College programs that have produced the most NFL WR 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 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.
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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 1,401–1,450 of 1,600 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Willie Drewrey |
West Virginia
Big 12
|
WR | TEN Houston Oilers | 128 games 11 career AV |
| 1985 | Gary Rolle |
Florida
SEC
|
WR | DEN Denver Broncos | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Shane Swanson |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
WR | CLE Cleveland Browns | 3 games 1 career AV |
| 1985 | Bill Wallace |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
WR | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Irving Fryar 5× Pro Bowl |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
WR | NE New England Patriots | 255 games · 13 yrs as starter 80 career AV |
| 1984 | Kenny Jackson |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
WR | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 102 games · 4 yrs as starter 15 career AV |
| 1984 | Clyde Duncan |
Tennessee
SEC
|
WR | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 19 games |
| 1984 | Louis Lipps 2× Pro Bowl | Southern Mississippi | WR | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 110 games · 7 yrs as starter 54 career AV |
| 1984 | Eric Richardson |
San José State
Mountain West
|
WR | BUF Buffalo Bills | 30 games 1 career AV |
| 1984 | Pete Mandley |
Northern Arizona
Big Sky
|
WR | DET Detroit Lions | 92 games · 3 yrs as starter 21 career AV |
| 1984 | Daryl Turner |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
WR | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 59 games · 4 yrs as starter 17 career AV |
| 1984 | Bruce Davis |
Baylor
Big 12
|
WR | CLE Cleveland Browns | 15 games 1 career AV |
| 1984 | Mitchell Brookins |
Illinois College
Midwest
|
WR | BUF Buffalo Bills | 21 games 2 career AV |
| 1984 | Brian Brennan |
Boston College
ACC
|
WR | CLE Cleveland Browns | 132 games · 1 yrs as starter 35 career AV |
| 1984 | Weegie Thompson |
Florida State
ACC
|
WR | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 92 games · 1 yrs as starter 12 career AV |
| 1984 | Golden Tate |
Tennessee State
OVC-Big South
|
WR | IND Indianapolis Colts | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Tron Armstrong |
Eastern Kentucky
United Athletic Conference
|
WR | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Rufus Stevens | Grambling St. | WR | KC Kansas City Chiefs | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Dwight Collins |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
WR | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 16 games 1 career AV |
| 1984 | Eric Mullins |
Stanford
ACC
|
WR | TEN Houston Oilers | 13 games 1 career AV |
| 1984 | Lionel Manuel | Pacific | WR | NYG New York Giants | 90 games · 4 yrs as starter 33 career AV |
| 1984 | Jesse Bendross |
Alabama
SEC
|
WR | LAC San Diego Chargers | 35 games 3 career AV |
| 1984 | Derwin Williams |
New Mexico
Mountain West
|
WR | NE New England Patriots | 42 games 1 career AV |
| 1984 | Mark Smith |
North Carolina
ACC
|
WR | WAS Washington Commanders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Kevin Baugh |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
WR | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Brad Anderson |
Arizona
Big 12
|
WR | CHI Chicago Bears | 27 games 1 career AV |
| 1984 | Don Jones |
Texas A&M
SEC
|
WR | CLE Cleveland Browns | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Keith Kidd |
Arkansas
SEC
|
WR | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 1 games |
| 1984 | Rich Hollins |
West Virginia
Big 12
|
WR | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Dave Moritz |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
WR | SF San Francisco 49ers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Tommy Norman |
Jackson State
SWAC
|
WR | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Michael Harper |
USC
Big Ten
|
WR | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 35 games 4 career AV |
| 1984 | Craig White |
Missouri
SEC
|
WR | BUF Buffalo Bills | 14 games |
| 1984 | Kirk Pendleton |
BYU
Big 12
|
WR | SF San Francisco 49ers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Lawrence Thompson |
Miami
ACC
|
WR | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Thad Jemison |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
WR | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Lenny Taylor |
Tennessee
SEC
|
WR | GB Green Bay Packers | 5 games 1 career AV |
| 1984 | David Roberson |
Houston
Big 12
|
WR | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Don Holmes |
Colorado Mesa
Rocky Mountain
|
WR | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 60 games 3 career AV |
| 1984 | Russell Davis |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
WR | BUF Buffalo Bills | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Murray Jarman |
Clemson
ACC
|
WR | DEN Denver Broncos | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Maurice Harper |
La Verne
So. Cal.
|
WR | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Carl Lewis |
Houston
Big 12
|
WR | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Curtland Thomas |
Missouri
SEC
|
WR | WAS Washington Commanders | 2 games |
| 1983 | Willie Gault |
Tennessee
SEC
|
WR | CHI Chicago Bears | 170 games · 9 yrs as starter 56 career AV |
| 1983 | Henry Ellard 2× All-Pro 3× Pro Bowl |
Fresno State
Mountain West
|
WR | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 228 games · 14 yrs as starter 97 career AV |
| 1983 | Ron Brown 1× All-Pro 1× Pro Bowl |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
WR | CLE Cleveland Browns | 100 games · 3 yrs as starter 20 career AV |
| 1983 | Darryal Wilson |
Tennessee
SEC
|
WR | NE New England Patriots | 9 games |
| 1983 | Wayne Capers |
Kansas
Big 12
|
WR | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 47 games · 1 yrs as starter 8 career AV |
| 1983 | Clint Sampson |
San Diego State
Mountain West
|
WR | DEN Denver Broncos | 59 games 10 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 — 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.