• The best college programs are home to budding NFL stars: Ohio State, Georgia and Alabama all rank in the top eight in both total snaps and PFF WAR.

• Disappointment in the SEC: Programs like Tennessee, Ole Miss and Oklahoma haven’t lived up to the billing in terms of their NFL lineages.

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Amid the chaotic annual fun of the NFL draft is the analysis of the helmets next to a player’s name. This year’s top picks should feature slightly more unconventional options toward the top, but the traditional blue bloods — including Penn State, Ohio State, Georgia and Alabama — will all be represented well.

While some schools have debated the moniker of “DBU” or “QBU,” this exercise will take a deeper dive into which programs have churned out the best and most productive NFL draftees in the past three years. The two essential elements fueling these rankings are PFF snap counts and Wins Above Replacement (WAR), which can be viewed below.

Note: If a player attended multiple schools, only their final program was factored in this calculation (e.g., BYU for Puka Nacua).

Top 50 Colleges By NFL Snaps Played Among Players Debuting, 2022-24

Top 50 Colleges By PFF WAR Produced Among Players Debuting, 2022-24 

The Powerhouses Remain Elite

Most of the names at the top are the usual suspects. Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Penn State, LSU, Notre Dame and Michigan all rank in the top 20 in both total snaps accrued and cumulative PFF WAR.

While these programs have witnessed the development of several star quarterbacks, they have elevated themselves into their own echelon because of star power across a myriad of positions on both sides of the ball. More specifically, three of the four single-season leaders in PFF WAR among players drafted since 2022 — Jayden Daniels in 2024 and C.J. Stroud in both 2023 and 2024 — hailed from the Tigers and Buckeyes, respectively.

Cincinnati is an Underrated Power

Cincinnati’s 2021 roster remains one of the more impressive non-Power Four teams in recent memory, as the Bearcats went 13-1 and yielded loads of stardom. That talent has paid off immensely in the NFL ranks, as the Bearcats sit fifth in NFL snaps and sixth in total PFF WAR over the past three years.

The clear headliner among that group is Sauce Gardner, whose 2.10 WAR is the best among any cornerback since he was drafted in 2022. Joining Gardner is receiver Alec Pierce, who has notched 2,630 offensive snaps since being drafted by the Colts. While Desmond Ridder didn’t pan out as the Falcons’ starter, he did register 0.32 WAR with Atlanta in 2023. Other Bearcats to make it to the league in this latest span include Ivan Pace Jr., Coby Bryant, Jerome Ford, Bryan Cook, Tre Tucker, Josh Whyle and Tyler Scott.

The Big Ten is Well-Represented

Partially by virtue of now fielding 18 schools, but also because of pedigree, the Big Ten makes its mark well known on a list like this. Big Ten programs account for nine of the top 17 schools in PFF WAR over the past three years, and the feat is more extensive than just Ohio State, Oregon and Michigan.

Washington has become an under-the-radar breeding ground for the NFL, slotting into the top eight in total snaps and WAR since 2022 — thanks in large part to players such as Trent McDuffie, Kyler Gordon, Michael Penix Jr., Roger Rosengarten and Rome Odunze. Illinois ranks in the top 11 in both categories, fueled by Devon Witherspoon, Kerby Joseph, Tommy DeVito, Tip Reiman, Quan Martin and others. Iowa is also a surreptitious pick, as players such as Cooper DeJean, Sam LaPorta, Tyler Linderbaum, Jack Campbell and Riley Moss have catalyzed the Hawkeyes to place in the top 12 in each table.

The college football world may still orbit around the planet that is the SEC, but the Big Ten deserves its flowers, too.

Don’t Sleep on Dakota Giants

The Power Four is accustomed to the spotlight, but the Dakotas have also been a hotbed of solid NFL players — both in the past three years and the long haul.

North Dakota State reached the top 50 in total snaps played and PFF WAR since 2022, and when you run through the gamut of former Bison now in the league, it’s no secret why. The program has yielded Cody Mauch, Christian Watson, Cordell Volson and Hunter Luepke, who have each produced positive WAR and/or carved out legitimate roles with their NFL franchises.

The powerhouse’s biggest rival, South Dakota State, also shouldn’t be overlooked. Narrowly missing the top 50 in PFF WAR, the Jackrabbits have molded productive young offensive players such as Tucker Kraft, Isaiah Davis, Pierre Strong Jr. and Mason McCormick. It’s no wonder those two programs have combined to win the past four FCS titles.

Highest-Graded Division I Teams in 2024

Poor Production for Big SEC Brands

Revisiting the SEC, the conference remains among college football’s elite. At the same time, there’s an evident disparity between how many players from such schools become pros versus how many become effective NFL players.

More specifically, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Ole Miss slot into the top 35 of snaps played by alumni, yet all but one are not within the top 30 in PFF WAR generated. Even more staggering is that Oklahoma and Texas A&M are inside the top 22 in snaps played but failed to reach the top 50 in PFF WAR. Significantly smaller universities such as Central Michigan, Villanova and Fayetteville State have, technically speaking, produced NFL players that have compiled more value.

The good news for these schools is that they continue to litter all 32 NFL rosters, but the quality of their systems (especially the offensive structure for the Volunteers and Rebels) may be hindering NFL performance.

Developing a QB Pays Dividends

Innately, PFF WAR is a metric driven by quarterback play. The top 29 NFL players in PFF WAR in 2024 were all quarterbacks — even featuring names like Daniel Jones. This framework can help explain why certain schools rank so highly in the metric.

Iowa State has relished a solid share of good NFL players, but the crown jewel is unquestionably Brock Purdy, whose 5.88 WAR since 2022 ranks 14th among quarterbacks. Sitting ninth is Pittsburgh, and Kenny Pickett is responsible for 2.9954 of the total 2.8569 WAR for the Panthers. Likewise, North Carolina is 15th in WAR due to producing Sam Howell and Drake Maye, who totaled 1.4426 WAR in the past three seasons.

Brock Purdy’s PFF WAR Value By Year

Turnaround Coming With 2025 Prospects

Newly minted Big 12 schools Colorado and Arizona rank among the worst Power Four programs in both snaps played and PFF WAR produced in the past three years, with neither cracking the top 50 in either category. On top of that, Nate Landman was the only one between the two schools to play more than 200 snaps in a season from 2022-24. However, an influx of touted talent via Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders and Tetairoa McMillan could skyrocket the Buffaloes and Wildcats up these rankings over the next three seasons.

In the Mountain West, Boise State enjoyed a fruitful 2024 by making the College Football Playoff, but the Broncos haven’t been able to churn out much NFL talent in the past three seasons. In total, only Khalil Shakir has eclipsed 700 or more snaps in a season since leaving Boise. But with Ashton Jeanty set to become a likely top-10 pick, his volume could elevate the Broncos’ NFL legacy in the near future.