What college has had the most first-round picks in a single NFL Draft?

2021 NFL Draft
2021 NFL Draft / Gregory Shamus/GettyImages
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With some prestigious college football programs, it's become commonplace to see multiple first-round picks come from the same school. Ohio State has produced more first-round picks in the NFL Draft than any school in the country, and they've often had multiple first-rounders in the same year of the draft.

But which college holds the record for the most first-round picks to enter the NFL Draft in a single year?

Two excellent football programs currently hold the record with a whopping 6 first-round picks who entered the NFL draft in the same year... and this is one that may not be broken anytime soon.

Which colleges produced the most first-round picks in a single NFL Draft?

The Miami Hurricanes and Alabama Crimson Tide are currently tied for the record with 6 first-round picks who entered the NFL Draft in a single year.

Back in 2004, Miami broke the record thanks to a star-studded defense. Their six first-round picks in 2004 included S Sean Taylor, TE Kellen Winslow II, LB Jonathan Vilma, LB D.J. Williams, OT Vernon Carey, and DT Vince Wilfork.

Here's where they each landed in Round 1 of the 2004 NFL Draft:

  • No. 5 pick: S Sean Taylor (Washington Redskins)
  • No. 6 pick: TE Kellen Winslow (Cleveland Browns)
  • No. 12 pick: LB Jonathan Vilma (New York Jets)
  • No. 17 pick: LB D.J. Williams (Denver Broncos)
  • No. 19 pick: OT Vernon Carey (Miami Dolphins)
  • No. 21 pick: DT Vince Wilfork (New England Patriots)

In 2021, Alabama tied Miami's astonishing record of six first-round picks who entered a single draft class. This squad lost in the National Championship following the 2021 season but helped their team to a national title one year earlier.

This star-studded group of six first-round picks from Alabama included WR Jaylen Waddle, CB Patrick Surtain II, WR DeVonta Smith, QB Mac Jones, OT Alex Leatherwood, and RB Najee Harris.

Here's where each former Alabama player was selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

  • No. 6 pick: WR Jaylen Waddle (Miami Dolphins)
  • No. 9 pick: CB Patrick Surtain II (Denver Broncos)
  • No. 10 pick: WR DeVonta Smith (Philadelphia Eagles)
  • No. 15 pick: QB Mac Jones (New England Patriots)
  • No. 17 pick: OT Alex Leatherwood (Las Vegas Raiders)
  • No. 24 pick: RB Najee Harris (Pittsburgh Steelers)

What's bizarre is how close the Alabama first-round picks in 2021 were selected in the NFL Draft compared to Miami's first-round picks back in 2004. The average first-round pick by Miami landed at pick 13.3, while the average first-round pick from Alabama was pick 13.5.

We could go decades without seeing this record broken.

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