1980 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
1980 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 1980 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
Nebraska
Big Ten
10picks
Nebraska team hub
-
2
Baylor
Big 12
9picks
Baylor team hub
-
3
Oklahoma
SEC
9picks
Oklahoma team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 251–300 of 333 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Donnie Henderson |
Utah State
Mountain West
|
DB | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Sandro Vitiello | UMass | K | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 2 games -1 career AV |
| 1980 | Jafus White |
Texas A&M-Kingsville
Lone Star
|
DB | GB Green Bay Packers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Larry Stewart |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
T | IND Baltimore Colts | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Rush Brown |
Ball State
MAC
|
DT | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 47 games · 3 yrs as starter 19 career AV |
| 1980 | Joe Sanford |
Washington
Big Ten
|
T | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Walt Bellamy |
VMI
Southern Conference
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Kenny Brown |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
WR | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Greg Cater |
Chattanooga
Southern Conference
|
P | BUF Buffalo Bills | 77 games 6 career AV |
| 1980 | Guy Bingham |
Montana
Big Sky
|
C | NYJ New York Jets | 199 games · 1 yrs as starter 23 career AV |
| 1980 | Rob Martinovich |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
|
T | KC Kansas City Chiefs | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Tanya Webb |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
DE | NO New Orleans Saints | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Kevin Fidel |
San Diego State
Mountain West
|
C | CLE Cleveland Browns | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Walter Carter |
Florida State
ACC
|
DE | LV Oakland Raiders | 2 games |
| 1980 | Ron Essink |
Grand Valley State
GLIAC
|
T | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 83 games · 5 yrs as starter 34 career AV |
| 1980 | Tom Daniel |
Georgia Tech
ACC
|
C | NE New England Patriots | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Andy Hawkins |
Texas A&M-Kingsville
Lone Star
|
LB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 66 games · 2 yrs as starter 21 career AV |
| 1980 | Lewis Walker |
Utah
Big 12
|
RB | WAS Washington Commanders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Willie Stephens |
Texas Tech
Big 12
|
DB | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Virgil Seay |
Troy
Sun Belt
|
WR | DEN Denver Broncos | 52 games · 1 yrs as starter 9 career AV |
| 1980 | Doug Lantz |
Miami (OH)
MAC
|
C | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Ben Long |
South Dakota
MVFC
|
LB | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Matthew Teague |
Prairie View A&M
SWAC
|
DE | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Billy Reaves | Morris Brown | WR | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Brett Davis |
UNLV
Mountain West
|
RB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Bob Gruber |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
T | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 1 games |
| 1980 | Ken Fritz |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
G | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Wayne Smith |
Purdue
Big Ten
|
DB | DET Detroit Lions | 108 games · 6 yrs as starter 33 career AV |
| 1980 | Phil Driscoll |
Minnesota State
Northern Sun
|
DE | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Eddy Whitley |
Kansas State
Big 12
|
TE | IND Baltimore Colts | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Alton Alexis |
Tulane
American
|
WR | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 1 games |
| 1980 | Delrick Brown |
Houston
Big 12
|
DB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Ricky Skiles |
Louisville
ACC
|
LB | GB Green Bay Packers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Mike Babb |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Steve Bernish |
South Carolina
SEC
|
DE | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Joe Gordon | Grambling St. | DT | BUF Buffalo Bills | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Dale Markham |
North Dakota
MVFC
|
T | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 3 games |
| 1980 | Sam Harrell |
East Carolina
American
|
RB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 6 games |
| 1980 | George Woodard |
Texas A&M
SEC
|
RB | NO New Orleans Saints | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | James Zachery |
Texas A&M
SEC
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Mike Massey |
Arkansas
SEC
|
LB | LV Oakland Raiders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Tali Ena |
Washington State
Pac-12
|
RB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Mike Hubach |
Kansas
Big 12
|
P | NE New England Patriots | 21 games 2 career AV |
| 1980 | Roland Sales |
Arkansas
SEC
|
RB | CLE Cleveland Browns | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Mike Matocha | Texas-Arlington | DE | WAS Washington Commanders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Chris Judge |
TCU
Big 12
|
DB | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Phil Farris |
North Carolina
ACC
|
WR | DEN Denver Broncos | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Lee Jukes |
NC State
ACC
|
WR | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Terry Jones |
Central Oklahoma
Mid America
|
DE | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Gary Padjen |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 41 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: Nebraska — 10
- 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?
Nebraska leads FantasyHQ’s archive with 10 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.