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 LB Day 2 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
Penn State
Big Ten
2picks
Penn State team hub
-
2
Colorado College
1picks
Colorado College team hub
-
3
Florida
SEC
1picks
Florida team hub
| # | School | Picks | Rd 1 | Pro Bowlers | HOF | Last 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Kansas
Big 12 · last pick 1980
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 5 |
New Mexico
Mountain West · last pick 1980
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 6 |
North Carolina
ACC · last pick 1980
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 7 |
Purdue
Big Ten · last pick 1980
|
1 | 0 | 1100% | 0 | 0 |
| 8 |
Tennessee
SEC · last pick 1980
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Texas-Arlington | 1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 10 |
USC
Big Ten · last pick 1980
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
Draft pick explorer
Showing 1–11 of 11 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Kirby Criswell |
Kansas
Big 12
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 6 games |
| 1980 | Buddy Curry |
North Carolina
ACC
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 109 games · 8 yrs as starter 44 career AV |
| 1980 | Keena Turner 1× Pro Bowl |
Purdue
Big Ten
|
LB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 153 games · 9 yrs as starter 57 career AV |
| 1980 | Matt Millen 1× Pro Bowl |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
LB | LV Oakland Raiders | 180 games · 12 yrs as starter 67 career AV |
| 1980 | Larry McGrew |
USC
Big Ten
|
LB | NE New England Patriots | 133 games · 7 yrs as starter 45 career AV |
| 1980 | Lance Mehl 1× Pro Bowl |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | 97 games · 6 yrs as starter 51 career AV |
| 1980 | Cliff Odom | Texas-Arlington | LB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 167 games · 6 yrs as starter 44 career AV |
| 1980 | Scot Brantley |
Florida
SEC
|
LB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 114 games · 5 yrs as starter 32 career AV |
| 1980 | Craig Puki |
Tennessee
SEC
|
LB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 39 games 7 career AV |
| 1980 | Bill Roe |
Colorado College
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 19 games 3 career AV |
| 1980 | Charles Baker |
New Mexico
Mountain West
|
LB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 109 games · 3 yrs as starter 31 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: Penn State — 2
- 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?
Penn State leads FantasyHQ’s archive with 2 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.