NFL: Which college has produced the most NFL draft picks of all time?
The college that has produced the most draft picks this century (since 2000) is Ohio State. The famed college has sent 141 talents to the big leagues via the NFL Draft, including 31 first-rounders.
To give you an idea of the kind of football program they run down in Ohio -- last year's Defensive Rookie of the Year, Chase Young, Jeff Okudah, and Damon Arnette were all taken off the board by NFL franchise teams in the very first round of the 2020 draft.
Nothing much has changed this year: the prestigious university will be sending ten of DraftWire's top 300 prospects to this year's event, taking place from next Thursday, April 29.
The former Buckeyes expected to be selected in the draft include QB Justin Fields; C Josh Myers; LB Baron Browning; DT Tommy Togiai; RB Trey Sermon and LB Pete Werner, among others.
The Buckeyes have seen a conveyor belt of talent go on to join the ranks of the storied teams in the NFL. But the all-time honor of having produced the most draft picks to go on to play in the league is not Ohio's... and it's not Alabama's either (I know, right! I thought so, too!).
So, which college is it?
Which college has produced the most NFL draft picks in the history of football?
According to DraftHistory, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have the honor of being the team that's produced the most draft picks in the history of grid-iron football.
Notre Dame has sent 511 players to the NFL since the institution's inception in 1887! That was before L.A. Rams OT Andrew Whitworth was even born!
With such a long and illustrious history, you won't be surprised to learn that Notre Dame's college football program has produced some of the best players to ever don the cleats in the NFL, too.
Five former No.1 overall picks learned their trade in the trenches with the Fighting Irish, placing the famed university in joint first on the all-time list. Walt Patulski (1972), Paul Hornung (1957), Leon Hart (1950), Frank Dancewicz (1946), and Angelo Bertelli (1944).
Four-time Super Bowl champion and 49ers legend Joe Montana, as well as Steelers Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis, are among the program's notable alumni, too.
But wait, there's a tie at the top of the list! Two teams have sent precisely 511 rookie talents to the NFL over the years...
Which other college team has produced the most draft picks of all time?
The University of Southern California is the other team to have sent 511 total graduates onto the NFL, tying them in first-place with Notre Dame fighting Irish.
Players of the caliber of Clay Matthews Sr., Clay Matthews ll, Troy Polamalu, Junior Seau, Marcus Allen, Ronnie Lott and several other high-profile players plied their trade with the Trojans before making the leap to the NFL.
The USC Trojans have also had five No.1 overall picks selected from their ranks: Carson Palmer (2003), Keyshawn Johnson (1996), Ricky Bell (1977), O.J. Simpson (1969), and Ron Yary (1968).