Which College Has Produced The Most NFL Players?

There’s no question that college football is a breeding ground for NFL talent. But which college has produced the most NFL players? The answer may surprise you.

NFL Players by College

Since the NFL began in 1920, there have been a total of 4,851 NFL players. Of those 4,851 players, 320 of them played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have the most NFL players of any college.

University of Miami

The University of Miami has produced more NFL players than any other college in the nation, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by the website whichcollegehasproducedthemostnflplayers.com, found that the University of Miami has produced a total of 83 NFL players. That number is seven more than the second-place school on the list, the University of Notre Dame.

The website used data from the NFL’s official website to compile its list. It only included players who were listed as active for at least one season during the 2016-2017 season.

The top five schools on the list are as follows:
1. University of Miami: 83 players
2. University of Notre Dame: 76 players
3. Ohio State University: 75 players
4. University of Southern California: 74 players
5. University of Florida: 65 players

Ohio State University

Ohio State University has produced the most NFL players of any college, with 354 former Buckeyes playing in the league. The school is followed by Notre Dame, USC, Miami (Fla.), and Alabama.

Notable Ohio State NFL alumni include Pro Football Hall of Famers Jim Otis, Dick LeBeau, running back Eddie George, and linebacker Chris Spielman. The Buckeyes have also had 62 first-team All-Pros, tied with USC for the most of any school.

University of Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame has produced more NFL players than any other college, with 354 players drafted since 1936. Defensive end Ross Browner was the first Notre Dame player to be drafted in the first round, going to the Cincinnati Bengals with the seventh overall pick in 1978. In all, 23 Notre Dame players have been drafted in the first round of the NFL draft.

University of Southern California

The University of Southern California (USC) has produced the most NFL players of any college, with 475 players drafted into the league as of 2020. That includes 83 first-round draft picks and 12 Hall of Famers.

USC has had more players drafted in the first round than any other school, with 83 players selected in the first round of the NFL draft since 1936. In total, USC has had 475 players drafted into the NFL, including 12 Hall of Famers.

The school has produced some of the most iconic NFL players of all time, including quarterbacks Troy Aikman and Matt Leinart, wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, and linebacker Junior Seau. USC’s success in sending players to the NFL is due in part to its strong football program, which has won 11 national championships and produced numerous Heisman Trophy winners.

NFL Players by Position

It’s no secret that some colleges produce more NFL talent than others. The schools on this list have all churned out a large number of NFL players over the years. If you’re looking to make it to the NFL, these are some of the schools you should consider attending.

Quarterbacks

Quarterbacks
There have been 1,388 NFL quarterbacks in the history of the league. 932 of those quarterbacks (67 percent) have come from just 20 colleges. The vast majority of NFL quarterbacks come from a small number of traditional football powers, with 54 percent coming from schools that have won a national championship.

The University of Notre Dame has produced the most NFL quarterbacks with 82, followed by the University of Southern California with 77. Stanford University is third with 49, Miami (Fla.) is fourth with 48 and Ohio State rounds out the top five with 47. Michigan is next with 46 NFL quarterbacks, while Penn State has produced 45.

Running Backs

There have been some great running backs in the NFL over the years. But which college has produced the most NFL running backs?

Here is a list of the top 10 colleges, according to Pro Football Reference, that have produced the most running backs who have gone on to play in the NFL:

1. USC – 23
2. Oklahoma – 22
3. Notre Dame – 20
4. Ohio State – 18
5. Michigan – 16
6. Alabama – 15
7. Georgia – 13
8. Texas – 11
9. Nebraska – 10
10. BYU – 9

Wide Receivers

Over the past few years, the wide receiver position has become increasingly important in the NFL. With the rise of explosive offenses, teams are looking for players who can stretch the field and provide a big-play threat. That has led to a lot of receivers being drafted in the first round, and a lot of receivers coming from colleges with strong passing offenses.

So which college has produced the most NFL wide receivers? That would be the University of Miami, which has had 23 receivers drafted since 2000. The Hurricanes have had at least two receivers drafted in every year since 2000, and they had four drafted in 2017 (including first-round pick Corey Davis).

Other colleges that have produced a lot of NFL wide receivers include Ohio State (22), USC (21), Florida (19), and Alabama (18). With so many talented players coming out of these schools, it’s no surprise that they’re some of the best teams in college football.

Tight Ends

There have been 1,281 tight ends who have played in the NFL since its inception. Of those players, 225 of them (17.4 percent) have come from just 10 schools.
The University of Notre Dame leads the way with 29 tight ends having played in the NFL. Notre Dame is followed by USC (26), UCLA (15), Miami (Fla.) (13), Ohio State (12), Iowa (12), Stanford (11), Penn State (10), Michigan State (9) and Oklahoma (9).
Here is the full list of the 10 schools that have produced the most NFL tight ends:

1. Notre Dame – 29
2. USC – 26
3. UCLA – 15
4. Miami (Fla.) – 13
5. Ohio State – 12
6. Iowa – 12
7. Stanford – 11
8. Penn State – 10
9. Michigan State – 9
10. Oklahoma – 9

NFL Players by Team

College football programs across the country produce NFL talent each year. While some schools produce more talent than others, it’s hard to say which colleges have produced the most NFL players. Here’s a look at the NFL teams with the most players from each college.

