Most first round NFL draft picks ranked by college
There are certain college programs out there that are known as NFL factories. Teams like Notre Dame, USC, Ohio State, and Alabama come to mind, just to name a few of the blue bloods that attract and develop some of the best talent that plays at the next level.
Even more than that, there are programs that seem to churn out the best of the best as first-round NFL draft picks. But the divide is great. Kids these days want to play for a national title and be developed in such a way that will result in playing in some big ‘ole stadiums on Sundays (and Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays in winter). Those are the two defining characteristics that seem to attract the top high school prospects on a yearly basis.
But it’s not just about that. A program has to develop that talent on and off the field so that NFL teams see a player as someone it wants to throw a lot of money at. Being a first-round NFL draft pick is a very, very select group that nobody can take away from you.
So what college programs have been the best at getting that done? Which of the blue bloods attract and develop talent that ends up hearing their names called in the first round of all the shenanigans that is known as the NFL draft.
Here’s a ranking of the top 25 college programs and how they rank at making players go in the first round. As usual, we start at No. 25 and work our way down to the top spot. We take our data from Winsipedia.
No. 25 (tie) – Stanford Cardinal
Nov 20, 2021; Stanford, California, USA; General view of the Stanford Cardinal helmet during the third quarter against the California Golden Bears at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
25
No. 25 (tie) – Pittsburgh Panthers
Sep 25, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A Pittsburgh Panthers helmet sits on the sidelines against the New Hampshire Wildcats during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
25
No. 25 (tie) – North Carolina Tarheels
Oct 30, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; A detailed view of a North Carolina Tar Heels football helmet during warmups before the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
25
No. 24 – Arizona State Sun Devils
Apr 13, 2018; Tempe, AZ, USA; Detailed view of Arizona State Sun Devils helmets on the field during the team’s spring game scrimmage at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
26
No. 22 (tie) – Washington Huskies
Nov 23, 2018; Pullman, WA, USA; Washington Huskies helmet sits during a football game against the Washington State Cougars in the second half at Martin Stadium. The Huskies won 28-15. Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
27
No. 22 (tie) – California Bears
Nov 3, 2018; Pullman, WA, USA; California Golden Bears helmet sits during a football game against the Washington State Cougars in the second half at Martin Stadium. The Cougars won 19-13. Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
27
No. 21 – Wisconsin Badgers
Nov 9, 2019; Madison, WI, USA; A Wisconsin Badgers helmet during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Stadium. Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
30
No. 20 – Auburn Tigers
Auburn Tigers helmet on the sideline during the A-Day spring practice at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, April 9, 2022. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
32
No. 19 – Nebraska Cornhuskers
Oct 6, 2018; Madison, WI, USA; A Nebraska Cornhuskers helmet sits on the sidelines during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
34
No. 18 – Texas A&M Aggies
Oct 23, 2021; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies helmet on the sideline during the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Kyle Field. Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
35
No. 16 (tie) – UCLA Bruins
Sep 25, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Detailed view of UCLA Bruins helmets on the sidelines against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
36
No. 16 (tie) – Michigan State Spartans
November 19, 2011; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartan helmet on the sideline during the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Spartan Stadium. Michigan State won 55-3 to clinch the Legends division of the Big Ten. Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
36
No. 15 – Clemson Tigers
The Clemson football helmet near the Fiesta Bowl trophy at the coaches’ press conference in Scottsdale, Arizona Friday, December 27, 2019. Credit: USA TODAY Sports Network
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
37
No. 13 (tie) – Penn State Nittany Lions
Nov 16, 2013; University Park, PA, USA; General view of a Penn State Nittany Lions helmet prior to the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Beaver Stadium. Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
39
No. 13 (tie) – Georgia Bulldogs
Dec 12, 2020; Columbia, Missouri, USA; A detailed view of a Georgia Bulldogs helmet during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
39
No. 11 (tie) – Texas Longhorns
Nov 10, 2018; Lubbock, TX, USA; A Texas Longhorns helmet on the sidelines during the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium. Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
45
No. 11 (tie) – Florida State Seminoles
Sep 8, 2018; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles had a special sticker on their helmets to honor former FSU player Burt Reynolds who died this past week. The Florida State Seminoles host the Samford Bulldogs at Doak Campbell Stadium. Credit: Glenn Beil-USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
45
No. 10 – Tennessee Volunteers
Nov 23, 2019; Columbia, MO, USA; A general view of a Tennessee Volunteers helmet during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field. Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
46
No. 8 (tie) – Michigan Wolverines
Nov 18, 2017; Madison, WI, USA; An Michigan Wolverines helmet during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
48
No. 8 (tie) – LSU Tigers
Oct 6, 2018; Gainesville, FL, USA; A detailed view of LSU Tigers football helmets against the Florida Gators during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
48
No. 7 – Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma helmets are seen before a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the West Virginia Mountaineers at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
49
No. 6 – Florida Gators
Nov 20, 2021; Columbia, Missouri, USA; A general view of a Florida Gators helmet against the Missouri Tigers during the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
56
No. 5 – Miami (FL) Hurricanes
Oct 30, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Hurricanes helmets sit on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the third quarter at Heinz Field. Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
67
No. 4 – Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Jan 1, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of a gold Notre Dame Fighting Irish helmet during the 2022 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
No. of first-round NFL draft picks
69
No. 3 – Alabama Crimson Tide
Jul 18, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; An Alabama Crimson Tide helmet is shown on the main stage during…
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