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 OL 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
Georgia
SEC
2picks
Georgia team hub
-
2
Michigan
Big Ten
2picks
Michigan team hub
-
3
Nebraska
Big Ten
2picks
Nebraska team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 1–36 of 36 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | George Lilja |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
G | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 54 games · 1 yrs as starter 11 career AV |
| 1981 | Nick Eyre |
BYU
Big 12
|
T | TEN Houston Oilers | 6 games |
| 1981 | John Scully |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
|
G | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 112 games · 5 yrs as starter 32 career AV |
| 1981 | Louis Oubre |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
G | NO New Orleans Saints | 40 games · 2 yrs as starter 16 career AV |
| 1981 | Edwin Bailey |
South Carolina State
MEAC
|
G | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 139 games · 8 yrs as starter 51 career AV |
| 1981 | Todd Thomas |
North Dakota
MVFC
|
C | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 15 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Ken Lanier |
Florida State
ACC
|
T | DEN Denver Broncos | 179 games · 11 yrs as starter 62 career AV |
| 1981 | Larry Lee |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
G | DET Detroit Lions | 96 games 18 career AV |
| 1981 | Gary Sayre | Cameron | G | WAS Washington Commanders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Eric Sanders |
Nevada
Mountain West
|
T | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 158 games · 1 yrs as starter 23 career AV |
| 1981 | Nat Hudson |
Georgia
SEC
|
G | NO New Orleans Saints | 18 games 2 career AV |
| 1981 | Andrew Gissinger |
Syracuse
ACC
|
T | LAC San Diego Chargers | 41 games · 1 yrs as starter 14 career AV |
| 1981 | Ron Wooten |
North Carolina
ACC
|
G | NE New England Patriots | 98 games · 7 yrs as starter 37 career AV |
| 1981 | Mike Daum |
Cal Poly
Big Sky
|
T | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Lee Spivey |
SMU
ACC
|
T | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | John Powers |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
G | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Denver Johnson |
Tulsa
American
|
T | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Art Plunkett |
UNLV
Mountain West
|
T | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 71 games 8 career AV |
| 1981 | Billy Ard |
Wake Forest
ACC
|
G | NYG New York Giants | 148 games · 8 yrs as starter 51 career AV |
| 1981 | Tim Huffman |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
|
G | GB Green Bay Packers | 47 games · 1 yrs as starter 15 career AV |
| 1981 | Jim Hannula |
Northern Illinois
MAC
|
T | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 15 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Frank Ditta |
Baylor
Big 12
|
G | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Randy Schleusener |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
G | CLE Cleveland Browns | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Chuck Commiskey |
Ole Miss
SEC
|
G | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 34 games · 1 yrs as starter 9 career AV |
| 1981 | Curt Mohl |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
T | LV Oakland Raiders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Les Studdard |
Texas
SEC
|
C | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 15 games 3 career AV |
| 1981 | Allan Kennedy |
Washington State
Pac-12
|
T | WAS Washington Commanders | 34 games 4 career AV |
| 1981 | Justin Cross | Western St. (CO) | T | BUF Buffalo Bills | 44 games · 1 yrs as starter 8 career AV |
| 1981 | Matt Petrzelka |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
T | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Bill Stephanos |
Boston College
ACC
|
T | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Claude Mathews |
Auburn
SEC
|
G | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Tim Morrison |
Georgia
SEC
|
G | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Gail Davis |
Virginia Union
CIAA
|
T | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Mike Moeller |
Drake
Pioneer Football League
|
T | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Joe Adams |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
G | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Kevin McGill |
Oregon
Big Ten
|
T | CLE Cleveland Browns | 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: Georgia — 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?
Georgia 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.