The Highest Draft Picks in WVU Football History
With a winning football program comes great football players, which is what the Mountaineers have been able to produce over the years with countless numbers of players taken in the NFL Draft throughout it's history.
West Virginia has been able to produce 12 first rounders in the draft since the beginning roots of the program began in 1936.
Dick Leftridge | FB | Pittsburgh Steelers | 3rd overall in 1966
The Hinton, West Virginia native played college ball up the road from his hometown and was the first African American to play football at West Virginia from 1963 until 1965. His career statistics as a fullback for the Mountaineers saw him take 348 carries for 1,671 yards and three touchdowns.
Leftridge was drafted by the Steelers with the third overall pick of the 1966 NFL Draft but only played in three total games in Pittsburgh while running for only 17 total yards. The native West Virginian is considered one of the worst draft picks in Steelers history.
Joe Stydahar | OT | Chicago Bears | 6th overall in 1936
Known as having "one of the largest pairs of hands in the business" while in college, Stydahar spent three years in Morgantown from 1933 until 1935. The offensive tackle was ignored by most big time sports outlets but earned recognition on an All-American team selected by New York Giants players.
Stydahar was selected by the Chicago Bears in the 1936 NFL Draft with the sixth overall pick in the first round. After one year in the league, the former Mountaineer helped lead Chicago to the NFL Western Division title with a 9-1-1 mark as well as being recognized on the Associated Press All-Pro team.
When Stydahar finally called it quits in 1946, he was recognized as one of the "toughest" tackles in the league and was named as the "league's best tackle" and "one of the toughest linemen in the league to take out," by United Press. He was also selected as a first team All-Pro five years in a row from 1936 to 1940.
Joe Marconi | RB | Los Angeles Rams | 6th overall in 1956
As a Mountaineer in the 1950's, Marconi was used on the defensive side of the football as well as a running back where he racked up 998 career yards and 18 touchdowns. He was then the first overall pick by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1956 NFL draft.
Marconi was a solid NFL player as the running back accumulated 1,796 yards and 21 touchdowns through six seasons with Los Angeles before being traded to the Bears in 1962. Marconi's career numbers in the league included rushing for 2,771 yards and collecting 30 touchdowns in the process.
Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones | CB | Tennessee Titans | 6th overall in 2005
Jones was one of West Virginia’s top returners in school history after registering 1,475 total yards on kickoffs and punts. His 2003 season was one in which Jones started nine games at cornerback as well as taking over full time as a kickoff and punt returner when he was named a second team All-Big East Conference Selection with 89 tackles and four interceptions.
His junior campaign saw Jones lead the team in tackles and interceptions and was also named to the first team All-Big East as a defensive back and an honorable mention All-American.
The returner ranks second on the Mountaineers kickoff return yardage list with 1,475 yards and 11 on the school’s career punt return yardage list with 404 yards.
Jones was then selected by the Tennessee Titans in 2005 where he played until 2007. He was then traded to the Dallas Cowboys on April 23, 2008 before making a one-year stint with the Canadian Football league Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2009. The returner then signed a two-year contract with the Bengals on May 10, 2010 before signing with the Denver Broncos on August 26, 2018. Jones recently retired on May 24, 2019.
Chuck Howley | OL | Chicago Bears | 7th overall in 1958
Howley started at guard and center for West Virginia where he played in the East-West Shrine game as well as the Senior Bowl which helped the Wheeling, West Virginia native get seen by the Chicago Bears.
The Bears drafted him with the seventh overall selection in the 1985 NFL draft. Howley's NFL career took him to the Dallas Cowboys from 1960-1973 as well where he played linebacker.
Howley's career statistics are impressive as the linebacker recorded 25 interceptions and a pair of touchdowns.
Brian Jozwiak | OL | Kansas City Chiefs | 7th overall in 1986
Jozwiak played on the offensive line for the Mountaineers under legendary head coach Don Nehlen. The lineman was named the sixth ever Mountaineer consensus All-American as well as a second team All-American by the Associated Press in 1983.
The lineman was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs with the seventh overall pick of the 1986 draft. Jozwiak spent three seasons in the league where he started only three games for Kansas City.
Kevin White | WR | Chicago Bears | 7th overall in 2015
White was drafted in the first round with the seventh overall selection of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. Before being drafted by the Bears, the Plainfield, New Jersey native picked West Virginia to play out his college career following a two-year stint at Lackawanna College.
While playing with quarterback Clint Trickett in Morgantown, White played in 10 games his junior season while racking in 35 receptions for 507 yards and five touchdowns. His senior season became his breakout year where he hauled in 109 receptions for a monstrous 1,447 yards and doubling his touchdown mark for a total of 10 scores on the year.
Through his time in the gold and blue, White was named to the All-Big 12 first team in 2014 as well as a second team AP All American in the same year.
After being drafted by the Bears in 2015, White signed a one-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals before being released on August 21, 2019. He has since been released and is now a free agent.
Tavon Austin | WR | St. Louis Rams | 8th overall in 2013
Known in Morgantown as Tavon 'Awesome' Austin, the Mountaineer picked to play at West Virginia in 2013 until his senior season in 2017. Austin was also known for his stellar kick returning for the Mountaineers as he racked up 433 yards of returns for a lone touchdown in his senior season.
The Baltimore, Maryland native has been a solid NFL player over the last seven seasons with the Rams and the Cowboys after being drafted with the eighth overall pick in the 2013 draft.
Austin has been able to bring in 214 catches for 2,005 receiving yards and 28 total touchdowns. What has made Austin so special is his elusiveness from different positions on the field including running the ball as well as returning kickoffs and punts.
Renaldo Turnbull | LB | New Orleans Saints | 14th overall in 1990
Turnbull is remembered in Morgantown as one of the best pass rushers in Mountaineer history from 1987-89. Through his entire college career, Turnbull made 153 tackles including a career high 11 tackles for a loss during his senior campaign.
The linebacker was selected in the first round with the 14th overall pick of the 1990 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. Turnbull's career numbers include playing in 120 games over eight seasons while sacking the quarterback 45.5 times and making 97 solo tackles.
Karl Joseph | S | Oakland Raiders | 14th overall in 2016
The recently signed Cleveland Brown was originally drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 2016 with the 14th pick where he stayed for three seasons. Joseph’s stay in Oakland saw him record 236 total tackles while also going for three sacks and four interceptions.
The Mountaineer was a fan favorite in Morgantown from 2012 until 2015 where Joseph began his career as a freshman while making 104 tackles, a pair of interceptions and one sack. Joseph started every single game through his junior season before suffering a season ending knee injury his senior season.
Joseph’s career statistics at West Virginia included nine total interceptions while also making 208 solo tackles and a pair of sacks.
Bruce Irvin | DE | Seattle Seahawks | 15th overall in 2012
Irvin was selected by Seattle with the 15th overall selection in the 2012 draft after spending two seasons with the Mountaineers. While in Morgantown, the Atlanta native was a great run stopper and was always there to provide pressure on the quarterback.
The defensive lineman took down opposing quarterbacks 22.5 times and also recorded 62 tackles. He was named a second team All-Big East selection.
After stuffing offensive fronts for two seasons in college, Irvin was drafted by the Seahawks in 2012 where he played until 2015 before the Oakland Raiders signed Irvin to a four-year, $37 million contract. Irvin then signed with a one-year contract for the Atlanta Falcons on November 7, 2018 before going to the Panthers in 2019 and making his way back to Seattle again on March 18, 2020.
The Mountaineers have had a number of great players make stops in Morgantown over the years who have made names for themselves in the NFL as well. These are just a few of the many Mountaineers who have done just that.