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 RB 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
Alabama
SEC
2picks
Alabama team hub
-
2
Auburn
SEC
2picks
Auburn team hub
-
3
Colorado State
Mountain West
2picks
Colorado State team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 1–45 of 45 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | George Rogers 1× All-Pro 2× Pro Bowl |
South Carolina
SEC
|
RB | NO New Orleans Saints | 92 games · 6 yrs as starter 46 career AV |
| 1981 | Freeman McNeil 1× All-Pro 3× Pro Bowl |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
RB | NYJ New York Jets | 144 games · 8 yrs as starter 75 career AV |
| 1981 | Randy McMillan |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
RB | IND Baltimore Colts | 88 games · 6 yrs as starter 32 career AV |
| 1981 | David Overstreet |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
RB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 14 games 4 career AV |
| 1981 | James Brooks 4× Pro Bowl |
Auburn
SEC
|
RB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 162 games · 8 yrs as starter 82 career AV |
| 1981 | Booker Moore |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
RB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 51 games · 2 yrs as starter 6 career AV |
| 1981 | Marion Barber Jr. |
Minnesota
Big Ten
|
RB | NYJ New York Jets | 85 games · 1 yrs as starter 5 career AV |
| 1981 | David Hughes |
Boise State
Mountain West
|
RB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 74 games · 1 yrs as starter 15 career AV |
| 1981 | James Wilder 1× Pro Bowl |
Missouri
SEC
|
RB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 129 games · 7 yrs as starter 63 career AV |
| 1981 | Joe Delaney 1× Pro Bowl |
Northwestern State
Southland
|
RB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 23 games · 2 yrs as starter 17 career AV |
| 1981 | Tony Collins 1× Pro Bowl |
East Carolina
American
|
RB | NE New England Patriots | 103 games · 6 yrs as starter 47 career AV |
| 1981 | Jarvis Redwine |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
RB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 26 games |
| 1981 | Andra Franklin 1× Pro Bowl |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
RB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 42 games · 3 yrs as starter 18 career AV |
| 1981 | Cliff Chatman |
Central Oklahoma
Mid America
|
RB | NYG New York Giants | 6 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Amos Lawrence |
North Carolina
ACC
|
RB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 21 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Calvin Murray |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
RB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 8 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Arrington Jones |
Winston-Salem State
CIAA
|
RB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 1 games |
| 1981 | Tommy Vigorito |
Virginia
ACC
|
RB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 35 games 11 career AV |
| 1981 | Alvin Lewis |
Colorado State
Mountain West
|
RB | DEN Denver Broncos | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Edward O'Neal |
Tuskegee
SIAC
|
RB | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Louis Jackson |
Cal Poly
Big Sky
|
RB | NYG New York Giants | 11 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Billy Jackson |
Alabama
SEC
|
RB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 57 games · 2 yrs as starter 13 career AV |
| 1981 | Don Shaver | Kutztown (PA) | RB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Eric Lane |
BYU
Big 12
|
RB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 97 games · 1 yrs as starter 6 career AV |
| 1981 | Garry White |
Minnesota
Big Ten
|
RB | SF San Francisco 49ers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Toussaint Tyler |
Washington
Big Ten
|
RB | NO New Orleans Saints | 18 games 3 career AV |
| 1981 | Jim Stone |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
|
RB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Stump Mitchell |
The Citadel
Southern Conference
|
RB | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 116 games · 3 yrs as starter 43 career AV |
| 1981 | Samoa Samoa |
Washington State
Pac-12
|
RB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Robb Riddick |
Millersville
Pennsylvania State Athletic
|
RB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 78 games · 1 yrs as starter 17 career AV |
| 1981 | Calvin Fance |
Rice
American
|
RB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Hokie Gajan |
LSU
SEC
|
RB | NO New Orleans Saints | 45 games · 2 yrs as starter 15 career AV |
| 1981 | Ken Dawson |
Savannah State
SIAC
|
RB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Hubert Simpson |
Tennessee
SEC
|
RB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Robert Parham | Grambling St. | RB | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Robert Alexander |
West Virginia
Big 12
|
RB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 24 games |
| 1981 | Larry Jones |
Colorado State
Mountain West
|
RB | TEN Houston Oilers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Hubie Oliver |
Arizona
Big 12
|
RB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 52 games · 3 yrs as starter 12 career AV |
| 1981 | Frank Hawkins |
Nevada
Mountain West
|
RB | LV Oakland Raiders | 88 games · 2 yrs as starter 15 career AV |
| 1981 | Lance Olander |
Colorado College
|
RB | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Lonnie Johnson |
Indiana
Big Ten
|
RB | CHI Chicago Bears | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Chester Willis |
Auburn
SEC
|
RB | LV Oakland Raiders | 52 games |
| 1981 | Major Ogilvie |
Alabama
SEC
|
RB | SF San Francisco 49ers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Mandel Robinson |
Wyoming
Mountain West
|
RB | DEN Denver Broncos | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Jairo Penaranda |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
RB | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 20 games |
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.