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 251–300 of 332 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Marty Wetzel |
Tulane
American
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | 5 games |
| 1981 | Ken Dawson |
Savannah State
SIAC
|
RB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | James Mallard |
Alabama
SEC
|
WR | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Ken McCune |
Texas
SEC
|
DE | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Nickie Hall |
Tulane
American
|
QB | GB Green Bay Packers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Gregg Gerken |
Northern Arizona
Big Sky
|
LB | IND Baltimore Colts | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Phil Kessel |
Northern Michigan
GLIAC
|
QB | WAS Washington Commanders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Hubert Simpson |
Tennessee
SEC
|
RB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Trent Bryant |
Arkansas
SEC
|
DB | IND Baltimore Colts | 32 games 4 career AV |
| 1981 | Tim Clifford |
Indiana
Big Ten
|
QB | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Steve Folsom |
Utah
Big 12
|
TE | MIA Miami Dolphins | 45 games · 1 yrs as starter 3 career AV |
| 1981 | Les Studdard |
Texas
SEC
|
C | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 15 games 3 career AV |
| 1981 | Jim Joiner |
Miami
ACC
|
WR | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Andy Cannavino |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Mike Mayock |
Boston College
ACC
|
DB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 games |
| 1981 | James Murphy |
Utah State
Mountain West
|
WR | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 10 games |
| 1981 | Allan Kennedy |
Washington State
Pac-12
|
T | WAS Washington Commanders | 34 games 4 career AV |
| 1981 | Robert Parham | Grambling St. | RB | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Robert Alexander |
West Virginia
Big 12
|
RB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 24 games |
| 1981 | Larry Jones |
Colorado State
Mountain West
|
RB | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Dean Prater |
Oklahoma State
Big 12
|
DE | CLE Cleveland Browns | 77 games 6 career AV |
| 1981 | Justin Cross | Western St. (CO) | T | BUF Buffalo Bills | 44 games · 1 yrs as starter 8 career AV |
| 1981 | Pat Graham |
California
ACC
|
DT | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Robert Murphy |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Hubie Oliver |
Arizona
Big 12
|
RB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 52 games · 3 yrs as starter 12 career AV |
| 1981 | Frank Hawkins |
Nevada
Mountain West
|
RB | LV Oakland Raiders | 88 games · 2 yrs as starter 15 career AV |
| 1981 | Lester Mickens |
Kansas
Big 12
|
WR | NO New Orleans Saints | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Ed Gall |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
DT | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Lance Olander |
Colorado College
|
RB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Matt Petrzelka |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
T | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Mike Sherrod |
Illinois College
Midwest
|
TE | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Forrest Valora |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
LB | GB Green Bay Packers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Johnny Ray Smith |
Lamar
Southland
|
DB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 26 games 4 career AV |
| 1981 | Jerry Hill |
North Alabama
United Athletic Conference
|
WR | WAS Washington Commanders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Robert Jackson |
Central Michigan
MAC
|
DB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 90 games · 3 yrs as starter 23 career AV |
| 1981 | Ronnie DeBose |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
TE | SF San Francisco 49ers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Lonnie Johnson |
Indiana
Big Ten
|
RB | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Holden Smith |
California
ACC
|
WR | IND Baltimore Colts | 3 games |
| 1981 | Frank Case |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
DE | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 7 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Pat Walker |
Miami
ACC
|
WR | DEN Denver Broncos | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Jim Jensen |
Boston College
ACC
|
WR | MIA Miami Dolphins | 164 games 20 career AV |
| 1981 | Rick Trocano |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
QB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 8 games |
| 1981 | Bill Stephanos |
Boston College
ACC
|
T | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Willie Jackson |
Mississippi State
SEC
|
DB | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Brian Buckley |
Harvard
Ivy League
|
QB | NE New England Patriots | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Marcellus Greene |
Arizona
Big 12
|
DB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 14 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Claude Mathews |
Auburn
SEC
|
G | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Larry Friday |
Mississippi State
SEC
|
DB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 1 games |
| 1981 | Buster Barnett |
Jackson State
SWAC
|
TE | BUF Buffalo Bills | 56 games 2 career AV |
| 1981 | Carlos Bradley |
Wake Forest
ACC
|
LB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 54 games 6 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: 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.