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 TE 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
Boston College
ACC
1picks
Boston College team hub
-
2
Colorado College
1picks
Colorado College team hub
-
3
Delaware
Conference USA
1picks
Delaware team hub
| # | School | Picks | Rd 1 | Pro Bowlers | HOF | Last 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Illinois College
Midwest · last pick 1981
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 5 |
Jackson State
SWAC · last pick 1981
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 6 |
Maryland
Big Ten · last pick 1981
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 7 |
NC State
ACC · last pick 1981
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 8 |
North Texas
American · last pick 1981
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 9 |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind. · last pick 1981
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 10 |
Penn State
Big Ten · last pick 1981
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 11 |
Pittsburgh
ACC · last pick 1981
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 12 |
Portland State
Big Sky · last pick 1981
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 13 |
Rice
American · last pick 1981
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 14 |
Southern
SWAC · last pick 1981
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 15 |
UCLA
Big Ten · last pick 1981
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 16 |
Utah
Big 12 · last pick 1981
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
| 17 |
Western Illinois
OVC-Big South · last pick 1981
|
1 | 0 | 00% | 0 | 0 |
Draft pick explorer
Showing 1–17 of 17 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Tim Sherwin |
Boston College
ACC
|
TE | IND Baltimore Colts | 82 games · 2 yrs as starter 8 career AV |
| 1981 | Eric Sievers |
Maryland
Big Ten
|
TE | LAC San Diego Chargers | 122 games · 4 yrs as starter 21 career AV |
| 1981 | Benjie Pryor |
Pittsburgh
ACC
|
TE | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Ron Battle |
North Texas
American
|
TE | LAR Los Angeles Rams | 13 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Brad Scovill |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
TE | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Pete Holohan |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
|
TE | LAC San Diego Chargers | 163 games 29 career AV |
| 1981 | Frank Wilson |
Rice
American
|
TE | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 1 games |
| 1981 | Bob Niziolek |
Colorado College
|
TE | DET Detroit Lions | 4 games |
| 1981 | Lin Dawson |
NC State
ACC
|
TE | NE New England Patriots | 105 games · 5 yrs as starter 12 career AV |
| 1981 | Steve Folsom |
Utah
Big 12
|
TE | MIA Miami Dolphins | 45 games · 1 yrs as starter 3 career AV |
| 1981 | Mike Sherrod |
Illinois College
Midwest
|
TE | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Ronnie DeBose |
UCLA
Big Ten
|
TE | SF San Francisco 49ers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Buster Barnett |
Jackson State
SWAC
|
TE | BUF Buffalo Bills | 56 games 2 career AV |
| 1981 | Mike Maher |
Western Illinois
OVC-Big South
|
TE | NYG New York Giants | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Clint Didier |
Portland State
Big Sky
|
TE | WAS Washington Commanders | 105 games · 3 yrs as starter 18 career AV |
| 1981 | Brian Williams |
Southern
SWAC
|
TE | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 1 games |
| 1981 | Phil Nelson |
Delaware
Conference USA
|
TE | LV Oakland Raiders | 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: Boston College — 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?
Boston College 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.