1980 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
1980 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 picks from the 1980 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
Nebraska
Big Ten
10picks
Nebraska team hub
-
2
Baylor
Big 12
9picks
Baylor team hub
-
3
Oklahoma
SEC
9picks
Oklahoma team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 101–150 of 333 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Ed Luther |
San José State
Mountain West
|
QB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 61 games 7 career AV |
| 1980 | Larry Flowers |
Texas Tech
Big 12
|
DB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 67 games 6 career AV |
| 1980 | Arland Thompson |
Baylor
Big 12
|
G | CHI Chicago Bears | 17 games 3 career AV |
| 1980 | I.M. Hipp |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
RB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 1 games |
| 1980 | Kurt Petersen |
Missouri
SEC
|
G | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 84 games · 5 yrs as starter 34 career AV |
| 1980 | Chris Combs |
New Mexico
Mountain West
|
TE | TEN Houston Oilers | 32 games |
| 1980 | Rick Parros |
Utah State
Mountain West
|
RB | DEN Denver Broncos | 51 games · 2 yrs as starter 16 career AV |
| 1980 | Bob Gregor |
Washington State
Pac-12
|
DB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 30 games 5 career AV |
| 1980 | Paul McDonald |
USC
Big Ten
|
QB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 85 games · 1 yrs as starter 16 career AV |
| 1980 | Bill Hurley |
Syracuse
ACC
|
DB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 23 games 4 career AV |
| 1980 | Mark Streeter |
Arizona
Big 12
|
DB | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Ken Times |
Southern
SWAC
|
NT | SF San Francisco 49ers | 5 games |
| 1980 | Bryan Hicks | McNeese St. | DB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 39 games · 2 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 1980 | Carlos Carson 2× Pro Bowl |
LSU
SEC
|
WR | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 126 games · 7 yrs as starter 51 career AV |
| 1980 | Dan Pensick |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
DT | KC Kansas City Chiefs | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Elvis Franks |
Morgan State
MEAC
|
DE | CLE Cleveland Browns | 83 games 9 career AV |
| 1980 | Brad Vassar | Pacific | LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Tony Blount |
Virginia
ACC
|
DB | NYG New York Giants | 3 games |
| 1980 | Jeff Pyburn |
Georgia
SEC
|
DB | BUF Buffalo Bills | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Tommie Ginn |
Arkansas
SEC
|
C | DET Detroit Lions | 27 games 4 career AV |
| 1980 | Doug Paschal |
North Carolina
ACC
|
RB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 16 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | Paul Jones |
California
ACC
|
RB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Jim Zidd |
Kansas
Big 12
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Doug McDougald |
Virginia Tech
ACC
|
DE | NE New England Patriots | 8 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | Kenny Lewis |
Virginia Tech
ACC
|
RB | LV Oakland Raiders | 19 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | John Adams |
LSU
SEC
|
LB | LV Oakland Raiders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Joe Steele |
Washington
Big Ten
|
RB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | William Bowens |
North Alabama
United Athletic Conference
|
LB | LV Oakland Raiders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Keith Lee |
Colorado State
Mountain West
|
DB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 68 games 8 career AV |
| 1980 | Paul Tabor |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
C | CHI Chicago Bears | 16 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | Mike Harden |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
DB | DEN Denver Broncos | 158 games · 9 yrs as starter 54 career AV |
| 1980 | Daniel Jacobs |
Winston-Salem State
CIAA
|
DE | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Gary Hogeboom |
Central Michigan
MAC
|
QB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 79 games · 2 yrs as starter 22 career AV |
| 1980 | John Corker |
Oklahoma State
Big 12
|
LB | TEN Houston Oilers | 32 games 3 career AV |
| 1980 | Nate Rivers |
South Carolina State
MEAC
|
RB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 3 games |
| 1980 | Laval Short |
Colorado College
|
NT | DEN Denver Broncos | 19 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | Kenny Johnson |
Mississippi State
SEC
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 127 games · 5 yrs as starter 39 career AV |
| 1980 | Craig Wolfley |
Syracuse
ACC
|
G | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 153 games · 8 yrs as starter 45 career AV |
| 1980 | Herb Williams |
Southern
SWAC
|
DB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 19 games 2 career AV |
| 1980 | Chris Dieterich |
NC State
ACC
|
T | DET Detroit Lions | 105 games · 3 yrs as starter 29 career AV |
| 1980 | Jo Heath |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
DB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 27 games 2 career AV |
| 1980 | Bill Acker |
Texas
SEC
|
NT | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 55 games 6 career AV |
| 1980 | Karl Swanke |
Boston College
ACC
|
T | GB Green Bay Packers | 84 games · 5 yrs as starter 30 career AV |
| 1980 | Chris Foote |
USC
Big Ten
|
C | IND Baltimore Colts | 104 games 10 career AV |
| 1980 | Scott Brunner |
Delaware
Conference USA
|
QB | NYG New York Giants | 73 games · 2 yrs as starter 17 career AV |
| 1980 | Mike Davis |
Colorado College
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Bubba Garcia |
UTEP
Conference USA
|
WR | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 6 games |
| 1980 | Ray Yakavonis |
East Stroudsburg
Pennsylvania State Athletic
|
NT | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 21 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | George Visger |
Colorado College
|
DT | NYJ New York Jets | 3 games |
| 1980 | Lester Boyd |
Kentucky
SEC
|
LB | NO New Orleans Saints | 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: Nebraska — 10
- 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?
Nebraska leads FantasyHQ’s archive with 10 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.