1987 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
1987 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 1987 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
Penn State
Big Ten
9picks
Penn State team hub
-
2
Alabama
SEC
7picks
Alabama team hub
-
3
Arizona
Big 12
7picks
Arizona team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 101–150 of 251 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Derek Tennell |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
TE | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 75 games 3 career AV |
| 1987 | Doug Hudson | Nicholls St. | QB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 1 games |
| 1987 | Gerald Nichols |
Florida State
ACC
|
DT | NYJ New York Jets | 85 games 10 career AV |
| 1987 | Chris Thatcher |
Lafayette
Patriot League
|
G | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Steve DeLine |
Colorado State
Mountain West
|
K | SF San Francisco 49ers | 8 games 2 career AV |
| 1987 | Harry Swayne |
Rutgers
Big Ten
|
T | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 186 games · 7 yrs as starter 54 career AV |
| 1987 | Bill Smith |
Ole Miss
SEC
|
P | GB Green Bay Packers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Johnny Thomas |
Baylor
Big 12
|
DB | WAS Washington Commanders | 94 games 5 career AV |
| 1987 | Archie Harris |
William & Mary
CAA
|
T | CHI Chicago Bears | 3 games |
| 1987 | Wilbur Strozier |
Georgia
SEC
|
TE | DEN Denver Broncos | 18 games |
| 1987 | William Harris | Bishop | TE | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 30 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Eddie Hunter |
Virginia Tech
ACC
|
RB | NYJ New York Jets | 6 games 2 career AV |
| 1987 | Stan Mataele |
Arizona
Big 12
|
NT | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2 games |
| 1987 | Jeff Drost |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
DT | GB Green Bay Packers | 2 games |
| 1987 | Joe MacEsker |
UTEP
Conference USA
|
T | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Chuckie Miller |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
DB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 3 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Steve Alvord |
Washington
Big Ten
|
DT | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 27 games · 2 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 1987 | Michel James |
Washington State
Pac-12
|
WR | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Dennis Gibson |
Iowa State
Big 12
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | 121 games · 8 yrs as starter 43 career AV |
| 1987 | Ron Brown |
USC
Big Ten
|
LB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 19 games 2 career AV |
| 1987 | Charles Buchanan |
Tennessee State
OVC-Big South
|
DE | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Kevin Gogan 3× Pro Bowl |
Washington
Big Ten
|
G | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 213 games · 11 yrs as starter 73 career AV |
| 1987 | Toi Cook |
Stanford
ACC
|
DB | NO New Orleans Saints | 150 games · 5 yrs as starter 37 career AV |
| 1987 | Curtis Taliaferro |
Virginia Tech
ACC
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Bruce Mesner |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
NT | BUF Buffalo Bills | 11 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Joel Williams |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
|
TE | MIA Miami Dolphins | 3 games |
| 1987 | Rick Fenney |
Washington
Big Ten
|
RB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 63 games 15 career AV |
| 1987 | Mark Dennis |
Illinois College
Midwest
|
T | MIA Miami Dolphins | 125 games · 3 yrs as starter 36 career AV |
| 1987 | Michael Stewart |
Fresno State
Mountain West
|
DB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 144 games · 7 yrs as starter 34 career AV |
| 1987 | Mike Rice |
Montana
Big Sky
|
P | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Solomon Wilcots |
Colorado College
|
DB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 92 games · 2 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 1987 | Sammy Garza |
UTEP
Conference USA
|
QB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 2 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | David Grayson |
Fresno State
Mountain West
|
LB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 54 games · 3 yrs as starter 20 career AV |
| 1987 | Michael Clemons |
William & Mary
CAA
|
RB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 8 games |
| 1987 | Clarence Vaughn |
Northern Illinois
MAC
|
DB | WAS Washington Commanders | 48 games 5 career AV |
| 1987 | Steve Bullitt |
Texas A&M
SEC
|
LB | CLE Cleveland Browns | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Paul Migliazzo |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
LB | CHI Chicago Bears | 3 games |
| 1987 | Dan Morgan |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
G | DEN Denver Broncos | 2 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Rod Jones |
Washington
Big Ten
|
TE | NYG New York Giants | 9 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Joe Armentrout |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
RB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Stan Parker |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
G | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Thomas Wilcher |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
RB | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Keith McKeller |
Jacksonville State
Conference USA
|
TE | BUF Buffalo Bills | 80 games · 4 yrs as starter 16 career AV |
| 1987 | Gregg Harris |
Wake Forest
ACC
|
G | GB Green Bay Packers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Wayne Davis |
Alabama
SEC
|
LB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 28 games 2 career AV |
| 1987 | Rick Calhoun | Cal State Fullerton | RB | DET Detroit Lions | 3 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Wes Neighbors |
Alabama
SEC
|
C | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Ken Lambiotte |
William & Mary
CAA
|
QB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Joey Clinkscales |
Tennessee
SEC
|
WR | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 14 games 2 career AV |
| 1987 | Scott Leach |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
LB | NO New Orleans Saints | 3 games 2 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: Penn State — 9
- 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 9 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.