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 RB 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
Alabama
SEC
2picks
Alabama team hub
-
2
Clemson
ACC
2picks
Clemson team hub
-
3
Penn State
Big Ten
2picks
Penn State team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 1–47 of 47 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Billy Sims 3× Pro Bowl |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
RB | DET Detroit Lions | 60 games · 5 yrs as starter 58 career AV |
| 1980 | Curtis Dickey |
Texas A&M
SEC
|
RB | IND Baltimore Colts | 85 games · 5 yrs as starter 37 career AV |
| 1980 | Earl Cooper |
Rice
American
|
RB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 93 games · 4 yrs as starter 25 career AV |
| 1980 | Vagas Ferguson |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
|
RB | NE New England Patriots | 33 games · 1 yrs as starter 11 career AV |
| 1980 | Charles White 1× All-Pro 1× Pro Bowl |
USC
Big Ten
|
RB | CLE Cleveland Browns | 108 games · 3 yrs as starter 30 career AV |
| 1980 | Joe Cribbs 3× Pro Bowl |
Auburn
SEC
|
RB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 102 games · 6 yrs as starter 54 career AV |
| 1980 | Matt Suhey |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
RB | CHI Chicago Bears | 148 games · 7 yrs as starter 34 career AV |
| 1980 | Perry Harrington |
Jackson State
SWAC
|
RB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 59 games · 1 yrs as starter 9 career AV |
| 1980 | Jewerl Thomas |
San José State
Mountain West
|
RB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 56 games 7 career AV |
| 1980 | James Hadnot |
Texas Tech
Big 12
|
RB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 43 games · 1 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 1980 | James Jones |
Mississippi State
SEC
|
RB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 62 games 5 career AV |
| 1980 | I.M. Hipp |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
RB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 1 games |
| 1980 | Rick Parros |
Utah State
Mountain West
|
RB | DEN Denver Broncos | 51 games · 2 yrs as starter 16 career AV |
| 1980 | Doug Paschal |
North Carolina
ACC
|
RB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 16 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | Paul Jones |
California
ACC
|
RB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Kenny Lewis |
Virginia Tech
ACC
|
RB | LV Oakland Raiders | 19 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | Joe Steele |
Washington
Big Ten
|
RB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Nate Rivers |
South Carolina State
MEAC
|
RB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 3 games |
| 1980 | LaRue Harrington |
Norfolk State
MEAC
|
RB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 4 games |
| 1980 | Mike Guman |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
RB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 106 games · 4 yrs as starter 24 career AV |
| 1980 | Timmy Newsome |
Winston-Salem State
CIAA
|
RB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 121 games · 4 yrs as starter 22 career AV |
| 1980 | Larry Heater |
Arizona
Big 12
|
RB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 29 games 3 career AV |
| 1980 | Mike Morucci |
Bloomsburg
Pennsylvania State Athletic
|
RB | NO New Orleans Saints | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Bobby Batton |
UNLV
Mountain West
|
RB | NYJ New York Jets | 8 games |
| 1980 | Lester Brown |
Clemson
ACC
|
RB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Bennie Leverett |
Bethune-Cookman
SWAC
|
RB | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Gerry Ellis |
Missouri
SEC
|
RB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 103 games · 5 yrs as starter 44 career AV |
| 1980 | Mark Lyles |
Florida State
ACC
|
RB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Ken Harris |
Alabama
SEC
|
RB | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Curtis Sirmones |
North Alabama
United Athletic Conference
|
RB | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Mark Bright |
Temple
American
|
RB | IND Baltimore Colts | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Otis Wonsley |
Alcorn State
SWAC
|
RB | NYG New York Giants | 72 games 1 career AV |
| 1980 | Dennis Mosley |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
RB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Frank Mordica |
Vanderbilt
SEC
|
RB | NO New Orleans Saints | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Roy De Walt | Texas-Arlington | RB | CLE Cleveland Browns | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Ed Harris | Bishop | RB | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Steve Whitman |
Alabama
SEC
|
RB | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Lewis Walker |
Utah
Big 12
|
RB | WAS Washington Commanders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Brett Davis |
UNLV
Mountain West
|
RB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Sam Harrell |
East Carolina
American
|
RB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 6 games |
| 1980 | George Woodard |
Texas A&M
SEC
|
RB | NO New Orleans Saints | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Tali Ena |
Washington State
Pac-12
|
RB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Roland Sales |
Arkansas
SEC
|
RB | CLE Cleveland Browns | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Frank Pollard |
Baylor
Big 12
|
RB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 111 games · 4 yrs as starter 33 career AV |
| 1980 | Ray Williams |
Washington State
Pac-12
|
RB | DET Detroit Lions | 6 games 3 career AV |
| 1980 | Quinn Jones |
Tulsa
American
|
RB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1980 | Marvin Sims |
Clemson
ACC
|
FB | IND Baltimore Colts | 32 games 2 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: Alabama — 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?
Alabama 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.