1997 NFL Draft broken down by the college programs that produced each pick — first-rounders, conference totals, and the full board.
FantasyHQ
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 Day 2 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
4picks
Arizona State team hub
-
2
Nebraska
Big Ten
3picks
Nebraska team hub
-
3
North Carolina
ACC
3picks
North Carolina team hub
Draft pick explorer
Showing 1–50 of 66 picks · filtered.
| Pick | Player | College | Pos | NFL team | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Rick Terry |
North Carolina
ACC
|
DT | NYJ New York Jets | 29 games 4 career AV |
| 1997 | Nathan Davis |
Indiana
Big Ten
|
DE | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 6 games |
| 1997 | Rob Kelly |
Ohio State
Big Ten
|
DB | NO New Orleans Saints | 60 games 8 career AV |
| 1997 | Jamie Sharper |
Virginia
ACC
|
LB | BAL Baltimore Ravens | 136 games · 9 yrs as starter 60 career AV |
| 1997 | Juan Roque |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
T | DET Detroit Lions | 17 games 3 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 | Jerry Wunsch |
Wisconsin
Big Ten
|
T | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 113 games · 3 yrs as starter 28 career AV |
| 1997 | John Allred |
USC
Big Ten
|
TE | CHI Chicago Bears | 53 games 3 career AV |
| 1997 | Jared Tomich |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
DE | NO New Orleans Saints | 57 games · 2 yrs as starter 10 career AV |
| 1997 | Dexter McCleon |
Clemson
ACC
|
DB | LAR St. Louis Rams | 148 games · 4 yrs as starter 38 career AV |
| 1997 | Byron Hanspard |
Texas Tech
Big 12
|
RB | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 28 games 8 career AV |
| 1997 | Jake Plummer 1× Pro Bowl |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
QB | ARI Arizona Cardinals | 143 games · 10 yrs as starter 77 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 | Sam Madison 2× All-Pro 4× Pro Bowl |
Louisville
ACC
|
DB | MIA Miami Dolphins | 173 games · 10 yrs as starter 86 career AV |
| 1997 | Freddie Jones |
North Carolina
ACC
|
TE | LAC San Diego Chargers | 123 games · 7 yrs as starter 26 career AV |
| 1997 | Joey Kent |
Tennessee
SEC
|
WR | TEN Tennessee Titans | 30 games 2 career AV |
| 1997 | Kevin Lockett |
Kansas State
Big 12
|
WR | KC Kansas City Chiefs | 86 games 15 career AV |
| 1997 | Adam Meadows |
Georgia
SEC
|
T | IND Indianapolis Colts | 106 games · 6 yrs as starter 51 career AV |
| 1997 | Torrian Gray |
Virginia Tech
ACC
|
DB | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 25 games 2 career AV |
| 1997 | Mike Logan |
West Virginia
Big 12
|
DB | JAX Jacksonville Jaguars | 116 games · 2 yrs as starter 19 career AV |
| 1997 | Greg Jones |
Colorado College
|
LB | WAS Washington Commanders | 82 games · 1 yrs as starter 16 career AV |
| 1997 | Marcellus Wiley 1× Pro Bowl |
Columbia
Ivy League
|
DE | BUF Buffalo Bills | 147 games · 5 yrs as starter 42 career AV |
| 1997 | Will Blackwell |
San Diego State
Mountain West
|
WR | PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 47 games 8 career AV |
| 1997 | Kevin Abrams |
Syracuse
ACC
|
DB | DET Detroit Lions | 32 games 7 career AV |
| 1997 | Marc Edwards |
Notre Dame
FBS Ind.
|
FB | SF San Francisco 49ers | 132 games · 7 yrs as starter 14 career AV |
| 1997 | Mike Minter |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
DB | CAR Carolina Panthers | 148 games · 9 yrs as starter 52 career AV |
| 1997 | James Darling |
Washington State
Pac-12
|
LB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 139 games · 4 yrs as starter 29 career AV |
| 1997 | Kim Herring |
Penn State
Big Ten
|
DB | BAL Baltimore Ravens | 98 games · 6 yrs as starter 34 career AV |
| 1997 | Brandon Mitchell |
Texas A&M
SEC
|
DE | NE New England Patriots | 96 games · 3 yrs as starter 22 career AV |
| 1997 | Darren Sharper 2× All-Pro 5× Pro Bowl |
William & Mary
CAA
|
DB | GB Green Bay Packers | 205 games · 12 yrs as starter 89 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 | Frank Middleton |
Arizona
Big 12
|
G | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 109 games · 6 yrs as starter 38 career AV |
| 1997 | Jay Graham |
Tennessee
SEC
|
RB | BAL Baltimore Ravens | 36 games 3 career AV |
| 1997 | Dexter Coakley 3× Pro Bowl | Appalachian St. | LB | DAL Dallas Cowboys | 155 games · 9 yrs as starter 65 career AV |
| 1997 | Ronde Barber HOF 3× All-Pro 5× Pro Bowl |
Virginia
ACC
|
DB | TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 241 games · 15 yrs as starter 109 career AV |
| 1997 | Dan Neil |
Texas
SEC
|
G | DEN Denver Broncos | 108 games · 7 yrs as starter 51 career AV |
| 1997 | Ryan Phillips |
Idaho
Big Sky
|
LB | NYG New York Giants | 71 games · 2 yrs as starter 19 career AV |
| 1997 | Bob Sapp |
Washington
Big Ten
|
G | CHI Chicago Bears | 1 games |
| 1997 | O.J. Santiago |
Kent State
MAC
|
TE | ATL Atlanta Falcons | 78 games · 4 yrs as starter 10 career AV |
| 1997 | Duce Staley |
South Carolina
SEC
|
RB | PHI Philadelphia Eagles | 114 games · 4 yrs as starter 52 career AV |
| 1997 | Adam Treu |
Nebraska
Big Ten
|
C | LV Oakland Raiders | 155 games · 3 yrs as starter 26 career AV |
| 1997 | Jason Taylor HOF 3× All-Pro 6× Pro Bowl |
Akron
MAC
|
DE | MIA Miami Dolphins | 233 games · 12 yrs as starter 118 career AV |
| 1997 | Michael Hamilton |
North Carolina A&T
CAA
|
LB | LAC San Diego Chargers | 37 games 3 career AV |
| 1997 | Denard Walker |
LSU
SEC
|
DB | TEN Tennessee Titans | 134 games · 6 yrs as starter 36 career AV |
| 1997 | Rod Payne |
Michigan
Big Ten
|
C | CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 6 games |
| 1997 | Greg Clark |
Stanford
ACC
|
TE | SF San Francisco 49ers | 55 games · 3 yrs as starter 9 career AV |
| 1997 | Stalin Colinet |
Boston College
ACC
|
DT | MIN Minnesota Vikings | 68 games · 2 yrs as starter 14 career AV |
| 1997 | James Hamilton |
North Carolina
ACC
|
LB | JAX Jacksonville Jaguars | 16 games 1 career AV |
| 1997 | Derek Smith |
Arizona State
Big 12
|
LB | WAS Washington Commanders | 174 games · 11 yrs as starter 59 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 — 4
- 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 4 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.