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 2,051–2,100 of 2,415 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Gary Hunt |
Memphis
American
|
DB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 3 games 1 career AV |
| 1986 | Eddie Anderson |
Fort Valley State
SIAC
|
DB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 159 games · 7 yrs as starter 42 career AV |
| 1986 | Don Griffin |
Middle Tennessee
Conference USA
|
DB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 161 games · 9 yrs as starter 60 career AV |
| 1986 | Kevin Walker |
East Carolina
American
|
DB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7 games 2 career AV |
| 1986 | Ed Berry |
Utah State
Mountain West
|
DB | GB Green Bay Packers | 18 games 1 career AV |
| 1986 | Johnny Holloway |
Kansas
Big 12
|
DB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 19 games 2 career AV |
| 1986 | Tommy Sims |
Tennessee
SEC
|
DB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 1 games |
| 1986 | Bruce Jones |
North Alabama
United Athletic Conference
|
DB | CHI Chicago Bears | 2 games |
| 1986 | Trell Hooper |
Memphis
American
|
DB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 3 games 2 career AV |
| 1986 | Larry Griffin |
North Carolina
ACC
|
DB | TEN Houston Oilers | 89 games 12 career AV |
| 1986 | Robert Ducksworth | Southern Mississippi | DB | NYJ New York Jets | 2 games |
| 1986 | Maurice Douglass |
Kentucky
SEC
|
DB | CHI Chicago Bears | 139 games · 1 yrs as starter 18 career AV |
| 1986 | Kent Kafentzis |
Hawai'i
Mountain West
|
DB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1986 | Lyle Pickens |
Colorado College
|
DB | DET Detroit Lions | 1 games |
| 1986 | Mike Slaton |
South Dakota
MVFC
|
DB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 1 games |
| 1986 | Mike Zordich |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
DB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 185 games · 8 yrs as starter 47 career AV |
| 1986 | Danny Taylor |
UTEP
Conference USA
|
DB | CLE Cleveland Browns | No regular-season snaps |
| 1986 | Wayne Asberry |
Texas A&M
SEC
|
DB | WAS Washington Commanders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1986 | Elbert Watts |
USC
Big Ten
|
DB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 9 games 1 career AV |
| 1986 | Zeph Lee |
USC
Big Ten
|
DB | LV Los Angeles Raiders | 24 games 4 career AV |
| 1986 | Reyna Thompson 1× Pro Bowl |
Baylor
Big 12
|
DB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 116 games 14 career AV |
| 1986 | Barton Hundley |
Kansas State
Big 12
|
DB | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1986 | John Armstrong |
Richmond
Patriot League
|
DB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 3 games 1 career AV |
| 1986 | Allan Durden |
Arizona
Big 12
|
DB | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 1986 | King Simmons |
Texas Tech
Big 12
|
DB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 3 games 1 career AV |
| 1986 | Jeff Sprowls |
BYU
Big 12
|
DB | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1986 | Tony Flack |
Georgia
SEC
|
DB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1986 | Mike Travis |
Georgia Tech
ACC
|
DB | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Richard Johnson |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
DB | TEN Houston Oilers | 98 games · 2 yrs as starter 19 career AV |
| 1985 | Derrick Burroughs |
Memphis
American
|
DB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 58 games · 3 yrs as starter 15 career AV |
| 1985 | Jerry Gray 4× Pro Bowl |
Texas
SEC
|
DB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 134 games · 7 yrs as starter 61 career AV |
| 1985 | Issiac Holt |
Alcorn State
SWAC
|
DB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 113 games · 5 yrs as starter 34 career AV |
| 1985 | Don Anderson |
Purdue
Big Ten
|
DB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 16 games 1 career AV |
| 1985 | Tory Nixon |
San Diego State
Mountain West
|
DB | WAS Washington Commanders | 50 games 5 career AV |
| 1985 | Wayne Davis |
Indiana State
MVFC
|
DB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 73 games 9 career AV |
| 1985 | Lester Lyles |
Virginia
ACC
|
DB | NYJ New York Jets | 63 games · 1 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 1985 | Reggie Phillips |
SMU
ACC
|
DB | CHI Chicago Bears | 60 games 11 career AV |
| 1985 | Jim Bowman |
Central Michigan
MAC
|
DB | NE New England Patriots | 73 games · 1 yrs as starter 9 career AV |
| 1985 | Jeffery Dale |
LSU
SEC
|
DB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 42 games · 2 yrs as starter 14 career AV |
| 1985 | Tyrone Davis |
Clemson
ACC
|
DB | NYG New York Giants | 7 games |
| 1985 | Anthony Young |
Temple
American
|
DB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 14 games · 1 yrs as starter 5 career AV |
| 1985 | Donnie Elder |
Memphis
American
|
DB | NYJ New York Jets | 82 games 1 career AV |
| 1985 | John Hendy | Long Beach State | DB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 16 games · 1 yrs as starter 5 career AV |
| 1985 | Sean Thomas |
TCU
Big 12
|
DB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 11 games |
| 1985 | Liffort Hobley |
LSU
SEC
|
DB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 84 games · 1 yrs as starter 14 career AV |
| 1985 | Stefon Adams |
East Carolina
American
|
DB | LV Los Angeles Raiders | 65 games 5 career AV |
| 1985 | Audray McMillian 1× All-Pro 1× Pro Bowl |
Houston
Big 12
|
DB | NE New England Patriots | 123 games · 2 yrs as starter 34 career AV |
| 1985 | Mike Smith |
UTEP
Conference USA
|
DB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 29 games 1 career AV |
| 1985 | Mike Heaven |
Illinois College
Midwest
|
DB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1985 | Billy Allen |
Florida State
ACC
|
DB | NO New Orleans Saints | 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: 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.