Who got the most first round draft picks?

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State University’s rich NFL Draft history, and specifically its tradition of first-round selections, was on the receiving end of great news Thursday evening as two more Buckeyes – wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave – were selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, which is being held along the world famous Strip in Las Vegas.

Wilson, a three-year performer for the Buckeyes who caught 143 passes for 2,213 yards and 23 touchdowns, was selected with the 10th overall pick of the draft by the New York Jets.

Olave, a team captain in 2021 and who set the school record with 35 touchdown receptions in addition to ranking third in Ohio State history in receptions with 176 and fifth in receiving yards with 2,711, was selected with the very next pick after Wilson went to the Jets, going No. 11 overall in the first round to the New Orleans Saints.

Remarkably, Jamison Williams, who spent two years in the wide receiver room at Ohio State with Wilson and Olave before transferring to Alabama for the 2021 season, was the 12th pick of the draft, by Detroit.

No. 1 in No. 1s

The All-American duo of Wilson and Olave – each was a first-team All-American this year – are the ninth and 10th Ohio State wide receivers to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Their respective selections keep Ohio State’s all-time lead in overall first-round NFL Draft picks intact. The Buckeyes have 87 first-round draft picks with USC second with 83 and Alabama third with 76.

In addition, Ohio State has now tied LSU for the most wide receivers drafted since 2000 with 22 apiece.

Ohio State WRs Drafted in the First-Round

2022 – Garrett Wilson, No. 10 overall to NY Jets

2022 – Chris Olave, No. 11 overall to New Orleans

2007 – Ted Ginn, No. 7 overall to Miami

2007 – Anthony Gonzalez, No. 32 overall to Indianapolis

2006 – Santonio Holmes, No. 25 overall to Pittsburgh

2004 – Michael Jenkins, No. 29 overall to Atlanta

1999 – David Boston, No. 8 overall to Arizona

1996 – Terry Glenn, No. 7 overall to New England

1995 – Joey Galloway, No. 8 overall to Seattle

1964 – Paul Warfield, No. 11 overall to Cleveland

Most First-Round NFL Draft Picks

All-Time

87 – Ohio State

84 – USC

76 – Alabama

70 – Notre Dame

67 – Miami

Most WRs Drafted – Since 2000

Source: @PickSixPreviews

22 – Ohio State

22 – LSU

19 – Florida

18 – USC

16 – Clemson

Most Since 2000

Ohio State continues to set the standard in terms of most NFL Draft picks this century, or since 2000, with 153 total selections. Alabama is second with 139 picks and LSU is third with 134.

Most NFL Draft Picks since 2000

Credit: @PFF_College

153 – Ohio State

139 – Alabama

134 – LSU

130 – Georgia

126 – Florida

123 – Miami

119 – USC

115 – Florida State

106 – Oklahoma

103 – Michigan

101 – Notre Dame

Rounds 2 and 3 of the NFL Draft will take place Friday with Rounds 4-7 on Saturday. Start time each day is 7 p.m. Friday and 12 noon on Saturday.

#GoBucks

We use cookies and similar technologies to collect device data and usage information for analytics, measuring the effectiveness of ads, personalizing content, and tailored advertising. By clicking "Accept", you agree to such purposes and the sharing of your data with our partners. To learn more, Click Here. To change your preferences at any time, click the "Cookie Settings" link in the footer of this page.

There are certain college programs out there that are known as NFL factories. Teams like Notre Dame, USC, Ohio State, and Alabama come to mind, just to name a few of the blue bloods that attract and develop some of the best talent that plays at the next level.

Even more than that, there are programs that seem to churn out the best of the best as first-round NFL draft picks. But the divide is great. Kids these days want to play for a national title and be developed in such a way that will result in playing in some big ‘ole stadiums on Sundays (and Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays in winter). Those are the two defining characteristics that seem to attract the top high school prospects on a yearly basis.

But it’s not just about that. A program has to develop that talent on and off the field so that NFL teams see a player as someone it wants to throw a lot of money at. Being a first-round NFL draft pick is a very, very select group that nobody can take away from you.

