Which college coaches have produced the most draft picks in NFL history?

The 2025 NFL Draft is just over a week away, with 257 players set to see their dreams become reality. Of course, they wouldn’t have gotten there without some help, as strong support systems help mold NFL players.

College football head coaches play a strong role in those support systems. Until the emergence of the transfer portal in recent years, the vast majority of NFL players only played for one college coach, who often served as one of the most influential figures for them before they became pros. 

Over the years, there have been some college head coaches who have done as strong of a job as possible to shape their players into becoming top NFL prospects. Which college head coaching icons have been the best at doing that? 

Here’s a look at the top 10 coaches who have produced the most draft picks in NFL history. 

College coaches who have produced the most NFL draft picks

T-10. John McKay – 113

McKay turned USC into one of college football’s powerhouses in the 1960s and 1970s, winning four national championships over his 16 seasons as head coach. Running back OJ Simpson and wide receiver Lynn Swan are the most notable players McKay coached over his time at USC, with the former being drafted first overall by the Buffalo Bills in 1969. Swann was a first-round pick in the 1974 NFL Draft, with the Pittsburgh Steelers adding him as he helped them win four Super Bowl titles. Along with offensive tackle Ron Yary, Simpson and Swann make up the three players who are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and were coached by McKay.

T-10. Johnny Majors – 113

Majors is one of the few coaches on this list who has coached future NFL players at three or more schools. While he had a losing record during his five-year stint at Iowa State, he coached a handful of NFL players during his time in Ames, including six-time Pro Bowl linebacker Matt Blair. During his time at Pitt, Majors most notably coached running back Tony Dorsett, who was the second overall pick in 1977 after winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the Panthers to a national title in 1976. He coached Reggie White during his tenure at Tennessee, with former Pro Bowl defensive backs Terry McDaniel and Dale Carter also among the group of NFL players coached by Majors in Knoxville. 

9. Mack Brown – 119

Many fans will likely associate Brown with his time at Texas. During his time in Austin, Brown coached 14 future Pro Bowlers, such as Ricky Williams and Vince Young. Offensive tackle Leonard Davis was drafted the highest among Brown’s former players at Texas, being selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the second overall pick in 2001, but Brown also sent plenty of players into the NFL from his time at North Carolina as well. Drake Maye and Josh Downs are just two of the dozens of former Tar Heels coached by Brown who have made it to the NFL. 

8. Bo Schembechler – 127

As Shembechler built a Big Ten powerhouse over his 21 seasons as Michigan‘s head coach, he also coached talent that went on to play in the NFL. Longtime offensive tackle Dan Dierdorff was the only Pro Football Hall of Famer of the group, but a handful of Schembechler’s former players became first-round picks, including Jim Harbaugh and Desmond Howard. 

7. Lou Holtz – 129

Holtz coached future NFL stars at three of his four stops as a college football head coach. Defensive tackle Dan Hampton, who Holtz coached at Arkansas, went on to become a four-time Pro Bowler who helped the Chicago Bears win a Super Bowl. Edge rusher John Abraham, who played under Holtz at South Carolina, was one of the NFL’s best pass rushers in the early-to-mid 2000s, with five Pro Bowl nods. Wide receiver Tim Brown, though, is the most notable player who was coached by Holtz in college, becoming a Hall of Famer after his time at Notre Dame. 

6. Bear Bryant – 130

Understandably, many connect Bryant to Alabama, but before he coached the Crimson Tide, Bryant coached Heisman winner and three-time NFL All-Pro running back John David Crow at Texas A&M. During his time at Alabama, Bryant coached five future Pro Football Hall of Famers, including quarterbacks Joe Namath and Ken Stabler. Namath was actually drafted by the then-St. Louis Cardinals with the 12th pick in the 1965 NFL Draft and by the New York Jets with the No. 1 overall pick in the AFL Draft that same year, opting to play for the latter.

5. Woody Hayes – 164

On top of winning five championships at Ohio State, Hayes coached a bunch of Buckeyes who went on to play in the NFL. Thirty of his players at Ohio State went on to become first-round picks. Three of his former players also became Pro Football Hall of Famers, with Jim Parker, Paul Warfield and Dick LeBeau earning those honors. 

4. Tom Osborne – 168

Just as Hayes did in Columbus, Osborne made Lincoln, Nebraska, a top spot for college football and a breeding ground for future NFL players. Nineteen of Osborne’s former players at Nebraska were first-round picks in the NFL Draft. In 1984, the first two picks of the draft were both Cornhuskers, with the New England Patriots selecting Irving Fryar at No. 1 and the Houston Oilers taking Dean Steinkuhler at No. 2. Seven years later, former Nebraska stars Bruce Pickens and Mike Croel were selected in the first four picks of the draft. Will Shields is the only player coached by Osborne that’s been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

3. Nick Saban – 173

Arguably no coach has been better at developing NFL talent in recent years than Saban. The longtime Alabama head coach saw 44 of his former Crimson Tide players become first-round picks (excluding those who transferred out), with Jihaad Campbell, Tyler Booker and Jalen Milroe vying to make that number larger this year. Twenty-five of the players Saban coached at Alabama went on to become Pro Bowlers. Of course, Saban had stops at Toledo, Michigan State and LSU as well. Muhsin Muhammad and Plaxico Burress were among the future NFL players he coached in East Lansing, while Andrew Whitworth and Kyle Williams were the top standouts that Saban coached in Baton Rouge. 

2. Bobby Bowden – 184

Deion Sanders will soon be able to claim that he coached at least one future first-round pick, if not two, but he has a long way to go to match the number of NFL draft picks that his college coach had. Bowden coached 35 first-round picks during his illustrious tenure at Florida State, including Sanders, who was one of Bowden’s four former Seminoles players to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

1. Joe Paterno – 251

Year after year, Paterno produced NFL talent during his 56-season stint as Penn State‘s head coach. He had a total of 33 players become first-round picks, including LaVar Arrington, Paul Posluszny and Tamba Hali later in his career. Three of the players he coached became Hall of Famers, as Jack Ham and Franco Harris were huge parts of the Steelers’ dynasty in the 1970s. Mike Munchak was the other Hall of Famer Paterno coached, while Ki-Jana Carter and Courtney Brown were the only Nittany Lions to be taken with the first overall pick. 

Check out all of our Daily Rankers.

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!

---

---

This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.