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 LB 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
Baylor
Big 12
2picks
Baylor team hub
-
2
Michigan
Big Ten
2picks
Michigan team hub
-
3
Penn State
Big Ten
2picks
Penn State team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 1–44 of 44 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Lawrence Taylor HOF 8× All-Pro 10× Pro Bowl |
North Carolina
ACC
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | 184 games · 13 yrs as starter 146 career AV |
| 1981 | E.J. Junior 1× All-Pro 2× Pro Bowl |
Alabama
SEC
|
LB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 170 games · 9 yrs as starter 59 career AV |
| 1981 | Hugh Green 2× Pro Bowl |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
LB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 136 games · 8 yrs as starter 61 career AV |
| 1981 | Mel Owens |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
LB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 122 games · 6 yrs as starter 42 career AV |
| 1981 | Mike Singletary HOF 7× All-Pro 10× Pro Bowl |
Baylor
Big 12
|
LB | CHI Chicago Bears | 179 games · 12 yrs as starter 124 career AV |
| 1981 | Jim Collins 1× Pro Bowl |
Syracuse
ACC
|
LB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 93 games · 4 yrs as starter 40 career AV |
| 1981 | Robin Sendlein |
Texas
SEC
|
LB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 72 games 8 career AV |
| 1981 | Rickey Jackson HOF 6× Pro Bowl |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
LB | NO New Orleans Saints | 227 games · 15 yrs as starter 112 career AV |
| 1981 | Lyman White |
LSU
SEC
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 18 games 2 career AV |
| 1981 | Al Washington |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | 16 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Scott Pelluer |
Washington State
Pac-12
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 65 games 6 career AV |
| 1981 | Guy Frazier |
Wyoming
Mountain West
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 74 games · 1 yrs as starter 17 career AV |
| 1981 | Don Blackmon |
Tulsa
American
|
LB | NE New England Patriots | 89 games · 5 yrs as starter 39 career AV |
| 1981 | Derrie Nelson |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 48 games 3 career AV |
| 1981 | John Gillen |
Illinois College
Midwest
|
LB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 28 games 3 career AV |
| 1981 | Delbert Fowler |
West Virginia
Big 12
|
LB | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Danny Spradlin |
Tennessee
SEC
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 63 games 5 career AV |
| 1981 | John Woodring |
Brown
Ivy League
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | 52 games 12 career AV |
| 1981 | Dave Ahrens |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
LB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 130 games · 3 yrs as starter 26 career AV |
| 1981 | Larry Kubin |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
LB | WAS Washington Commanders | 43 games 4 career AV |
| 1981 | Bryan Hinkle |
Oregon
Big Ten
|
LB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 163 games · 8 yrs as starter 57 career AV |
| 1981 | Glen Redd |
BYU
Big 12
|
LB | NO New Orleans Saints | 76 games · 2 yrs as starter 14 career AV |
| 1981 | Jeff Schuh |
Minnesota
Big Ten
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 87 games · 2 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 1981 | Steve Busick |
USC
Big Ten
|
LB | DEN Denver Broncos | 78 games · 3 yrs as starter 26 career AV |
| 1981 | David Little 1× Pro Bowl |
Florida
SEC
|
LB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 179 games · 9 yrs as starter 63 career AV |
| 1981 | Eddie Johnson |
Louisville
ACC
|
LB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 148 games · 5 yrs as starter 37 career AV |
| 1981 | Steve Doolittle |
Colorado College
|
LB | BUF Buffalo Bills | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Doak Field |
Baylor
Big 12
|
LB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 7 games |
| 1981 | Larry Werts |
Jackson State
SWAC
|
LB | GB Green Bay Packers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Gene Gladys |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
LB | NO New Orleans Saints | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Paul Piurowski |
Florida State
ACC
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Byron Hunt |
SMU
ACC
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | 100 games · 2 yrs as starter 18 career AV |
| 1981 | Ron Seawell |
Portland State
Big Sky
|
LB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Avon Riley |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
LB | TEN Houston Oilers | 91 games · 4 yrs as starter 25 career AV |
| 1981 | Marty Wetzel |
Tulane
American
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | 5 games |
| 1981 | Gregg Gerken |
Northern Arizona
Big Sky
|
LB | IND Baltimore Colts | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Andy Cannavino |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Forrest Valora |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
LB | GB Green Bay Packers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Carlos Bradley |
Wake Forest
ACC
|
LB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 54 games 6 career AV |
| 1981 | Cliff Lewis | Southern Mississippi | LB | GB Green Bay Packers | 57 games 4 career AV |
| 1981 | Eric Scoggins |
USC
Big Ten
|
LB | IND Baltimore Colts | 3 games |
| 1981 | Bob Shupryt |
New Mexico
Mountain West
|
LB | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | John Hankerd |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
|
LB | DEN Denver Broncos | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Keith Clark |
Memphis
American
|
LB | BUF Buffalo Bills | No regular-season snaps |
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: Baylor — 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?
Baylor 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.