1983 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
1983 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 1983 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
Clemson
ACC
3picks
Clemson team hub
-
2
Michigan State
Big Ten
2picks
Michigan State team hub
-
3
USC
Big Ten
2picks
USC team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 1–42 of 42 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Billy Ray Smith |
Arkansas
SEC
|
LB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 126 games · 7 yrs as starter 46 career AV |
| 1983 | Vernon Maxwell |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
LB | IND Baltimore Colts | 77 games · 3 yrs as starter 26 career AV |
| 1983 | Mike Wilcher |
North Carolina
ACC
|
LB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 124 games · 6 yrs as starter 42 career AV |
| 1983 | Darryl Talley 2× Pro Bowl |
West Virginia
Big 12
|
LB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 216 games · 12 yrs as starter 73 career AV |
| 1983 | Jody Schulz |
East Carolina
American
|
LB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 44 games 6 career AV |
| 1983 | Mike Walter |
Oregon
Big Ten
|
LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 149 games · 7 yrs as starter 46 career AV |
| 1983 | Tim Joiner |
LSU
SEC
|
LB | TEN Houston Oilers | 29 games 3 career AV |
| 1983 | Blanchard Montgomery |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
LB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 27 games 3 career AV |
| 1983 | Mike Cofer 1× Pro Bowl |
Tennessee
SEC
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | 123 games · 7 yrs as starter 47 career AV |
| 1983 | Walker Lee Ashley |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
LB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 94 games · 1 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 1983 | Todd Seabaugh |
San Diego State
Mountain West
|
LB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 16 games 1 career AV |
| 1983 | Tony Caldwell |
Washington
Big Ten
|
LB | LV Los Angeles Raiders | 36 games 3 career AV |
| 1983 | August Curley |
USC
Big Ten
|
LB | DET Detroit Lions | 38 games · 1 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 1983 | Johnny Rembert 2× Pro Bowl |
Clemson
ACC
|
LB | NE New England Patriots | 126 games · 4 yrs as starter 43 career AV |
| 1983 | John Harper |
Southern Illinois
MVFC
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 13 games 1 career AV |
| 1983 | Steve Maidlow |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 50 games 5 career AV |
| 1983 | George Harris |
Houston
Big 12
|
LB | DEN Denver Broncos | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Riki Ellison |
USC
Big Ten
|
LB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 124 games · 8 yrs as starter 49 career AV |
| 1983 | Mark Stewart |
Washington
Big Ten
|
LB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 4 games |
| 1983 | Darrell Patterson |
TCU
Big 12
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Kiki DeAyala |
Texas
SEC
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 28 games 3 career AV |
| 1983 | Gary Moten |
SMU
ACC
|
LB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 7 games |
| 1983 | Sam Merriman |
Idaho
Big Sky
|
LB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 71 games 6 career AV |
| 1983 | Darrin Newbold |
Missouri State
Conference USA
|
LB | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Keith Woetzel |
Rutgers
Big Ten
|
LB | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Robert Thompson |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
LB | TEN Houston Oilers | 22 games 4 career AV |
| 1983 | Rich Kraynak |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
LB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 61 games 6 career AV |
| 1983 | Andy Headen |
Clemson
ACC
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | 74 games 13 career AV |
| 1983 | Bob Harris |
Auburn
SEC
|
LB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 37 games · 1 yrs as starter 8 career AV |
| 1983 | John Samuelson | Azusa Pacific So. Cal. | LB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | John Rade |
Boise State
Mountain West
|
LB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 122 games · 8 yrs as starter 40 career AV |
| 1983 | Mark Zavagnin |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
|
LB | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Mike Green |
Oklahoma State
Big 12
|
LB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 47 games · 3 yrs as starter 16 career AV |
| 1983 | Mark Brown |
Purdue
Big Ten
|
LB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 107 games · 5 yrs as starter 28 career AV |
| 1983 | Tim Lucas |
California
ACC
|
LB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 75 games 10 career AV |
| 1983 | Geff Gandy |
Baylor
Big 12
|
LB | WAS Washington Commanders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Danny Triplett |
Clemson
ACC
|
LB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Howard McAdoo |
Michigan State
Big Ten
|
LB | CLE Cleveland Browns | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Robbie Jones |
Alabama
SEC
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | 60 games 4 career AV |
| 1983 | Karl Mecklenburg 3× All-Pro 6× Pro Bowl |
Minnesota
Big Ten
|
LB | DEN Denver Broncos | 180 games · 10 yrs as starter 93 career AV |
| 1983 | James Lane |
Alabama State
SWAC
|
LB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1983 | Andre Young |
Bowling Green
MAC
|
LB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 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: Clemson — 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?
Clemson 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.