1997 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
1997 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 1997 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
Arizona State
Big 12
1picks
Arizona State team hub
-
2
Cornell
Ivy League
1picks
Cornell team hub
-
3
Florida State
ACC
1picks
Florida State team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 1–22 of 22 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Warrick Dunn 3× Pro Bowl |
Florida State
ACC
|
RB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 181 games · 10 yrs as starter 96 career AV |
| 1997 | Antowain Smith |
Houston
Big 12
|
RB | BUF Buffalo Bills | 131 games · 4 yrs as starter 48 career AV |
| 1997 | Tiki Barber 1× All-Pro 3× Pro Bowl |
Virginia
ACC
|
RB | NYG New York Giants | 154 games · 7 yrs as starter 103 career AV |
| 1997 | Byron Hanspard |
Texas Tech
Big 12
|
RB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 28 games 8 career AV |
| 1997 | Corey Dillon 4× Pro Bowl |
Washington
Big Ten
|
RB | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 150 games · 9 yrs as starter 74 career AV |
| 1997 | Marc Edwards |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
|
FB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 132 games · 7 yrs as starter 14 career AV |
| 1997 | Sedrick Shaw |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
RB | NE New England Patriots | 18 games 2 career AV |
| 1997 | Troy Davis |
Iowa State
Big 12
|
RB | NO New Orleans Saints | 46 games 4 career AV |
| 1997 | Jay Graham |
Tennessee
SEC
|
RB | BAL Baltimore Ravens | 36 games 3 career AV |
| 1997 | Duce Staley |
South Carolina
SEC
|
RB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 114 games · 4 yrs as starter 52 career AV |
| 1997 | Leon Johnson |
North Carolina
ACC
|
RB | NYJ New York Jets | 74 games 12 career AV |
| 1997 | Darnell Autry |
Northwestern
Big Ten
|
RB | CHI Chicago Bears | 24 games · 1 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 1997 | Chad Levitt |
Cornell
Ivy League
|
RB | LV Oakland Raiders | 10 games |
| 1997 | Nicky Sualua |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
RB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 26 games |
| 1997 | Kenny Bynum |
South Carolina State
MEAC
|
RB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 53 games 4 career AV |
| 1997 | George Jones |
San Diego State
Mountain West
|
RB | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 34 games 4 career AV |
| 1997 | June Henley |
Kansas
Big 12
|
RB | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 11 games 4 career AV |
| 1997 | Steve Lee |
Indiana
Big Ten
|
RB | BAL Baltimore Ravens | No regular-season snaps |
| 1997 | Rod Brown |
NC State
ACC
|
RB | ARI Arizona Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1997 | Daimon Shelton |
Sacramento State
Big Sky
|
FB | JAX Jacksonville Jaguars | 133 games · 8 yrs as starter 6 career AV |
| 1997 | Terry Battle |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
RB | DET Detroit Lions | No regular-season snaps |
| 1997 | Jerald Sowell |
Tulane
American
|
FB | GB Green Bay Packers | 148 games · 3 yrs as starter 12 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: Arizona State — 1
- 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?
Arizona State leads FantasyHQ’s archive with 1 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.