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 DB Day 3 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
Ohio State
Big Ten
4picks
Ohio State team hub
-
2
Arkansas
SEC
3picks
Arkansas team hub
-
3
Missouri
SEC
3picks
Missouri team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 1–39 of 39 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | John Holt | West Texas A&M | DB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 109 games · 3 yrs as starter 23 career AV |
| 1981 | Todd Bell 1× Pro Bowl |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
DB | CHI Chicago Bears | 103 games · 4 yrs as starter 38 career AV |
| 1981 | John Swain |
Miami
ACC
|
DB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 77 games · 4 yrs as starter 19 career AV |
| 1981 | James Davis |
Southern
SWAC
|
DB | LV Oakland Raiders | 83 games 8 career AV |
| 1981 | Lynn Thomas |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
DB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 24 games 3 career AV |
| 1981 | Johnnie Poe |
Missouri
SEC
|
DB | NO New Orleans Saints | 100 games · 6 yrs as starter 40 career AV |
| 1981 | Reuben Henderson |
San Diego State
Mountain West
|
DB | CHI Chicago Bears | 46 games · 1 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 1981 | Fulton Walker |
West Virginia
Big 12
|
DB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 81 games 5 career AV |
| 1981 | Sam Johnson |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
DB | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Bill Kay |
Purdue
Big Ten
|
DB | TEN Houston Oilers | 56 games 7 career AV |
| 1981 | Vince Skillings |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
DB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Kevin Donnalley |
North Dakota State
MVFC
|
DB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 1 games |
| 1981 | Bill Whitaker |
Missouri
SEC
|
DB | GB Green Bay Packers | 39 games 2 career AV |
| 1981 | Ron Fellows |
Missouri
SEC
|
DB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 112 games · 4 yrs as starter 29 career AV |
| 1981 | Jeff Fisher |
USC
Big Ten
|
DB | CHI Chicago Bears | 49 games 3 career AV |
| 1981 | Ken Miller |
Eastern Michigan
MAC
|
DB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Don Washington |
Texas A&M-Kingsville
Lone Star
|
DB | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Bobby Kemp | Cal State Fullerton | DB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 95 games · 7 yrs as starter 29 career AV |
| 1981 | Ken Sitton |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
DB | IND Baltimore Colts | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | William Judson |
South Carolina State
MEAC
|
DB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 115 games · 7 yrs as starter 37 career AV |
| 1981 | J.C. Watts |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
DB | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Kevin Evans |
Arkansas
SEC
|
DB | NO New Orleans Saints | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Willie Tullis |
Troy
Sun Belt
|
DB | TEN Houston Oilers | 106 games · 4 yrs as starter 26 career AV |
| 1981 | Clifford Toney |
Auburn
SEC
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Admiral Dewey Larry |
UNLV
Mountain West
|
DB | NYJ New York Jets | 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 | David Martin |
Villanova
CAA
|
DB | DET Detroit Lions | 7 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Trent Bryant |
Arkansas
SEC
|
DB | IND Baltimore Colts | 32 games 4 career AV |
| 1981 | Mike Mayock |
Boston College
ACC
|
DB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 games |
| 1981 | Robert Murphy |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Johnny Ray Smith |
Lamar
Southland
|
DB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 26 games 4 career AV |
| 1981 | Robert Jackson |
Central Michigan
MAC
|
DB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 90 games · 3 yrs as starter 23 career AV |
| 1981 | Willie Jackson |
Mississippi State
SEC
|
DB | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Marcellus Greene |
Arizona
Big 12
|
DB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 14 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Larry Friday |
Mississippi State
SEC
|
DB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 1 games |
| 1981 | Cris Crissy |
Princeton
Ivy League
|
DB | NE New England Patriots | 1 games |
| 1981 | Mark McCants |
Temple
American
|
DB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Ray Ellis |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
DB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 100 games · 4 yrs as starter 30 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 — 4
- 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 4 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.