College programs that have produced the most NFL DL 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 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.
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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 1,901–1,950 of 2,102 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Don Thorp |
Illinois College
Midwest
|
NT | NO New Orleans Saints | 14 games 2 career AV |
| 1984 | Dan Ralph |
Oregon
Big Ten
|
DT | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 6 games |
| 1984 | John Haines |
Texas
SEC
|
NT | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 19 games 2 career AV |
| 1984 | Mitch Willis |
SMU
ACC
|
NT | LV Los Angeles Raiders | 51 games 4 career AV |
| 1984 | Ray Woodard |
Texas
SEC
|
DE | LAC San Diego Chargers | 9 games 1 career AV |
| 1984 | Paul Sverchek |
Cal Poly
Big Sky
|
NT | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 3 games |
| 1984 | Scott Garnett |
Washington
Big Ten
|
NT | DEN Denver Broncos | 27 games 3 career AV |
| 1984 | Mike Johnson |
Illinois College
Midwest
|
DE | TEN Houston Oilers | 16 games 1 career AV |
| 1984 | Zack Barnes |
Alabama State
SWAC
|
DT | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Tom Baldwin |
Tulsa
American
|
NT | NYJ New York Jets | 64 games 8 career AV |
| 1984 | Leroy Howell | Appalachian St. | DE | BUF Buffalo Bills | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Mark Smythe |
Indiana
Big Ten
|
DT | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Michel Bourgeau |
Boise State
Mountain West
|
DE | NO New Orleans Saints | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Mark Butkus |
Illinois College
Midwest
|
DT | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1984 | Dowe Aughtman |
Auburn
SEC
|
DT | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 7 games 1 career AV |
| 1984 | William Devane |
Clemson
ACC
|
DT | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Mike Pitts |
Alabama
SEC
|
DT | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 169 games · 7 yrs as starter 53 career AV |
| 1983 | Gabe Rivera |
Texas Tech
Big 12
|
NT | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 games 1 career AV |
| 1983 | Jim Jeffcoat |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
DE | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 227 games · 8 yrs as starter 57 career AV |
| 1983 | Leonard Marshall 2× Pro Bowl |
LSU
SEC
|
DE | NYG New York Giants | 177 games · 9 yrs as starter 70 career AV |
| 1983 | Bill Pickel 1× All-Pro |
Rutgers
Big Ten
|
NT | LV Los Angeles Raiders | 174 games · 4 yrs as starter 49 career AV |
| 1983 | Mike Charles |
Syracuse
ACC
|
NT | MIA Miami Dolphins | 101 games · 3 yrs as starter 27 career AV |
| 1983 | George Achica |
USC
Big Ten
|
DT | IND Baltimore Colts | 4 games |
| 1983 | Reggie Camp |
California
ACC
|
DE | CLE Cleveland Browns | 74 games · 4 yrs as starter 30 career AV |
| 1983 | Ramsey Dardar |
LSU
SEC
|
DT | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 16 games 3 career AV |
| 1983 | Andrew Provence |
South Carolina
SEC
|
DT | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 69 games · 1 yrs as starter 9 career AV |
| 1983 | Charles Benson |
Baylor
Big 12
|
DE | MIA Miami Dolphins | 28 games 4 career AV |
| 1983 | Bryan Caldwell |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
DE | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 8 games |
| 1983 | Charles Mann 4× Pro Bowl |
Nevada
Mountain West
|
DE | WAS Washington Commanders | 177 games · 10 yrs as starter 79 career AV |
| 1983 | Mark Duda |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
DT | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 55 games · 2 yrs as starter 15 career AV |
| 1983 | Gary Lewis |
Oklahoma State
Big 12
|
NT | NO New Orleans Saints | 6 games |
| 1983 | Greg Townsend 2× Pro Bowl |
TCU
Big 12
|
DE | LV Los Angeles Raiders | 190 games · 7 yrs as starter 63 career AV |
| 1983 | Doug Reed |
San Diego State
Mountain West
|
DE | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 96 games · 6 yrs as starter 34 career AV |
| 1983 | Jimmy Payne |
Georgia
SEC
|
DE | BUF Buffalo Bills | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Smiley Creswell |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
DE | NE New England Patriots | 3 games |
| 1983 | Byron Darby |
USC
Big Ten
|
DE | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 87 games · 1 yrs as starter 12 career AV |
| 1983 | Tony Chickillo |
Miami
ACC
|
NT | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7 games 1 career AV |
| 1983 | John Walker |
Nebraska-Omaha
|
NT | NYJ New York Jets | 3 games 1 career AV |
| 1983 | Jerome Foster |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
DE | TEN Houston Oilers | 44 games 3 career AV |
| 1983 | Dave Puzzuoli |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
NT | CLE Cleveland Browns | 76 games 7 career AV |
| 1983 | Gurnest Brown |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
DT | BUF Buffalo Bills | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Bill Elko |
LSU
SEC
|
NT | LAC San Diego Chargers | 29 games · 1 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 1983 | Richard Dent HOF 1× All-Pro 4× Pro Bowl |
Tennessee State
OVC-Big South
|
DE | CHI Chicago Bears | 203 games · 10 yrs as starter 98 career AV |
| 1983 | Bob Clasby |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
|
DT | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 49 games · 3 yrs as starter 18 career AV |
| 1983 | Hasson Arbubakrr |
Texas Tech
Big 12
|
DE | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 20 games 2 career AV |
| 1983 | Walt Bowyer |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
DE | DEN Denver Broncos | 61 games · 1 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 1983 | Mark Shumate |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
NT | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 8 games |
| 1983 | Thomas Strauthers |
Jackson State
SWAC
|
DE | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 97 games 10 career AV |
| 1983 | Jeff Merrell |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
DT | SF San Francisco 49ers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Richard Tharpe |
Louisville
ACC
|
DE | BUF Buffalo Bills | 3 games 1 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.