1981 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
1981 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 1981 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
Ohio State
Big Ten
7picks
Ohio State team hub
-
2
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
6picks
Notre Dame team hub
-
3
Oklahoma
SEC
6picks
Oklahoma team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 151–200 of 249 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Rusty Olsen |
Washington
Big Ten
|
DE | DEN Denver Broncos | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | John Noonan |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
WR | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Jim Whatley |
Washington State
Pac-12
|
WR | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 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 | James Hunter |
USC
Big Ten
|
NT | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | David Martin |
Villanova
CAA
|
DB | DET Detroit Lions | 7 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Robb Riddick |
Millersville
Pennsylvania State Athletic
|
RB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 78 games · 1 yrs as starter 17 career AV |
| 1981 | Ron Seawell |
Portland State
Big Sky
|
LB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Avon Riley |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
LB | TEN Houston Oilers | 91 games · 4 yrs as starter 25 career AV |
| 1981 | Randy Schleusener |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
G | CLE Cleveland Browns | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Calvin Fance |
Rice
American
|
RB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Mike Wilson |
Washington State
Pac-12
|
WR | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 136 games · 2 yrs as starter 22 career AV |
| 1981 | Chuck Commiskey |
Ole Miss
SEC
|
G | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 34 games · 1 yrs as starter 9 career AV |
| 1981 | Curt Mohl |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
T | LV Oakland Raiders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Hokie Gajan |
LSU
SEC
|
RB | NO New Orleans Saints | 45 games · 2 yrs as starter 15 career AV |
| 1981 | Mike Barker | Grambling St. | DT | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Marty Wetzel |
Tulane
American
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | 5 games |
| 1981 | Ken Dawson |
Savannah State
SIAC
|
RB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | James Mallard |
Alabama
SEC
|
WR | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Ken McCune |
Texas
SEC
|
DE | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Nickie Hall |
Tulane
American
|
QB | GB Green Bay Packers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Gregg Gerken |
Northern Arizona
Big Sky
|
LB | IND Baltimore Colts | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Phil Kessel |
Northern Michigan
GLIAC
|
QB | WAS Washington Commanders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Hubert Simpson |
Tennessee
SEC
|
RB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Trent Bryant |
Arkansas
SEC
|
DB | IND Baltimore Colts | 32 games 4 career AV |
| 1981 | Tim Clifford |
Indiana
Big Ten
|
QB | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Steve Folsom |
Utah
Big 12
|
TE | MIA Miami Dolphins | 45 games · 1 yrs as starter 3 career AV |
| 1981 | Les Studdard |
Texas
SEC
|
C | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 15 games 3 career AV |
| 1981 | Jim Joiner |
Miami
ACC
|
WR | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Andy Cannavino |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Mike Mayock |
Boston College
ACC
|
DB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 games |
| 1981 | James Murphy |
Utah State
Mountain West
|
WR | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 10 games |
| 1981 | Allan Kennedy |
Washington State
Pac-12
|
T | WAS Washington Commanders | 34 games 4 career AV |
| 1981 | Robert Parham | Grambling St. | RB | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Robert Alexander |
West Virginia
Big 12
|
RB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 24 games |
| 1981 | Larry Jones |
Colorado State
Mountain West
|
RB | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Dean Prater |
Oklahoma State
Big 12
|
DE | CLE Cleveland Browns | 77 games 6 career AV |
| 1981 | Justin Cross | Western St. (CO) | T | BUF Buffalo Bills | 44 games · 1 yrs as starter 8 career AV |
| 1981 | Pat Graham |
California
ACC
|
DT | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Robert Murphy |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Hubie Oliver |
Arizona
Big 12
|
RB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 52 games · 3 yrs as starter 12 career AV |
| 1981 | Frank Hawkins |
Nevada
Mountain West
|
RB | LV Oakland Raiders | 88 games · 2 yrs as starter 15 career AV |
| 1981 | Lester Mickens |
Kansas
Big 12
|
WR | NO New Orleans Saints | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Ed Gall |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
DT | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Lance Olander |
Colorado College
|
RB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Matt Petrzelka |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
T | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Mike Sherrod |
Illinois College
Midwest
|
TE | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Forrest Valora |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
LB | GB Green Bay Packers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Johnny Ray Smith |
Lamar
Southland
|
DB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 26 games 4 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: Ohio State — 7
- 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?
Ohio State leads FantasyHQ’s archive with 7 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.