How long has it been since big-name college football teams have had a first-round NFL Draft pick?
SB Nation recently put together a list of the last first-round draft pick for each power five conference school, and there are a few teams who haven’t seen a first-round draft pick in years.
While a program like Ohio State had 5 first-round draft picks in 2016 alone (!), some power five schools have gone over a decade without a first-rounder.
Here’s a look at the longest droughts from power five schools — every team whose last first-round selection came before 2010:
| Team | Year | Player |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa State | 1973 | George Amundson, Houston Oilers RB |
| Indiana | 1994 | Thomas Lewis, New York Giants WR |
| Northwestern | 2005 | Luis Castillo, San Diego Chargers DL |
| Minnesota | 2006 | Laurence Maroney, New England Patriots RB |
| NC State | 2006 | Three players |
| Kansas | 2008 | Aqib Talib, Tampa BayBuccaneers DB |
| Vanderbilt | 2008 | Chris Williams, Chicago Bears OL |
| Arkansas | 2008 | Two players |
| Arizona | 2008 | Antoine Cason, San Diego Chargers DB |
| Virginia | 2009 | Eugene Monroe, Jacksonville Jaguars OL |
| Maryland | 2009 | Darrius Heyward-Bey, Oakland Raiders WR |
| Texas Tech | 2009 | Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers WR |
| Kansas State | 2009 | Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB |
A few of these streaks could come to an end this year.
Vanderbilt outside linebacker Zach Cunningham is considered CBS Sports’ No. 2 outside ‘backer and the No. 25 prospect overall, and shows up in the first round of most mock drafts. If he’s taken in the first round he would be Vanderbilt’s first 1st-rounder since Chris Williams in 2008.
Texas Tech also has a pretty good shot at getting off of this list, especially if there’s an early run on quarterbacks. Patrick Mahomes II is CBS Sports’ No. 3 quarterback and is ranked No. 29 overall. Texas Tech’s last first-rounder was Michael Crabtree in 2009.
Indiana might have the longest active streak with a realistic chance at an end. The Hoosiers haven’t had a first-round draft pick since Thomas Lewis was taken by the Giants in 1994. That could change this year if guard Dan Feeney is selected in the first round. He’s CBS Sports’ No. 2 guard but is their 51st overall prospect. A run on offensive linemen in the first round would help Feeney’s chances.
