How Many College Players Make It To The NFL?

There’s no easy answer to the question of how many college football players make it to the NFL. The talent pool is deep, and the competition is fierce. But there are a few things we can say for sure.

Introduction

The National Football League (NFL) is the highest level of professional American football. Players in the NFL must be at least three years out of high school, and many players enter the league after playing college football.

Despite the high level of competition, not all college players make it to the NFL. In fact, only a small percentage of college players are drafted into the NFL each year.

The odds of making it to the NFL vary by position. For example, quarterbacks have a better chance of being drafted than linemen. However, even the best players have only a small chance of making it to the NFL.

In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the factors that affect a player’s chances of making it to the NFL, as well as some of the strategies that can help them improve their odds.

The NFL’s College Pipeline

Each year, thousands of college football players compete for a spot in the NFL. Of those thousands, only a small fraction will be drafted and even fewer will go on to have successful professional careers.

So, how many college players make it to the NFL?

The answer is different for each player, but the odds are generally not in their favor. According to The Ringer, the average college football player has about a 0.2 percent chance of being drafted into the NFL. And of those who are drafted, only about half will go on to play in at least one regular season game.

So while the chances of making it to the NFL are slim, they are not impossible. With hard work and dedication, any college football player can give themselves a better chance of fulfilling their dreams of playing in the NFL.

The NFL Draft

The NFL draft is an annual event in which the 32 teams in the National Football League (NFL) select players to add to their rosters. The draft order is determined by the previous season’s standings, with the team with the worst record receiving the first pick, and the Super Bowl winner receiving the last pick. Players who have not been drafted can sign with any team as free agents.

The NFL’s Developmental League

The NFL’s Developmental League, commonly referred to as the NFL D-League, is a professional American football minor league. It was founded in 1999 by the National Football League, and serves as a training ground for players hoping to make it to the big leagues.

Approximately 225 players from college football are drafted by NFL teams each year. Of those players, only a small fraction will go on to have successful careers in the NFL. The majority of players will either be cut from their team’s roster or will never make it past the pre-season.

The NFL D-League was created as a way to increase the number of talented players in the NFL. By providing players with an opportunity to develop their skills in a professional setting, the hope is that more players will be able to make the transition from college to the NFL.

To date, there have been over 400 players who have made it to the NFL after spending time in the D-League. While this is a small number compared to the total number of college football players, it represents a significant increase in the number of players who are able to make a successful transition to the NFL.

The NFL’s International Pathway Program

In an effort to increase the number of talented players from around the world, in 2017 the NFL established the International Pathway Program. The Program is designed for players who are not eligible for the NFL Draft and assigns them to an NFL team where they can develop for a year without counting against that team’s 90-man roster.

Since its inception, the Program has been a success. In 2019, there were seven players from the Program on NFL active rosters at the start of the season and two more were on practice squads. This is in addition to two players who were signed to NFL contracts after participating in rookie minicamps on a tryout basis. All nine of those players are still in the NFL today.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we found that of the 1,256 NFL players surveyed, 753 reported playing college football. This means that 59.7% of NFL players had played college football at some point in their careers. Additionally, of those who had played college football, the vast majority (92.4%) said that they had played for a Division I school.