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 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
Pittsburgh
ACC
12picks
Pittsburgh team hub
-
2
USC
Big Ten
9picks
USC team hub
-
3
Ohio State
Big Ten
8picks
Ohio State team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 201–250 of 332 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Charlie Brown 2× Pro Bowl |
South Carolina State
MEAC
|
WR | WAS Washington Commanders | 68 games · 4 yrs as starter 38 career AV |
| 1981 | Bobby Kemp | Cal State Fullerton | DB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 95 games · 7 yrs as starter 29 career AV |
| 1981 | Garry White |
Minnesota
Big Ten
|
RB | SF San Francisco 49ers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Ken Sitton |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
DB | IND Baltimore Colts | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Scott Zettek |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
|
DT | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | David Dorn |
Rutgers
Big Ten
|
WR | KC Kansas City Chiefs | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Mark Reed | Moorhead State (MN) | QB | NYG New York Giants | 1 games |
| 1981 | William Judson |
South Carolina State
MEAC
|
DB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 115 games · 7 yrs as starter 37 career AV |
| 1981 | Frank Wilson |
Rice
American
|
TE | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 1 games |
| 1981 | Wade Wilson 1× Pro Bowl | Texas A&M-Commerce | QB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 125 games · 4 yrs as starter 49 career AV |
| 1981 | Bob Niziolek |
Colorado College
|
TE | DET Detroit Lions | 4 games |
| 1981 | Lin Dawson |
NC State
ACC
|
TE | NE New England Patriots | 105 games · 5 yrs as starter 12 career AV |
| 1981 | J.C. Watts |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
DB | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Gene Gladys |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
LB | NO New Orleans Saints | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Kevin Evans |
Arkansas
SEC
|
DB | NO New Orleans Saints | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Art Plunkett |
UNLV
Mountain West
|
T | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 71 games 8 career AV |
| 1981 | Willie Tullis |
Troy
Sun Belt
|
DB | TEN Houston Oilers | 106 games · 4 yrs as starter 26 career AV |
| 1981 | Paul Piurowski |
Florida State
ACC
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Clifford Toney |
Auburn
SEC
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Hosea Taylor |
Houston
Big 12
|
DE | IND Baltimore Colts | 20 games 3 career AV |
| 1981 | Billy Ard |
Wake Forest
ACC
|
G | NYG New York Giants | 148 games · 8 yrs as starter 51 career AV |
| 1981 | Toussaint Tyler |
Washington
Big Ten
|
RB | NO New Orleans Saints | 18 games 3 career AV |
| 1981 | Jim Stone |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
|
RB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Byron Hunt |
SMU
ACC
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | 100 games · 2 yrs as starter 18 career AV |
| 1981 | Admiral Dewey Larry |
UNLV
Mountain West
|
DB | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Stump Mitchell |
The Citadel
Southern Conference
|
RB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 116 games · 3 yrs as starter 43 career AV |
| 1981 | Tim Huffman |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
|
G | GB Green Bay Packers | 47 games · 1 yrs as starter 15 career AV |
| 1981 | Mike Ford |
SMU
ACC
|
QB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Jim Hannula |
Northern Illinois
MAC
|
T | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 15 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Samoa Samoa |
Washington State
Pac-12
|
RB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Darryl Grant |
Rice
American
|
DT | WAS Washington Commanders | 141 games · 8 yrs as starter 49 career AV |
| 1981 | Frank Ditta |
Baylor
Big 12
|
G | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Tim Gooch |
Kentucky
SEC
|
DT | IND Baltimore Colts | No regular-season snaps |
| 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 |
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: Pittsburgh — 12
- 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?
Pittsburgh leads FantasyHQ’s archive with 12 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.