Only Three Major College Football Programs Have Produced 500 NFL Draft Picks

These three college football programs are the only ones that have produced over 500 NFL draft picks.

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (4) celebrates after getting a first down in the first half of a NCAA football game against Southern California at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2026 NFL draft begins on Thursday at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The second and third rounds will be held on Friday night, and the final four rounds will commence on Saturday afternoon.

The transition of yesterday's college football stars into their NFL careers is a selling point that college football programs look to impart on future prospects. Some programs are simply looking to prove they can produce top-tier NFL talent this year, while others are looking to add to their long lists of picks in the NFL draft's 91-year history.

Ahead of the draft, Cody Nagel of CBS Sports compiled a list of the college football programs that have produced the most picks in the draft's history. Nagel's list revealed that only three programs have produced over 500 picks all-time.

Notre Dame

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (4) | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Fighting Irish were the top program featured on Nagel's list with 538 total draft picks. Pro Football Hall of Famers from all different iterations of the NFL have played for Notre Dame; halfback Paul Hornung (1957) and wide receiver Tim Brown (1988) were both selected in the first round shortly after their Heisman Trophy campaigns.

Quarterback Joe Montana (1979) and running back Jerome Bettis Sr. (1993) are among the most notable draft choices from Notre Dame to turn in Hall of Fame careers.

Notre Dame will undoubtedly produce a first-round pick in running back Jeremiyah Love in the 2026 draft, although his position in the first round is up for debate.

There are a handful of other prospects the Fighting Irish will see drafted in 2026, but the amount of returning talent for next season should make this a quieter draft.

USC

Five picks behind Notre Dame is USC with 533 over the course of the draft's history. The Trojans have seen two running backs selected who won a Heisman Trophy and were enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame: O.J. Simpson (1969) and Marcus Allen (1982). USC has produced six No. 1 overall picks, adding quarterback Caleb Williams to that number in 2024.

Former USC wide receiver and Biletnikoff Award winner Makai Lemon is projected into the first round this year, and the Trojans are likely to see another wide receiver taken later in Ja'Kobi Lane. Defensively, defensive backs Kamari Ramsey and Bishop Fitzgerald, along with defensive end Anthony Lucas, could all be selected in the other two days of the draft.

Ohio State

Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese (8) and linebacker Sonny Styles (0) tackle Penn State Nittany Lions running back Nicholas Singleton (10) in the second half of the college football game at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Buckeyes are 30 picks behind USC all-time, sitting at 503 ahead of the 2026 NFL draft. Ohio State has produced three total No. 1 overall picks, the last of which was offensive tackle Orlando Pace in 1997. Pace was enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame in 2016.

Ohio State is expected to dominate the first round of the 2026 NFL draft. Wide receiver Carnell Tate, defensive end Arvell Reese, linebacker Sonny Styles and safety Caleb Downs could all find their way into the top 10 picks on Thursday and defensive tackle Kayden McDonald is trending as a later selection in the first round.