So what college programs have been the best at getting that done? Which of the blue bloods attract and develop talent that ends up hearing their names called in the first round of all the shenanigans that is known as the NFL draft.

Here’s a ranking of the top 25 college programs and how they rank at making players go in the first round. As usual, we start at No. 25 and work our way down to the top spot. We take our data from Winsipedia.

Nov 20, 2021; Stanford, California, USA; General view of the Stanford Cardinal helmet during the third quarter against the California Golden Bears at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

Sep 25, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A Pittsburgh Panthers helmet sits on the sidelines against the New Hampshire Wildcats during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Oct 30, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; A detailed view of a North Carolina Tar Heels football helmet during warmups before the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Apr 13, 2018; Tempe, AZ, USA; Detailed view of Arizona State Sun Devils helmets on the field during the team’s spring game scrimmage at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Nov 23, 2018; Pullman, WA, USA; Washington Huskies helmet sits during a football game against the Washington State Cougars in the second half at Martin Stadium. The Huskies won 28-15. Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Nov 3, 2018; Pullman, WA, USA; California Golden Bears helmet sits during a football game against the Washington State Cougars in the second half at Martin Stadium. The Cougars won 19-13. Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Nov 9, 2019; Madison, WI, USA; A Wisconsin Badgers helmet during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Stadium. Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Auburn Tigers helmet on the sideline during the A-Day spring practice at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, April 9, 2022. Credit: USA TODAY Sports

Oct 6, 2018; Madison, WI, USA; A Nebraska Cornhuskers helmet sits on the sidelines during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Oct 23, 2021; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies helmet on the sideline during the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Kyle Field. Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

Sep 25, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Detailed view of UCLA Bruins helmets on the sidelines against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

November 19, 2011; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartan helmet on the sideline during the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Spartan Stadium. Michigan State won 55-3 to clinch the Legends division of the Big Ten. Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

The Clemson football helmet near the Fiesta Bowl trophy at the coaches’ press conference in Scottsdale, Arizona Friday, December 27, 2019. Credit: USA TODAY Sports Network

Nov 16, 2013; University Park, PA, USA; General view of a Penn State Nittany Lions helmet prior to the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Beaver Stadium. Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Dec 12, 2020; Columbia, Missouri, USA; A detailed view of a Georgia Bulldogs helmet during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Nov 10, 2018; Lubbock, TX, USA; A Texas Longhorns helmet on the sidelines during the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium. Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Sep 8, 2018; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles had a special sticker on their helmets to honor former FSU player Burt Reynolds who died this past week. The Florida State Seminoles host the Samford Bulldogs at Doak Campbell Stadium. Credit: Glenn Beil-USA TODAY Sports

Nov 23, 2019; Columbia, MO, USA; A general view of a Tennessee Volunteers helmet during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field. Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Nov 18, 2017; Madison, WI, USA; An Michigan Wolverines helmet during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Oct 6, 2018; Gainesville, FL, USA; A detailed view of LSU Tigers football helmets against the Florida Gators during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma helmets are seen before a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the West Virginia Mountaineers at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021. Credit: USA TODAY Sports

Nov 20, 2021; Columbia, Missouri, USA; A general view of a Florida Gators helmet against the Missouri Tigers during the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Oct 30, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Hurricanes helmets sit on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the third quarter at Heinz Field. Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Jan 1, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of a gold Notre Dame Fighting Irish helmet during the 2022 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Jul 18, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; An Alabama Crimson Tide helmet is shown on the main stage during SEC football media day at the College Football Hall of Fame. Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Dec 29, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; General overall view of the 2017 Cotton Bowl logo on the back of the helmet of Southern California Trojans long snapper Jake Olson at AT&T Stadium. Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Sat., Jan. 1, 2022; Pasadena, California, USA; A special rose helmet stripe adorns Thayer Munford’s helmet before the start of the 108th Rose Bowl Game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Utah Utes at the Rose Bowl. Credit: USA TODAY Sports Network

View 25 items

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on Twitter.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.