Which colleges have produced the most draft picks in NFL history?
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The countdown to the 2025 NFL Draft has moved from weeks to days.
We’ve already rounded up which colleges have produced the most first overall picks, which college coaches boast the most first-round picks and which FBS coaches have produced the most all-time draft picks ahead of all the action.
Day 1 will commence on Thursday with Round 1 before Rounds 2 and 3 are held on Friday. The three-day event will come to a conclusion on Saturday with Rounds 4-7.
While some fans might tune out by Day 3 of the draft, there might be some history on the line this year. A pair of schools are only separated by three players for the honor of being the program that has produced the most draft picks in NFL history. Which schools are they? Here are the colleges that have produced the most NFL picks of all time.
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Top 10 colleges with the most draft picks in NFL history
In terms of college football history, Florida is one of the younger powers out there, as it’s the most recent first-time national champion. But the Gators have a long history of sending players to the NFL. Emmitt Smith is the most prominent, becoming one of two players in program history to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after the Dallas Cowboys took him with the 17th overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft. Jack Youngblood is the other, as he was the Los Angeles Rams‘ first-round pick in 1971. No Florida player has ever been taken No. 1 overall, with Paul Duhart being the highest-drafted ex-Gator; the Pittsburgh Steelers took him No. 2 overall in 1945.
9. LSU, 376
The Tigers are just one of many SEC programs that also seemingly double as a factory for NFL prospects. That has certainly been the case at wide receiver in recent years, with Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase and Odell Beckham Jr. arguably making LSU “Wide Receiver U.” Of course, they’ve had players at other positions be successful, too. Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels have turned into two of the best quarterbacks in the game after spending time in Baton Rouge, while the program has sent six players to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. What’s more, LSU has had four players in its program’s history get drafted first overall.
Somehow, Georgia has become even more of a force at sending talent to the NFL. The Bulldogs set the record for the most players selected from a program in a single draft class in 2023 with 15, which came on the heels of Georgia’s second consecutive national title. In between those two national championships, Travon Walker became the fifth player in Bulldogs history to be selected with the first overall pick. Matthew Stafford is among that group of five as the Super Bowl-winning quarterback will also look to join the list of Georgia players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday. That list is also currently at five, with Champ Bailey, Terrell Davis, Richard Seymour, Fran Tarkenton and Charley Trippi currently holding that honor.
A school located far away from the major cities in Pennsylvania has turned into a hotbed for NFL prospects over the years. Joe Paterno helped turn Penn State into one of the top schools in the country at developing players for the NFL over the years, coaching two of the six program’s Pro Football Hall of Famers (Franco Harris, Mike Munchak). The school has continued to produce some high-end NFL talent in recent years, too. Saquon Barkley and Micah Parsons are arguably two of the best players in the league after spending time in Happy Valley, as the school has had two players get drafted first overall.
Yet, another SEC school makes its way onto the list. No matter who the coach has been at Alabama, it has had a knack for developing future NFL players. Bear Bryant has coached the sixth-most players selected in the NFL Draft, with the majority of those picks coming from his Alabama years. No coach has produced more first-round picks than Nick Saban in NFL history, with the Crimson Tide tying the record for most first-round picks from a program in a single draft class in 2021 (six). The school has produced eight Hall of Famers over the years, including John Hannah, Joe Namath and Bart Starr. It has also had two players selected with the first overall pick, which seems like a low number when you consider that Bryce Young was the second player in program history to earn that honor in 2023.
The Maize and Blue have routinely sent players to the NFL as well. In fact, they could have four players selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft as Mason Graham, Colston Loveland, Will Johnson and Kenneth Grant vie for that honor. They’ll also hope to help expand Michigan’s list of players enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That number is currently at 11, which is the third-most for any school, but that doesn’t include Tom Brady, who will certainly be named a Hall of Famer when he’s eligible. Michigan has had two players selected with the first overall pick in program history, with Tom Harmon and Jake Long holding that honor.
Similar to the other programs on this list, many coaches have played a hand in helping Oklahoma become one of the best producers of NFL talent in the country. Barry Switzer coached future NFL stars such as Lee Roy Selmon and Billy Sims during his time in Norman. Bob Stoops coached Adrian Peterson and Trent Williams. Lincoln Riley arguably became the best quarterback developer in the country during his time at Oklahoma, helping Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts become draft picks. In all, the Sooners have sent five players to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and have had six players selected with the No. 1 overall pick in program history.
If LSU doesn’t hold the title of “Wide Receiver U,” then Ohio State does. The Buckeyes have sent Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Terry McLaurin, Marvin Harrison Jr., Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and others into the NFL and watched them have instant success in recent years. Beyond wide receivers, though, only two schools have been better at producing NFL talent in history than Ohio State. Its 10 Hall of Famers in program history are tied for the fourth-most, while three former Buckeyes have been taken with the first overall pick, including Hall of Famer Orlando Pace.
The Fighting Irish could threaten to take the all-time lead on this list when the 2025 NFL Draft ends, as they’ll likely have several players from their 2024 runner-up squad get drafted on Day 3. As we await the answer to that question, Notre Dame has already produced an impressive list of NFL talent. It has seen five of its former players get drafted first overall, while 14 of its former players became Hall of Famers.
1. USC, 523
One of Notre Dame’s top rivals holds a slight edge on this list ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. USC has produced the most No. 1 overall picks of any school, with the Chicago Bears‘ selection of Caleb Williams breaking a four-way tie in 2024, as he became the sixth former Trojan to earn that honor. There have also been 14 former USC players who’ve been named a Pro Football Hall of Famer, with Marcus Allen, Anthony Munoz, Troy Palamalu and Lynn Swann headlining that list.
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