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 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
Ohio State
Big Ten
57picks
Ohio State team hub
-
2
Miami
ACC
51picks
Miami team hub
-
3
Alabama
SEC
50picks
Alabama team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 2,001–2,050 of 2,415 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Kirby Jackson |
Mississippi State
SEC
|
DB | NYJ New York Jets | 70 games · 4 yrs as starter 19 career AV |
| 1987 | Tony Mayes |
Kentucky
SEC
|
DB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Freddie Robinson |
Alabama
SEC
|
DB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 22 games · 2 yrs as starter 10 career AV |
| 1987 | Steve Gage |
Tulsa
American
|
DB | WAS Washington Commanders | 20 games 2 career AV |
| 1987 | Sonny Gordon |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
DB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 7 games |
| 1987 | Stephen Braggs |
Texas
SEC
|
DB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 83 games 8 career AV |
| 1987 | Tim Peoples |
Washington
Big Ten
|
DB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Gene Atkins |
Florida A&M
SWAC
|
DB | NO New Orleans Saints | 143 games · 7 yrs as starter 48 career AV |
| 1987 | Johnny Thomas |
Baylor
Big 12
|
DB | WAS Washington Commanders | 94 games 5 career AV |
| 1987 | Chuckie Miller |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
DB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 3 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Toi Cook |
Stanford
ACC
|
DB | NO New Orleans Saints | 150 games · 5 yrs as starter 37 career AV |
| 1987 | Michael Stewart |
Fresno State
Mountain West
|
DB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 144 games · 7 yrs as starter 34 career AV |
| 1987 | Solomon Wilcots |
Colorado College
|
DB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 92 games · 2 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 1987 | Clarence Vaughn |
Northern Illinois
MAC
|
DB | WAS Washington Commanders | 48 games 5 career AV |
| 1987 | Terrence Anthony |
Iowa State
Big 12
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 1 games |
| 1987 | Leonard Jones |
Texas Tech
Big 12
|
DB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 2 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Jonathan Shelley |
Ole Miss
SEC
|
DB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 1 games |
| 1987 | Bruce Plummer |
Mississippi State
SEC
|
DB | DEN Denver Broncos | 52 games 5 career AV |
| 1987 | Chris Goode |
Alabama
SEC
|
DB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 96 games · 5 yrs as starter 27 career AV |
| 1987 | Rob Harrison |
Sacramento State
Big Sky
|
DB | LV Los Angeles Raiders | 2 games 1 career AV |
| 1987 | Anthony Anderson | Grambling St. | DB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 3 games |
| 1987 | Charles Wright |
Tulsa
American
|
DB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 8 games |
| 1987 | Bobby Taylor |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
DB | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Sid Lewis |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
DB | NYJ New York Jets | 2 games |
| 1987 | Elbert Shelley 4× Pro Bowl |
Arkansas State
Sun Belt
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 119 games 12 career AV |
| 1987 | Larry Brewton |
Temple
American
|
DB | CLE Cleveland Browns | No regular-season snaps |
| 1987 | Eric Jeffries |
Texas
SEC
|
DB | CHI Chicago Bears | 1 games |
| 1987 | Tyrone Braxton 1× Pro Bowl |
North Dakota State
MVFC
|
DB | DEN Denver Broncos | 181 games · 8 yrs as starter 56 career AV |
| 1987 | Norman Jefferson |
LSU
SEC
|
DB | GB Green Bay Packers | 14 games 1 career AV |
| 1986 | Rod Jones |
SMU
ACC
|
DB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 144 games · 7 yrs as starter 34 career AV |
| 1986 | Lewis Billups |
North Alabama
United Athletic Conference
|
DB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 88 games · 5 yrs as starter 28 career AV |
| 1986 | Mark Collins | Cal State Fullerton | DB | NYG New York Giants | 168 games · 11 yrs as starter 56 career AV |
| 1986 | Greg Lasker |
Arkansas
SEC
|
DB | NYG New York Giants | 33 games 2 career AV |
| 1986 | Vencie Glenn |
Indiana State
MVFC
|
DB | NE New England Patriots | 153 games · 7 yrs as starter 49 career AV |
| 1986 | Vestee Jackson |
Washington
Big Ten
|
DB | CHI Chicago Bears | 119 games · 5 yrs as starter 37 career AV |
| 1986 | Tim McKyer | Texas-Arlington | DB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 170 games · 7 yrs as starter 50 career AV |
| 1986 | Patrick Hunter |
Nevada
Mountain West
|
DB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 125 games · 6 yrs as starter 42 career AV |
| 1986 | Alvin Walton |
Kansas
Big 12
|
DB | WAS Washington Commanders | 77 games · 4 yrs as starter 26 career AV |
| 1986 | David Fulcher 1× All-Pro 3× Pro Bowl |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
DB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 103 games · 7 yrs as starter 51 career AV |
| 1986 | Brad Cochran |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
DB | LV Los Angeles Raiders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1986 | Craig Swoope |
Illinois College
Midwest
|
DB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 30 games · 1 yrs as starter 6 career AV |
| 1986 | Carl Carter |
Texas Tech
Big 12
|
DB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 90 games · 5 yrs as starter 26 career AV |
| 1986 | Devon Mitchell |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
DB | DET Detroit Lions | 26 games · 2 yrs as starter 12 career AV |
| 1986 | Bill Callahan |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
DB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 1 games |
| 1986 | Reggie Sutton |
Miami
ACC
|
DB | NO New Orleans Saints | 26 games 8 career AV |
| 1986 | Erroll Tucker |
Utah
Big 12
|
DB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 18 games 1 career AV |
| 1986 | Donald Brown |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
DB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 18 games · 1 yrs as starter 6 career AV |
| 1986 | Matt Johnson |
USC
Big Ten
|
DB | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1986 | Kevin Wyatt |
Arkansas
SEC
|
DB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 18 games 1 career AV |
| 1986 | Domingo Bryant |
Texas A&M
SEC
|
DB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 27 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: Ohio State — 57
- 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 57 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.