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 DL 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
3picks
Nebraska team hub
-
2
Washington
Big Ten
3picks
Washington team hub
-
3
Arizona State
Big 12
2picks
Arizona State team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 1–49 of 49 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Bruce Clark 1× Pro Bowl |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
DE | GB Green Bay Packers | 113 games · 6 yrs as starter 46 career AV |
| 1980 | Curtis Greer |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
DE | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 94 games · 6 yrs as starter 38 career AV |
| 1980 | Doug Martin |
Washington
Big Ten
|
DE | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 126 games · 7 yrs as starter 48 career AV |
| 1980 | Jacob Green 2× Pro Bowl |
Texas A&M
SEC
|
DE | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 180 games · 12 yrs as starter 80 career AV |
| 1980 | Jim Stuckey |
Clemson
ACC
|
DE | SF San Francisco 49ers | 93 games · 3 yrs as starter 25 career AV |
| 1980 | Bob Kohrs |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
DE | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 55 games 8 career AV |
| 1980 | Rulon Jones 1× All-Pro 2× Pro Bowl |
Utah State
Mountain West
|
DE | DEN Denver Broncos | 129 games · 7 yrs as starter 63 career AV |
| 1980 | Daryle Skaugstad |
California
ACC
|
NT | TEN Houston Oilers | 37 games 4 career AV |
| 1980 | Cleveland Crosby |
Arizona
Big 12
|
DE | CLE Cleveland Browns | 9 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | Mat Mendenhall |
BYU
Big 12
|
DE | WAS Washington Commanders | 23 games · 1 yrs as starter 15 career AV |
| 1980 | John Goodman |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
DE | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 64 games · 4 yrs as starter 26 career AV |
| 1980 | Rod Horn |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
NT | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 23 games 4 career AV |
| 1980 | Myron Lapka |
USC
Big Ten
|
NT | NYG New York Giants | 16 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | Steve McMichael HOF 2× All-Pro 2× Pro Bowl |
Texas
SEC
|
DT | NE New England Patriots | 213 games · 11 yrs as starter 100 career AV |
| 1980 | Bill Barnett |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
DE | MIA Miami Dolphins | 77 games 12 career AV |
| 1980 | Phil Murphy |
South Carolina State
MEAC
|
DT | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 32 games 2 career AV |
| 1980 | Terry Dion |
Oregon
Big Ten
|
DE | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 9 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | Ron Crews |
UNLV
Mountain West
|
NT | CLE Cleveland Browns | 16 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | Ken Times |
Southern
SWAC
|
NT | SF San Francisco 49ers | 5 games |
| 1980 | Dan Pensick |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
DT | KC Kansas City Chiefs | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Elvis Franks |
Morgan State
MEAC
|
DE | CLE Cleveland Browns | 83 games 9 career AV |
| 1980 | Doug McDougald |
Virginia Tech
ACC
|
DE | NE New England Patriots | 8 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | Daniel Jacobs |
Winston-Salem State
CIAA
|
DE | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Laval Short |
Colorado College
|
NT | DEN Denver Broncos | 19 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | Bill Acker |
Texas
SEC
|
NT | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 55 games 6 career AV |
| 1980 | Ray Yakavonis |
East Stroudsburg
Pennsylvania State Athletic
|
NT | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 21 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | George Visger |
Colorado College
|
DT | NYJ New York Jets | 3 games |
| 1980 | Tom Schremp |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
DE | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Mark McNeal |
Idaho
Big Sky
|
DE | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Gary Don Johnson |
Baylor
Big 12
|
DT | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Wes Roberts |
TCU
Big 12
|
DE | IND Baltimore Colts | 6 games |
| 1980 | Chris Linnin |
Washington
Big Ten
|
DE | NYG New York Giants | 10 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | Grant Hudson |
Virginia
ACC
|
DT | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Tom Tuinei |
Hawai'i
Mountain West
|
DT | DET Detroit Lions | 12 games 2 career AV |
| 1980 | Stafford Mays |
Washington
Big Ten
|
DE | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 119 games 14 career AV |
| 1980 | Joe Peters |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
DT | NYJ New York Jets | 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 | Tanya Webb |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
DE | NO New Orleans Saints | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Walter Carter |
Florida State
ACC
|
DE | LV Oakland Raiders | 2 games |
| 1980 | Matthew Teague |
Prairie View A&M
SWAC
|
DE | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Phil Driscoll |
Minnesota State
Northern Sun
|
DE | MIA Miami Dolphins | 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 | Mike Matocha | Texas-Arlington | DE | WAS Washington Commanders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Terry Jones |
Central Oklahoma
Mid America
|
DE | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Thomas Brown |
Baylor
Big 12
|
DE | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 48 games 5 career AV |
| 1980 | John Singleton |
UTEP
Conference USA
|
DE | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Marcus Jackson |
Purdue
Big Ten
|
DE | CLE Cleveland Browns | 1 games |
| 1980 | Norm Wells |
Northwestern
Big Ten
|
DT | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 3 games |
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 — 3
- 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 3 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.