Which college coaches have the most first-round NFL draft picks of all time?

Fox Sports

17-04-2025

When recruits are picking where they want to play college football, the vast majority of them prioritize which program will give them the best path to the NFL.
Many coaches have been able to help fulfill those dreams, but a select few have been elite at getting their players drafted in the first round over the years. Entering the 2025 NFL Draft, eleven college football head coaches have at least 20 players selected in the first round.
Georgia's Kirby Smart and Ohio State's Ryan Day could join that list soon. Smart has seen 16 of his Bulldogs get selected in Round 1 since he became their head coach in 2016, with linebacker Jalon Walker, edge rusher and safety Malaki Starks being viewed as potential first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Day, meanwhile, has coached 10 first-round picks since becoming Ohio State's head coach in 2019, with offensive tackle Josh Simmons, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, offensive lineman Donovan Jackson, edge rusher JT Tuimoloau, defensive tackle Tyleik Williams and running back TreVeyon Henderson each being featured as first-round picks ahead of this year's draft.
For now, Smart and Day are on the outside looking in. Here are the top 10 coaches at producing first-round picks. Top 10 coaches who've coached most first-round NFL picks T-9. Tom Osborne: 20
As Osborne turned Nebraska into a powerhouse during his 25-year stint (1973-97), he coached a lot of first-round talent over the years. Wide receiver Irving Fryar was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1984 NFL Draft and one of seven players that was a top-five pick that Osborne coached at Nebraska. Neil Smith was arguably the best off the bench, with the defensive end recording six Pro Bowls after the Chiefs selected him with the second overall pick in 1988. T-9. John Cooper: 20
Cooper's Ohio State teams in the 1990s were loaded with NFL talent and future Hall of Famers. Defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson (1994) and offensive tackle Orlando Pace (1997) were the No. 1 overall picks in their respective draft years. Six more of Cooper's players at Ohio State were selected in the top 10, including wide receivers Joey Galloway and Terry Glenn. Hall of Fame guard Randall McDaniel also became a first-round pick after Cooper coached him at Arizona State. T-9. Larry Coker: 20
Coker coached a few of the most NFL-talent-infused teams in college football at Miami. Naturally, a bunch of those players became first-round picks. While he never coached a player who became the No. 1 overall pick, the first-round picks that Coker coached at Miami became Pro Football Hall of Famers (Andre Johnson, Ed Reed, Devin Hester). Ten other players coached by Coker that were selected in the first round also became Pro Bowlers. In the 2004 NFL Draft, six Miami players were drafted in the first round, which is tied for the most all-time from one school. 8. Lou Holtz: 21
Holtz's coaching career is mostly associated with Notre Dame as he helped return the Fighting Irish to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s, but the national championship-winning coach coached up first-round picks at three stops. At Arkansas, he helped make defensive tackle Dan Hampton become the fourth overall pick in the 1979 NFL Draft. At South Carolina, Holtz coached defensive end John Abraham, who was the 13th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. Of course, most of the first-round picks Holtz coached came during his stint at Notre Dame. Thirteen of his former Fighting Irish players were first-round picks, with Hall of Famer Tim Brown being chief among them. T-6. John Robinson: 22
In two separate stints as USC's head coach, Robinson coached 22 first-round picks over 12 seasons. Two of them were No. 1 overall picks (RB Ricky Bell in 1977, WR Keyshawn Johnson in 1996), with seven of Robinson's other USC players being selected in the top five. The group of players Robinson selected who were picked in the top five includes Hall of Famers Anthony Munoz and Tony Boselli. Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott was also a first-round pick coached by Robinson. T-6. Mack Brown: 22
Brown coached first-round picks during both of his stints at UNC and during his reign at Texas. Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Ellis was taken with the eighth overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft after playing for Brown, while Drake Maye will likely be the last player coached by Brown to be a first-round pick. Among Brown's former Texas players, Vince Young was also the third pick in the draft, like Maye. But Ricky Williams, Leonard Davis, Casey Hampton, Roy Williams, Brian Orakpo and Earl Thomas were among the players who played for Brown at Texas that were first-round picks and became Pro Bowlers. 5. Urban Meyer: 23
Meyer made Florida and Ohio State factories for NFL prospects during his time at each program. With the Gators, he helped mold Reggie Nelson, Percy Harvin, Joe Haden and the Pouncey twins (Maurkice and Mike) into first-round picks. He coached another pair of brothers into top-three picks at Ohio State, with Joey and Nick Bosa each being a top-three pick in their respective draft years. Ryan Shazier, Ezekiel Elliott, Taylor Decker, Denzel Ward, Chase Young and Joe Burrow are also among the group of players who became first-round picks after Meyer coached them at OSU. 4. Woody Hayes: 27
Quite possibly no school has developed NFL talent better than Ohio State, so it's no surprise to see three Ohio State coaches on this list. Tom Cousineau was the only former player of Hayes to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick, as the Buffalo Bills drafted the linebacker first in 1979. There were four years in the 1970s when multiple Ohio State players were selected in the first round. 3. Bobby Bowden: 32
Bowden enjoyed a great deal of success during his time at Florida State, winning two national titles as the Seminoles became perennial contenders over 25 years at the helm. But he got some help from marquee NFL talent along the way, too. Deion Sanders was the most prominent player under Bowden who became a first-round pick, but Hall of Famers Derrick Brooks and Walter Jones and three-time Pro Bowler Warrick Dunn are among the others on that list. 2. Joe Paterno: 33
Just like Bowden, Paterno coached up a lot of first-round picks at one stop while making his program a near perennial contender. Franco Harris became a Hall of Famer after the Pittsburgh Steelers selected him with the 13th overall pick in the 1973 NFL Draft. Mike Munchak also became a Hall of Famer after the Houston Oilers took him with the eighth overall pick in 1982. Eleven other former Nittany Lions players who were first-round picks became Pro Bowlers after playing for Paterno, but neither of them were Ki-Jana Carter and Courtney Brown, who are the only former Penn State players to be taken with the first overall pick. 1. Nick Saban: 52
Saban is the only coach who could legitimately field a full team of players who became first-round picks after playing college football for him. He coached Plaxico Burress to become a first-round pick during his time at Michigan State, with three of his former Spartans players becoming first-round selections. Dwayne Bowe was the most notable player Saban coached at LSU who later became a first-round pick. Of course, Saban's time at Alabama is where most people will associate with him. Twenty players Saban coached at Alabama who were first-round picks also became Pro Bowlers, and that doesn't include the likes of DeVonta Smith or Jaylen Waddle. They were a part of the 2021 NFL Draft, with Alabama tying the record for most first-round picks in a single draft class that year with six.
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