60 games 4 career AV |
| 1984 | Rowland Tatum |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
LB | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Kirk Dodge |
UNLV
Mountain West
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 23 games 3 career AV |
| 1984 | Leo Barker |
New Mexico State
Conference USA
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 122 games · 2 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 1984 | Jimmie Carter |
New Mexico
Mountain West
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | 1 games |
| 1984 | Stan David |
Texas Tech
Big 12
|
LB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 16 games 2 career AV |
| 1984 | Jim Dumont |
Rutgers
Big Ten
|
LB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 12 games 1 career AV |
| 1984 | Ed Martin |
Indiana State
MVFC
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Fred Robinson |
Miami
ACC
|
LB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 46 games 6 career AV |
| 1984 | Niko Noga |
Hawai'i
Mountain West
|
LB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 122 games · 4 yrs as starter 26 career AV |
| 1984 | Jeff Jackson |
Auburn
SEC
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 52 games 8 career AV |
| 1984 | Ed Brady |
Illinois College
Midwest
|
LB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 188 games 10 career AV |
| 1984 | Dave Windham |
Jackson State
SWAC
|
LB | NE New England Patriots | 3 games |
| 1984 | Mike Russell |
Toledo
MAC
|
LB | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Norwood Vann |
East Carolina
American
|
LB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 52 games 6 career AV |
| 1984 | Al Wenglikowski |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
LB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 6 games |
| 1984 | Aaron Jackson |
North Carolina
ACC
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Joe Azelby |
Harvard
Ivy League
|
LB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 14 games 1 career AV |
| 1984 | Paul Gray |
Western Kentucky
Conference USA
|
LB | NO New Orleans Saints | 2 games |
| 1984 | James Spencer |
Oklahoma State
Big 12
|
LB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Brian Salonen |
Montana
Big Sky
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 32 games 3 career AV |
| 1984 | Edgar Pickett |
Clemson
ACC
|
LB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Lawrence Green |
Chattanooga
Southern Conference
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Mark Lang |
Texas
SEC
|
LB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Steve Raquet |
Holy Cross
Patriot League
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Steve Hathaway |
West Virginia
Big 12
|
LB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 6 games 1 career AV |
| 1984 | Mark Emans |
Bowling Green
MAC
|
LB | GB Green Bay Packers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Moe Bias |
Illinois College
Midwest
|
LB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Mike Weingrad |
Illinois College
Midwest
|
LB | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | August Curley |
USC
Big Ten
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | 38 games · 1 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 1983 | Johnny Rembert 2× Pro Bowl |
Clemson
ACC
|
LB | NE New England Patriots | 126 games · 4 yrs as starter 43 career AV |
| 1983 | John Harper |
Southern Illinois
MVFC
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 13 games 1 career AV |
| 1983 | Steve Maidlow |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 50 games 5 career AV |
| 1983 | George Harris |
Houston
Big 12
|
LB | DEN Denver Broncos | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Riki Ellison |
USC
Big Ten
|
LB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 124 games · 8 yrs as starter 49 career AV |
| 1983 | Mark Stewart |
Washington
Big Ten
|
LB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 4 games |
| 1983 | Darrell Patterson |
TCU
Big 12
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Kiki DeAyala |
Texas
SEC
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 28 games 3 career AV |
| 1983 | Gary Moten |
SMU
ACC
|
LB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 7 games |
| 1983 | Sam Merriman |
Idaho
Big Sky
|
LB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 71 games 6 career AV |
| 1983 | Darrin Newbold |
Missouri State
Conference USA
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Keith Woetzel |
Rutgers
Big Ten
|
LB | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Robert Thompson |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
LB | TEN Houston Oilers | 22 games 4 career AV |
| 1983 | Rich Kraynak |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
LB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 61 games 6 career AV |
| 1983 | Andy Headen |
Clemson
ACC
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | 74 games 13 career AV |
| 1983 | Bob Harris |
Auburn
SEC
|
LB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 37 games · 1 yrs as starter 8 career AV |
| 1983 | John Samuelson | Azusa Pacific So. Cal. | LB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | John Rade |
Boise State
Mountain West
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 122 games · 8 yrs as starter 40 career AV |
| 1983 | Mark Zavagnin |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
|
LB | CHI Chicago Bears | 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.