Which School Had the Most Players Taken Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft?
The NFL draft is not only a proud moment for the players and families hearing their names called, but also for the schools those prospects played for. As the top prospects make their way across the stage to shake commissioner Roger Goodell's hand and receive the cap and jersey of their new team, the colleges they played for can boast about the latest first-round NFL talent they produced.
The first round of the 2026 NFL draft saw players from a wide variety of schools selected. Now that the round is closed, here is a breakdown of the schools that had the most players taken in the first round and the conference with the most players selected.
Schools with the most players drafted in Round 1:
- Ohio State: 4
- Miami: 3
Ohio State and Miami were the only two teams in the draft with more than two players selected in the first round. Ohio State was the class of the draft, leading the way with four first-round picks, including three top-10 picks. All four players-WR Carnell Tate (No. 4), LB Arvell Reese (No. 5), LB Sonny Styles (No. 7) and S Caleb Downs (No. 12)-were selected within the top 12 picks.
This is the second-straight year that Ohio State has led the number of players taken in the first round. Last year, they also had four players taken after their national championship victory-WR Emeka Egbuka (No. 19), OG Donovan Jackson (No. 24), DT Tyleik Williams (No. 28) and OT Josh Simmons (No. 32). Safe to say their top players went a little higher in the draft this year.
Miami followed with three first-round picks in OT Francis Mauigoa (No. 10), edge Rueben Bain Jr. (No. 15) and edge Akheem Mesidor (No. 22) all taken within the first 22 picks. Both Ohio State and Miami advanced to at least the CFP semifinals this past season, and that is reflected in the amount of talent hitting the draft.
There were seven other teams that had two players selected in the first round. They are the following:
- Indiana (QB Fernando Mendoza & WR Omar Cooper Jr.)
- Notre Dame (RBs Jeremiyah Love & Jadarian Price)
- Arizona State (WR Jordyn Tyson & OL Max Iheanachor)
- Utah (OL Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu)
- Alabama (OL Kadyn Proctor & QB Ty Simpson)
- Clemson (OL Blake Miller & DT Peter Woods)
- Oregon (TE Kenyon Sadiq & S Dillon Thieneman)
Players drafted in Round 1 by conference:
- Big Ten: 10
- SEC: 7
- ACC: 6
- Big 12: 6
- Independent: 2
- Mountain West: 1
Unsurprisingly, the Big Ten led the way with 10 players selected in the first round of the draft-in large part due to Ohio State contributing 40% of the conference's first-round picks this year. Miami contributed half of the ACC's first-round picks, once again reflecting both schools' dominance in this draft.
The power four conferences made up 29 of the 32 first-round picks this year, with Notre Dame contributing two of the other three first-round selections. It wasn't until the No. 27 pick that a non-Power 4 conference saw a player selected when the Dolphins took San Diego State corner Chris Johnson.
More NFL Draft from Sports Illustrated
- 2026 NFL Draft First-Round Grades for All 32 Picks
- Life Is Short, and Jeremiyah Love Is Good Right Now
- Tom Brady Has Officially Chosen Fernando Mendoza as His Successor
- 2026 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings: Best Available Players for Rounds 2–3
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Which School Had the Most Players Taken Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft? .
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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 8:40 PM.