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 first-round 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
17picks
Ohio State team hub
-
2
Alabama
SEC
13picks
Alabama team hub
-
3
Texas
SEC
13picks
Texas team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 201–231 of 231 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Rickey Dixon |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
DB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 82 games · 2 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 1988 | Terry McDaniel 5× Pro Bowl |
Tennessee
SEC
|
DB | LV Los Angeles Raiders | 152 games · 9 yrs as starter 70 career AV |
| 1987 | Rod Woodson HOF 6× All-Pro 11× Pro Bowl |
Purdue
Big Ten
|
DB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 238 games · 15 yrs as starter 142 career AV |
| 1986 | Rod Jones |
SMU
ACC
|
DB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 144 games · 7 yrs as starter 34 career AV |
| 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 |
| 1984 | Mossy Cade |
Texas
SEC
|
DB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 30 games · 1 yrs as starter 8 career AV |
| 1984 | Leonard Coleman |
Vanderbilt
SEC
|
DB | IND Indianapolis Colts | 49 games · 1 yrs as starter 9 career AV |
| 1984 | Russell Carter |
SMU
ACC
|
DB | NYJ New York Jets | 64 games · 3 yrs as starter 16 career AV |
| 1984 | Don Rogers |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
DB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 31 games · 2 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 1984 | Terry Taylor |
Southern Illinois
MVFC
|
DB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 149 games · 7 yrs as starter 40 career AV |
| 1983 | Terry Kinard 1× Pro Bowl |
Clemson
ACC
|
DB | NYG New York Giants | 121 games · 8 yrs as starter 49 career AV |
| 1983 | Tim Lewis |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
DB | GB Green Bay Packers | 51 games · 2 yrs as starter 21 career AV |
| 1983 | Leonard Smith | McNeese St. | DB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 138 games · 8 yrs as starter 42 career AV |
| 1983 | Joey Browner 3× All-Pro 6× Pro Bowl |
USC
Big Ten
|
DB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 145 games · 7 yrs as starter 74 career AV |
| 1983 | Gill Byrd 2× Pro Bowl |
San José State
Mountain West
|
DB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 149 games · 10 yrs as starter 58 career AV |
| 1983 | Darrell Green HOF 1× All-Pro 7× Pro Bowl |
Texas A&M-Kingsville
Lone Star
|
DB | WAS Washington Commanders | 295 games · 15 yrs as starter 103 career AV |
| 1982 | Rod Hill |
Kentucky State
SIAC
|
DB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 48 games 6 career AV |
| 1981 | Kenny Easley HOF 3× All-Pro 5× Pro Bowl |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
DB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 89 games · 7 yrs as starter 65 career AV |
| 1981 | Ronnie Lott HOF 6× All-Pro 10× Pro Bowl |
USC
Big Ten
|
DB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 192 games · 14 yrs as starter 123 career AV |
| 1981 | Dennis Smith 6× Pro Bowl |
USC
Big Ten
|
DB | DEN Denver Broncos | 184 games · 13 yrs as starter 74 career AV |
| 1981 | Ted Watts |
Texas Tech
Big 12
|
DB | LV Oakland Raiders | 74 games · 2 yrs as starter 16 career AV |
| 1981 | Hanford Dixon 2× All-Pro 3× Pro Bowl | Southern Mississippi | DB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 131 games · 9 yrs as starter 70 career AV |
| 1981 | Bobby Butler |
Florida State
ACC
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 169 games · 9 yrs as starter 45 career AV |
| 1980 | Mark Haynes 2× All-Pro 3× Pro Bowl |
Colorado College
|
DB | NYG New York Giants | 127 games · 7 yrs as starter 66 career AV |
| 1980 | Roland James |
Tennessee
SEC
|
DB | NE New England Patriots | 145 games · 8 yrs as starter 50 career AV |
| 1980 | Johnnie Johnson |
Texas
SEC
|
DB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 124 games · 7 yrs as starter 51 career AV |
| 1980 | Don McNeal |
Alabama
SEC
|
DB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 110 games · 4 yrs as starter 30 career AV |
| 1980 | Roynell Young 1× Pro Bowl |
Alcorn State
SWAC
|
DB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 117 games · 8 yrs as starter 54 career AV |
| 1980 | Derrick Hatchett |
Texas
SEC
|
DB | IND Baltimore Colts | 49 games · 4 yrs as starter 16 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 — 17
- 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 17 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.