There are certain college programs known as NFL factories. teams like our Lady, USCOhio State and Alabama come to mind, to name just a few of the blue bloods that attract and develop some of the best talent to play at the next level.
More so, there are programs that seem to produce 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 develop to play in big stadiums on Sundays (and Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays in the winter). These are the two defining characteristics that seem to attract top high school prospects every year.
But it’s not just about that. A program needs to develop that talent on and off the field so that NFL teams see a player as someone they want to give big money to. Being an NFL first draft pick is a very, very select group that no one can take away from you.
So which college programs have been the best for achieving this? Which of the blue bloods attracts and develops talent that ends up hearing their names called in the first round of all the shenanigans known as the NFL Draft.
Here is a ranking of the top 25 college programs and how they rank for getting players into the first round. As usual, we start at #25 and work our way down to #1. We get our data from Wikipedia.
No. 25 (tie) – Stanford Cardinal
November 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
Number 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
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
25
No. 25 (tie) – North Carolina Tarheels
October 30, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; A detailed view of a North Carolina Tar Heels football helmet during the warm up before the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
25
#24 – Arizona State Sun Devils
April 13, 2018; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of the Arizona State Sun Devils helmets on the field during the team’s spring game at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas – USA TODAY Sports
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
26
No. 22 (tie) – Washington Huskies
November 23, 2018; Pullman, Washington, USA; The Washington Huskies helmet sits during a second half football game against the Washington State Cougars at Martin Stadium. The Huskies won 28-15. Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
27
No. 22 (tie) – California Bears
November 3, 2018; Pullman, Washington, USA; The California Golden Bears helmet sits during a second half football game against the Washington State Cougars at Martin Stadium. The Cougars won 19-13. Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
27
No. 21 – Wisconsin Badgers
November 9, 2019; Madison, Wis., USA; A Wisconsin Badgers helmet during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Stadium. Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
30
No. 20 – Auburn Tigers
Auburn Tigers helmet on the sidelines during A-Day spring training at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama on Saturday, April 9, 2022. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
32
No. 19 – Nebraska Cornhuskers
October 6, 2018; Madison, Wis., 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
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
34
No. 18 – Texas A&M Aggies
October 23, 2021; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies helmet on the sidelines during the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Kyle Field. Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
35
No. 16 (tie) – UCLA Bruins
September 25, 2014; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Detail view of the UCLA Bruins helmets on the sidelines against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas – USA TODAY Sports
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
36
No. 16 (tie) – Michigan State Spartans
19 November 2011; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartan helmet on the sidelines 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
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
36
No. 15 – Clemson Tigers
The Clemson football helmet near the Fiesta Bowl trophy during the coaches press conference in Scottsdale, Arizona on Friday, December 27, 2019. Credit: USA TODAY Sports Network
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
37
No. 13 (tie) – Penn State Nittany Lions
November 16, 2013; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; General view of a Penn State Nittany Lions helmet before the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Beaver Stadium. Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
39
No. 13 (tie) – Georgia Bulldogs
December 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
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
39
No. 11 (tie) – Texas Longhorns
November 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
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
45
No. 11 (tie) – Florida State Seminoles
September 8, 2018; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; The Florida State Seminoles had a special sticker on their helmets to honor former FSU player Burt Reynolds who died last week. The Florida State Seminoles host the Samford Bulldogs at Doak Campbell Stadium. Credit: Glenn Beil-USA TODAY Sports
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
45
No. 10 – Tennessee Volunteers
November 23, 2019; Columbia, Missouri, 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
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
46
No. 8 (tie) – Michigan Wolverines
November 18, 2017; Madison, Wis., USA; A Michigan Wolverines helmet during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
48
No. 8 (tie) – LSU Tigers
October 6, 2018; Gainesville, Florida, USA; A detailed view of the LSU Tigers vs Florida Gators football helmets during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Credit: Kim Klement – USA TODAY Sports
Number 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, September 25, 2021. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
49
No. 6 – Florida Gators
November 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
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
56
#5 – Miami Hurricanes (FL)
October 30, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; The Miami Hurricanes helmets out against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the third quarter at Heinz Field. Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
67
No. 4 – Notre Dame Fighting Irish
January 1, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detail view of an Irish Notre Dame Fighting helmet in gold during the 2022 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas – USA TODAY Sports
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
69
No. 3 – Alabama Crimson Tide
Jul 18, 2018; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; An Alabama Crimson Tide helmet is shown on the main stage during SEC Football Media Day at the College Football Hall of Fame. Credit: Dale Zanine – USA TODAY Sports
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
74
#2 – USC Trojans
December 29, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; General overview of the 2017 Cotton Bowl logo on the back of the helmet of Southern California Trojans long snapper Jake Olson at AT&T Stadium. Credit: Kirby Lee – USA TODAY Sports
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
83
No. 1 – Ohio State Buckeyes
Sat 1 Jan 2022; Pasadena, California, USA; A special pink helmet strip adorns Thayer Munford’s helmet before the start of the 108th Rose Bowl Game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Utah Utes at the Rose Bowl. Credit: USA TODAY Sports Network
Number of first-round NFL draft picks
85
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