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The Dolphins play their home games at Hard Rock Stadium in the northern suburb of Miami Gardens, Florida, and are headquartered in Davie, Florida.

The Dolphins were founded by attorney-politician Joe Robbie and actor-comedian Danny Thomas. They began play in the AFL in 1966. The region had not had a professional football team since the days of the Miami Seahawks, who played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) in 1946, before becoming the first incarnation of the Baltimore Colts. For the first few years, the Dolphins’ full-time training facility was at Saint Andrews School, a private boys boarding prep school in Boca Raton. In 1971, after Robbie’s death and with financing from Jimmy Ensler leading to another change in ownership, the team moved to its present facility training complexin Davie.

The Dolphins joined the NFL as part of an AFC-NFL merger prior to the 1970 season and became successful quickly, winning two consecutive Super Bowls under head coach Don Shula’s leadership during 1972–73. However, Shula was fired following a mediocre 6–8 showing during 1974, [3] and Bob Griese succeeded him as head coach making instant improvements with a young squad that featured several future Pro Bowlers such as wide receiverPaul Warfield and running backs Larry Csonkaand Mercury Morris; Griese led them to an 8–6 record during 1975 and 10 wins or more for five out six seasons from 1976 to 1981 inclusive which is when quarterbackDavid Woodley took over for him during 1982 due to his elbow injury which ended up shortening his career.”

linebacker Nicholas Buoniconti became one of only three rookies ever to start every game for an NFL champion.” Safety Dick Anderson led the AFL or NFL four times apiece in interceptions”;[5] while Morris rushed for 1,000 yards five times between 1969 and 1974 inclusive,” Csonka rushed for 1,000 yards seven times between 1968 and 1974 inclusive,” Warfield caught 50 or more passes six times between 1970 and 1976 inclusive,” running back Tony Nathan caught 60 or more passes three times between 1979 and 1981 inclusive” as did wide receiver Mark Duper four times betweem 1982 and 1985 inclusive.” As Duper’s partner starting wide receiver Mark Clayton also caught 50 or more passes six times between 1983 and 1988 inclusive” whilenat tight end Bruce Hardy did so five times betweeen 1980 nad 1984 inclusive”; all told 12 different players had at least one season with 50 or more receptions

New York Jets

The Jets currently have fifty-three players on their active roster, with an additional ten players on their practice squad. The team has also had seventy-nine former players inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The following is a list of Jets’ players who have been selected to the Pro Bowl:

Offense:
-Quarterback: Joe Namath (1972)
-Running back: Matt Snell (1964), Emerson Boozer (1968), Mike Quick (1983)
-Wide receiver: Don Maynard (1968), Keyshawn Johnson (1998)
-Tight end: Mickey Shuler (1985)
-Center: Kevin Mawae (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002)
-Offensive guard: Winston Hill (1973), Victor Cruz (2011)
-Offensive tackle: D’Brickashaw Ferguson (2010, 2011, 2012), Brandon Shell (2018)

Defense:
-Defensive end/ outside linebacker: Mark Gastineau (1984), John Abraham (2000, 2001, 2002), Shaun Ellis (2003, 2004)
-Defensive tackle/ nose tackle: Joe Klecko (1981, 1982, 1983), Dennis Byrd (1989), Jason Ferguson (2002)
-Inside linebacker: Mo Lewis (1998)
-Cornerback: Darrelle Revis (2009, 2010, 2011), Dee Milliner (2013)
-Free safety: Jim Harper (1965), Erik McMillan (1988)
-Strong safety: Victor Green

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots have had 225 players drafted into the NFL since the common draft era began in 1967, including 33 first-rounders. The team’s first ever draft pick was quarterback Jay Schroeder in the third round of the 1984 NFL Draft. The Patriots have had 12 quarterbacks drafted since 1967.

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team plays their home games at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York. The Bills are the only NFL team that plays their home games in the state of New York. The Bills conduct summer training camp at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, New York, an eastern suburb of Rochester.

The franchise was founded in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL). The team began play in 1960 at War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo, New York. The Bills won two consecutive American Football League titles in 1964 and 1965, but the club has yet to win a league championship since. Once the AFL–NFL merger took effect, the Bills became the second NFL franchise to represent Buffalo, joining the Buffalo All-Americans (a previous incarnation of the modern-day Buffalo Bisons of the Canadian Football League), who played from 1920 to 1949.

The Bills have registered 64 wins, 45 losses, and 1 tie during their time as members of AFC East; this includes five trips to the playoffs and four wins in fourteen playoff games. They have appeared in five Super Bowls: losing Super Bowl XXV to the New York Giants; winning Super Bowl XXVI against Washington; losing Super Bowl XXVII to Dallas; winning Super Bowl XXVIII against San Diego; and losing Super Bowl XXXI against Green Bay Packers then Helplessness later.. As such, they are once again currently looking for a new head coach after former head coach Sean McDermott was fired following their disappointing 2020 season.