College programs that have produced the most NFL DL 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 DL 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 DL 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
Alabama
SEC
51picks
Alabama team hub
-
2
Florida State
ACC
50picks
Florida State team hub
-
3
Florida
SEC
49picks
Florida team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 1,751–1,800 of 2,102 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Rod Saddler |
Texas A&M
SEC
|
DT | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 65 games · 3 yrs as starter 21 career AV |
| 1987 | Doug Bartlett |
Northern Illinois
MAC
|
DT | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 10 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Sean Smith | Grambling St. | DE | CHI Chicago Bears | 26 games 4 career AV |
| 1987 | Leon Seals |
Jackson State
SWAC
|
DE | BUF Buffalo Bills | 82 games · 2 yrs as starter 23 career AV |
| 1987 | Tom Gibson |
Northern Arizona
Big Sky
|
DE | NE New England Patriots | 33 games 5 career AV |
| 1987 | Steve Bryan |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
DE | CHI Chicago Bears | 12 games 3 career AV |
| 1987 | Mark Mraz |
Utah State
Mountain West
|
DE | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 22 games 2 career AV |
| 1987 | Scott Mersereau |
Southern Connecticut State
Northeast 10
|
DT | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 102 games · 6 yrs as starter 37 career AV |
| 1987 | Tim Johnson |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
DT | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 146 games · 7 yrs as starter 45 career AV |
| 1987 | Mark Garalczyk |
Western Michigan
MAC
|
DT | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 24 games 2 career AV |
| 1987 | Chris Pike |
Tulsa
American
|
DT | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 32 games · 1 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 1987 | Curt Jarvis |
Alabama
SEC
|
NT | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 38 games · 3 yrs as starter 14 career AV |
| 1987 | Tony Leiker |
Stanford
ACC
|
DE | GB Green Bay Packers | 1 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Dan Saleaumua 1× Pro Bowl |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
DT | DET Detroit Lions | 177 games · 8 yrs as starter 64 career AV |
| 1987 | Robert Banks |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
|
DE | TEN Houston Oilers | 44 games · 2 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 1987 | Roland Barbay |
LSU
SEC
|
NT | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 5 games |
| 1987 | Gerald Nichols |
Florida State
ACC
|
DT | NYJ New York Jets | 85 games 10 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 | Steve Alvord |
Washington
Big Ten
|
DT | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 27 games · 2 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 1987 | Charles Buchanan |
Tennessee State
OVC-Big South
|
DE | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Bruce Mesner |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
NT | BUF Buffalo Bills | 11 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Ron McLean | Cal State Fullerton | NT | NYJ New York Jets | 9 games |
| 1987 | Randy Watts |
Catawba
South Atlantic
|
DE | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 5 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Paul Carberry |
Oregon State
Pac-12
|
DT | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Dick Chapura |
Missouri
SEC
|
DT | CHI Chicago Bears | 43 games 4 career AV |
| 1987 | Jim Reynosa |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
DE | IND Indianapolis Colts | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Terence Mann |
SMU
ACC
|
DT | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Steve Roberts |
Washington
Big Ten
|
DE | DEN Denver Broncos | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Scott Cooper |
Nebraska Kearney
Mid America
|
DT | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Joe McGrail |
Delaware
Conference USA
|
NT | BUF Buffalo Bills | 2 games |
| 1987 | Wes Dove |
Syracuse
ACC
|
DE | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 2 games |
| 1987 | Bill Berthusen |
Iowa State
Big 12
|
NT | NYG New York Giants | 4 games 2 career AV |
| 1987 | Keith Williams |
Florida
SEC
|
DT | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Fred Stokes |
Georgia Southern
Sun Belt
|
DE | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 131 games · 4 yrs as starter 33 career AV |
| 1986 | Tony Casillas |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
DT | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 166 games · 10 yrs as starter 56 career AV |
| 1986 | Jon Hand |
Alabama
SEC
|
DE | IND Indianapolis Colts | 121 games · 8 yrs as starter 44 career AV |
| 1986 | Leslie O'Neal 6× Pro Bowl |
Oklahoma State
Big 12
|
DE | LAC San Diego Chargers | 196 games · 12 yrs as starter 89 career AV |
| 1986 | Gerald Robinson |
Auburn
SEC
|
DE | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 89 games · 1 yrs as starter 15 career AV |
| 1986 | Eric Dorsey |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
|
DE | NYG New York Giants | 89 games · 4 yrs as starter 27 career AV |
| 1986 | Bob Buczkowski |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
DE | LV Los Angeles Raiders | 21 games 3 career AV |
| 1986 | Markus Koch |
Boise State
Mountain West
|
DE | WAS Washington Commanders | 68 games · 1 yrs as starter 19 career AV |
| 1986 | Gerald Williams |
Auburn
SEC
|
NT | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 161 games · 8 yrs as starter 54 career AV |
| 1986 | Larry Roberts |
Alabama
SEC
|
DE | SF San Francisco 49ers | 89 games · 2 yrs as starter 22 career AV |
| 1986 | Mike Ruth |
Boston College
ACC
|
NT | NE New England Patriots | 8 games 1 career AV |
| 1986 | Erik Howard 1× Pro Bowl |
Washington State
Pac-12
|
NT | NYG New York Giants | 139 games · 5 yrs as starter 49 career AV |
| 1986 | Jim Skow |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
DE | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 83 games · 4 yrs as starter 22 career AV |
| 1986 | Leonard Griffin | Grambling St. | DE | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 103 games · 3 yrs as starter 21 career AV |
| 1986 | Mike Hammerstein |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
DE | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 56 games 6 career AV |
| 1986 | Terry Unrein |
Colorado State
Mountain West
|
NT | LAC San Diego Chargers | 21 games 5 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: Alabama — 51
- 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?
Alabama leads FantasyHQ’s archive with 51 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.