- The typical suspects prime the charts: Alabama and Georgia lead the pack with greater than 40 NFL draft alternatives every up to now 5 years.
- LSU cracks the highest 5: Even with out together with the 2020 NFL Draft, which included Joe Burrow and 13 different championship-winning prospects, the Tigers make the minimize.
- Subscribe to PFF+: Get entry to participant grades, PFF Premium Stats, fantasy soccer rankings, the entire PFF fantasy draft analysis instruments and extra!
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
NFL draft evaluators let you know to not scout the helmet, which means don’t choose a ebook (the participant) by its cowl (this system). But there’s something to say about powerhouse applications that constantly ship draftable prospects to the NFL.
Here are the highest 5 faculty applications over the previous 5 years in terms of what number of of their gamers have been drafted, and three prospects from every who may very well be on the way in which in 2026.
1. Georgia: 55
Georgia has served as an NFL minor league system over the previous 5 years, accounting for an astounding 55 draft picks since 2021. In that span, the Bulldogs personal the draft document for many gamers chosen from a college in a yr, with 15 in 2022, together with the No. 1 total choose, Travon Walker.
Head coach Kirby Smart has constructed an NFL manufacturing facility in Athens, and this yr is not any totally different. Linebacker CJ Allen, cornerback Daylen Everette and even switch extensive receiver Zachariah Branch are among the many workforce’s prime 2026 prospects. Allen was stable subsequent to Jalon Walker final season, incomes an 89.8 PFF run-defense grade as only a sophomore. Everette confirmed flashes of first-round capacity with a 73.3 PFF protection grade.
2. Alabama: 44
In 2021, Alabama tied with the 2004 Miami Hurricanes for essentially the most gamers drafted within the first spherical from a college in NFL historical past. Those six had been Jaylen Waddle, Pat Surtain II, DeVonta Smith, Mac Jones, Alex Leatherwood and Najee Harris.
Former five-star offensive deal with Kadyn Proctor leads the projected 2026 group, getting into his third yr because the Crimson Tide’s beginning left deal with. Edge defender LT Overton was draft-eligible final yr and will have been a top-50 choose after posting an 18.0% pass-rush win price with a 77.0 PFF pass-rush grade. Domani Jackson additionally brings nice dimension to the cornerback place. He earned only a 64.1 PFF protection grade final season however pressured seven incompletions, because of his 6-foot-1, 200-pound body.
3. Michigan: 42
Michigan has produced 42 NFL draft picks over the previous 5 years, with 13 approaching the heels of their nationwide championship season in 2024. Derrick Moore, their prime edge rusher, will probably be Michigan’s highest-ranked prospect on the PFF Big Board to begin the season. He earned an 86.5 PFF pass-rush grade and posted a formidable 23.4% pass-rush win price in 2024, the latter of which tied for the fifth-best mark amongst all FBS edge defenders.
The Wolverines even have former five-star operating again Justice Haynes, who posted 80.0-plus PFF speeding grades in every of the previous two seasons at Alabama, albeit on simply 106 complete carries. Rod Moore must be again and wholesome after lacking all of 2024 attributable to a torn ACL. He has the motion abilities to be one of many prime safeties within the class.
4. Ohio State: 40
Ohio State almost tied Georgia’s draft document for essentially the most picks from a college in 2025, with 14 Buckeyes coming off the board — only one wanting the Bulldogs’ mark set in 2022. It was the second time Ohio State produced 14 draft picks, as in addition they achieved the feat in 2002.
The Buckeyes would possibly simply have the No. 1 participant on the PFF Big Board to begin the season in security Caleb Downs, who has earned 85.0-plus PFF total grades in every of the previous two years for 2 applications (Alabama as a real freshman starter). Wide receiver Carnell Tate will now step into the WR2 function subsequent to Jeremiah Smith. Tate confirmed flashes of first-round expertise in 2024, producing an 81st-percentile separation price towards single protection.
Sonny Styles can also be an intriguing linebacker who may very well be a top-100 choose within the 2026 NFL Draft. His 6-foot-4 body makes him an imposing presence within the center. He recorded an 84.2 PFF run-defense grade in 2023 and owns two straight 70.0-plus PFF total grades.
5. LSU: 36
LSU’s 36 draft alternatives over the previous 5 years spherical out this checklist. The Tigers’ prime class, after all, got here after their nationwide championship-winning season within the 2020 NFL Draft, headlined by quarterback Joe Burrow, however that draft simply misses the minimize right here.
Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is their headliner this yr. He may have declared final season and may need been the second quarterback off the board after Cam Ward, because of a 79.4 PFF passing grade and 21 big-time throws in 2024.
Whit Weeks is an intriguing linebacker. At 6-foot-2 and 228 kilos, he’s a bit gentle for the NFL, however he performed the second-most defensive snaps of any LSU participant final yr (701) and earned a 78.7 PFF run-defense grade and a 76.7 PFF pass-rush grade.
Harold Perkins Jr., the Tigers’ defensive chess piece, can also be somebody to control. He’s a tweener participant between edge defender and off-ball linebacker, and he’s coming off a torn ACL. But he’s the type of athlete the NFL will at all times preserve its eye on. He earned a 90.9 PFF pass-rush grade as a real freshman in 2022, rating tied for the Twentieth-best mark amongst all FBS defenders.