College programs that have produced the most NFL WR 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 WR 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 WR 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
Ohio State
Big Ten
39picks
Ohio State team hub
-
2
Florida
SEC
38picks
Florida team hub
-
3
LSU
SEC
38picks
LSU team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 1,351–1,400 of 1,600 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Ray McDonald |
Florida
SEC
|
WR | NE New England Patriots | No regular-season snaps |
| 1986 | Allyn Griffin |
Wyoming
Mountain West
|
WR | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 1986 | Reggie Bynum |
Oregon State
Pac-12
|
WR | BUF Buffalo Bills | 1 games |
| 1986 | Joe Thomas |
Mississippi Valley State
SWAC
|
WR | DEN Denver Broncos | 1 games |
| 1986 | Wes Smith | Texas A&M-Commerce | WR | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 1 games |
| 1986 | Elliston Stinson |
Rice
American
|
WR | SF San Francisco 49ers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1986 | Leland Melvin |
Richmond
Patriot League
|
WR | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 1986 | Gene Thomas | Pacific | WR | NE New England Patriots | No regular-season snaps |
| 1986 | Glen Kozlowski |
BYU
Big 12
|
WR | CHI Chicago Bears | 66 games 5 career AV |
| 1986 | Steve Griffin |
Purdue
Big Ten
|
WR | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 2 games |
| 1986 | Sebastian Brown |
Bethune-Cookman
SWAC
|
WR | NO New Orleans Saints | No regular-season snaps |
| 1986 | Eric Yarber |
Idaho
Big Sky
|
WR | WAS Washington Commanders | 14 games |
| 1986 | Larry Shepherd |
Houston
Big 12
|
WR | LV Los Angeles Raiders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Al Toon 1× All-Pro 3× Pro Bowl |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
WR | NYJ New York Jets | 107 games · 8 yrs as starter 56 career AV |
| 1985 | Eddie Brown 1× Pro Bowl |
Miami
ACC
|
WR | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 102 games · 7 yrs as starter 57 career AV |
| 1985 | Jerry Rice HOF 10× All-Pro 13× Pro Bowl |
Mississippi Valley State
SWAC
|
WR | SF San Francisco 49ers | 303 games · 18 yrs as starter 160 career AV |
| 1985 | Jessie Hester |
Florida State
ACC
|
WR | LV Los Angeles Raiders | 147 games · 7 yrs as starter 37 career AV |
| 1985 | Vance Johnson |
Arizona
Big 12
|
WR | DEN Denver Broncos | 128 games · 6 yrs as starter 47 career AV |
| 1985 | Chris Burkett |
Jackson State
SWAC
|
WR | BUF Buffalo Bills | 131 games · 3 yrs as starter 32 career AV |
| 1985 | Stacy Robinson |
North Dakota State
MVFC
|
WR | NYG New York Giants | 43 games · 1 yrs as starter 6 career AV |
| 1985 | Chuck Scott |
Vanderbilt
SEC
|
WR | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 11 games 1 career AV |
| 1985 | James Maness |
TCU
Big 12
|
WR | CHI Chicago Bears | 8 games |
| 1985 | Tim Moffett |
Ole Miss
SEC
|
WR | LV Los Angeles Raiders | 32 games 3 career AV |
| 1985 | Danny Greene |
Washington
Big Ten
|
WR | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 4 games |
| 1985 | Buster Rhymes |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
WR | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 20 games 1 career AV |
| 1985 | Andre Reed HOF 7× Pro Bowl | Kutztown (PA) | WR | BUF Buffalo Bills | 234 games · 14 yrs as starter 98 career AV |
| 1985 | Emile Harry |
Stanford
ACC
|
WR | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 83 games 18 career AV |
| 1985 | Doug Allen |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
WR | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Walter Stanley |
Colorado Mesa
Rocky Mountain
|
WR | GB Green Bay Packers | 85 games · 3 yrs as starter 17 career AV |
| 1985 | Gerard Phelan |
Boston College
ACC
|
WR | NE New England Patriots | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Jimmy Teal |
Texas A&M
SEC
|
WR | BUF Buffalo Bills | 14 games 4 career AV |
| 1985 | Tracy Henderson |
Iowa State
Big 12
|
WR | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Tony Smith |
San José State
Mountain West
|
WR | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | George Shorthose |
Missouri
SEC
|
WR | MIA Miami Dolphins | 3 games |
| 1985 | Mike Young |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
WR | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 114 games · 1 yrs as starter 18 career AV |
| 1985 | Mike Akiu |
Hawai'i
Mountain West
|
WR | TEN Houston Oilers | 20 games |
| 1985 | James Harbour |
Ole Miss
SEC
|
WR | IND Indianapolis Colts | 9 games |
| 1985 | Reggie Langhorne |
Elizabeth City State
CIAA
|
WR | CLE Cleveland Browns | 134 games · 8 yrs as starter 37 career AV |
| 1985 | Karl Powe |
Alabama State
SWAC
|
WR | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 16 games 2 career AV |
| 1985 | Eric Martin 1× Pro Bowl |
LSU
SEC
|
WR | NO New Orleans Saints | 153 games · 9 yrs as starter 67 career AV |
| 1985 | Mark Pattison |
Washington
Big Ten
|
WR | LV Los Angeles Raiders | 18 games 2 career AV |
| 1985 | Ricky Nichols |
East Carolina
American
|
WR | IND Indianapolis Colts | 3 games |
| 1985 | Fred Banks |
Liberty
Conference USA
|
WR | CLE Cleveland Browns | 80 games 14 career AV |
| 1985 | Phil Freeman |
Arizona
Big 12
|
WR | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 37 games 3 career AV |
| 1985 | Ira Hillary |
South Carolina
SEC
|
WR | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 46 games 4 career AV |
| 1985 | Leon Gonzalez |
Bethune-Cookman
SWAC
|
WR | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 13 games |
| 1985 | Judious Lewis |
Arkansas State
Sun Belt
|
WR | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Steve Tasker 7× Pro Bowl |
Northwestern
Big Ten
|
WR | TEN Houston Oilers | 169 games 7 career AV |
| 1985 | Juan Johnson | Langston | WR | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Clayton Beauford |
Auburn
SEC
|
WR | DET Detroit Lions | 1 games |
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 — 39
- 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 39 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.