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 WR 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
Arizona State
Big 12
3picks
Arizona State team hub
-
2
BYU
Big 12
2picks
BYU team hub
-
3
Baylor
Big 12
2picks
Baylor team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 1–41 of 41 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | David Verser |
Kansas
Big 12
|
WR | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 52 games 6 career AV |
| 1981 | Mark Nichols |
San José State
Mountain West
|
WR | DET Detroit Lions | 76 games · 3 yrs as starter 21 career AV |
| 1981 | Cris Collinsworth 3× Pro Bowl |
Florida
SEC
|
WR | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 107 games · 7 yrs as starter 63 career AV |
| 1981 | Mardye McDole |
Mississippi State
SEC
|
WR | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 26 games |
| 1981 | Byron Franklin |
Auburn
SEC
|
WR | BUF Buffalo Bills | 77 games · 1 yrs as starter 16 career AV |
| 1981 | Doug Donley |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
WR | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 43 games 7 career AV |
| 1981 | John Mistler |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
WR | NYG New York Giants | 45 games · 1 yrs as starter 7 career AV |
| 1981 | Ken Margerum |
Stanford
ACC
|
WR | CHI Chicago Bears | 64 games · 2 yrs as starter 11 career AV |
| 1981 | Mike Mosley |
Texas A&M
SEC
|
WR | BUF Buffalo Bills | 20 games 3 career AV |
| 1981 | Mike Holston |
Morgan State
MEAC
|
WR | TEN Houston Oilers | 64 games · 1 yrs as starter 9 career AV |
| 1981 | Sam Greene |
UNLV
Mountain West
|
WR | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Scott Phillips |
BYU
Big 12
|
WR | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Steve Rhodes |
Oklahoma
SEC
|
WR | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Ron Washington |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
WR | KC Kansas City Chiefs | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Tracy Porter |
LSU
SEC
|
WR | DET Detroit Lions | 52 games · 1 yrs as starter 11 career AV |
| 1981 | Robbie Martin |
Cal Poly
Big Sky
|
WR | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 72 games 4 career AV |
| 1981 | Ricky Martin |
New Mexico
Mountain West
|
WR | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Melvin Hoover |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
WR | NYG New York Giants | 32 games 3 career AV |
| 1981 | Robert Holt |
Baylor
Big 12
|
WR | BUF Buffalo Bills | 7 games 1 career AV |
| 1981 | Bobby Duckworth |
Arkansas
SEC
|
WR | LAC San Diego Chargers | 62 games 16 career AV |
| 1981 | Kevin Williams |
USC
Big Ten
|
WR | NO New Orleans Saints | 11 games |
| 1981 | Ron Johnson | Long Beach State | WR | SEA Seattle Seahawks | 47 games · 1 yrs as starter 10 career AV |
| 1981 | Ken Toler |
Ole Miss
SEC
|
WR | NE New England Patriots | 25 games 2 career AV |
| 1981 | Lloyd Jones |
BYU
Big 12
|
WR | NYJ New York Jets | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Mike Fisher |
Baylor
Big 12
|
WR | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | 2 games |
| 1981 | Charlie Brown 2× Pro Bowl |
South Carolina State
MEAC
|
WR | WAS Washington Commanders | 68 games · 4 yrs as starter 38 career AV |
| 1981 | David Dorn |
Rutgers
Big Ten
|
WR | KC Kansas City Chiefs | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | John Noonan |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
WR | MIA Miami Dolphins | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Jim Whatley |
Washington State
Pac-12
|
WR | SEA Seattle Seahawks | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Mike Wilson |
Washington State
Pac-12
|
WR | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 136 games · 2 yrs as starter 22 career AV |
| 1981 | James Mallard |
Alabama
SEC
|
WR | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Jim Joiner |
Miami
ACC
|
WR | ARI St. Louis Cardinals | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | James Murphy |
Utah State
Mountain West
|
WR | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 10 games |
| 1981 | Lester Mickens |
Kansas
Big 12
|
WR | NO New Orleans Saints | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Jerry Hill |
North Alabama
United Athletic Conference
|
WR | WAS Washington Commanders | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Holden Smith |
California
ACC
|
WR | IND Baltimore Colts | 3 games |
| 1981 | Pat Walker |
Miami
ACC
|
WR | DEN Denver Broncos | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Jim Jensen |
Boston College
ACC
|
WR | MIA Miami Dolphins | 164 games 20 career AV |
| 1981 | Keith Chappelle |
Iowa
Big Ten
|
WR | ATL Atlanta Falcons | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Stacy Charles |
Bethune-Cookman
SWAC
|
WR | LAC San Diego Chargers | No regular-season snaps |
| 1981 | Nate Lundy |
Indiana
Big Ten
|
WR | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 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: Arizona State — 3
- 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 3 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.