College programs that have produced the most NFL DB 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 DB 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 DB 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
Miami
ACC
30picks
Miami team hub
-
2
Ohio State
Big Ten
30picks
Ohio State team hub
-
3
Oklahoma
SEC
28picks
Oklahoma team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 1,501–1,550 of 1,574 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Kevin Donnalley |
North Dakota State
MVFC
|
DB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 1 games |
| 1981 | Bill Whitaker |
Missouri
SEC
|
DB | GB Green Bay Packers | 39 games 2 career AV |
| 1981 | Ron Fellows |
Missouri
SEC
|
DB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 112 games · 4 yrs as starter 29 career AV |
| 1981 | Jeff Fisher |
USC
Big Ten
|
DB | CHI Chicago Bears | 49 games 3 career AV |
| 1981 | Ken Miller |
Eastern Michigan
MAC
|
DB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Don Washington |
Texas A&M-Kingsville
Lone Star
|
DB | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Bobby Kemp | Cal State Fullerton | DB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 95 games · 7 yrs as starter 29 career AV |
| 1981 | Ken Sitton |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
DB | IND Baltimore Colts | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | William Judson |
South Carolina State
MEAC
|
DB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 115 games · 7 yrs as starter 37 career AV |
| 1981 | J.C. Watts |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
DB | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Kevin Evans |
Arkansas
SEC
|
DB | NO New Orleans Saints | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Willie Tullis |
Troy
Sun Belt
|
DB | TEN Houston Oilers | 106 games · 4 yrs as starter 26 career AV |
| 1981 | Clifford Toney |
Auburn
SEC
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Admiral Dewey Larry |
UNLV
Mountain West
|
DB | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Anthony Vereen | Southeastern Louisiana | DB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Hugh Jernigan |
Arkansas
SEC
|
DB | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | David Martin |
Villanova
CAA
|
DB | DET Detroit Lions | 7 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Trent Bryant |
Arkansas
SEC
|
DB | IND Baltimore Colts | 32 games 4 career AV |
| 1981 | Mike Mayock |
Boston College
ACC
|
DB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 games |
| 1981 | Robert Murphy |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Johnny Ray Smith |
Lamar
Southland
|
DB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 26 games 4 career AV |
| 1981 | Robert Jackson |
Central Michigan
MAC
|
DB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 90 games · 3 yrs as starter 23 career AV |
| 1981 | Willie Jackson |
Mississippi State
SEC
|
DB | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Marcellus Greene |
Arizona
Big 12
|
DB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 14 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Larry Friday |
Mississippi State
SEC
|
DB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 1 games |
| 1981 | Cris Crissy |
Princeton
Ivy League
|
DB | NE New England Patriots | 1 games |
| 1981 | Mark McCants |
Temple
American
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Ray Ellis |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
DB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 100 games · 4 yrs as starter 30 career AV |
| 1980 | Ricky Churchman |
Texas
SEC
|
DB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 19 games · 1 yrs as starter 6 career AV |
| 1980 | Jesse Johnson |
Colorado College
|
DB | NYJ New York Jets | 45 games 3 career AV |
| 1980 | Mike Jolly |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
DB | NO New Orleans Saints | 35 games 4 career AV |
| 1980 | Larry Flowers |
Texas Tech
Big 12
|
DB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 67 games 6 career AV |
| 1980 | Bob Gregor |
Washington State
Pac-12
|
DB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 30 games 5 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 | Bryan Hicks | McNeese St. | DB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 39 games · 2 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 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 | Keith Lee |
Colorado State
Mountain West
|
DB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 68 games 8 career AV |
| 1980 | Mike Harden |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
DB | DEN Denver Broncos | 158 games · 9 yrs as starter 54 career AV |
| 1980 | Kenny Johnson |
Mississippi State
SEC
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 127 games · 5 yrs as starter 39 career AV |
| 1980 | Herb Williams |
Southern
SWAC
|
DB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 19 games 2 career AV |
| 1980 | Jo Heath |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
DB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 27 games 2 career AV |
| 1980 | Mike Davis |
Colorado College
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Mike Guess |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
DB | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Kirk Collins |
Baylor
Big 12
|
DB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 29 games 5 career AV |
| 1980 | Bud Hebert |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
DB | NYG New York Giants | 10 games 2 career AV |
| 1980 | Terrell Ward |
San Diego State
Mountain West
|
DB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Kenny Hill |
Yale
Ivy League
|
DB | LV Oakland Raiders | 110 games · 4 yrs as starter 28 career AV |
| 1980 | Dupree Branch |
Colorado State
Mountain West
|
DB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 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: Miami — 30
- 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?
Miami leads FantasyHQ’s archive with 30 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.