Bingo! Your number seems about right, depending upon how you count Independents Notre Dame (7) and UConn (1). The athletes (and their advisors) seem to have it figured out: Quite a few draftees had played for multiple teams, but it seemed like many (most?) had moved around among the somewhat-lesser P4 programs rather than dropping down to the G5 or FCS level.
| Conference | Total Draft Picks | Top Selection |
| Mountain West (MWC) | 9 | Kage Casey (Boise State) |
| Sun Belt (SBC) | 7 | Jalen White (Georgia Southern) |
| American (AAC) | 6 | Matthew Hibner (SMU*) |
| Mid-American (MAC) | 4 | Antario Brown (NIU) |
| Conference USA (C-USA) | 3 | Liberty / Western Kentucky prospects |
| Independents (Non-Notre Dame) | 2 | Skyler Bell (UConn) |
So does Keyshawn James-Newby get the double asterisk for transferring from Montana Tech to Idaho then to New Mexico before getting drafted in the 7th? Would still be nice for some of these schools to be able to get credit for some part of developing an NFL draft pick.
Not sure where they got their numbers ... but they do not match up with what the NCAA reports (not even close):
www.ncaa.com
I asked Gemini again.Not sure where they got their numbers ... but they do not match up with what the NCAA reports (not even close):
Colleges with the most players drafted in the 2026 NFL draft
The 2026 NFL draft has come to a close after 256 college athletes were selected across seven rounds. Here is a complete breakdown of the number of draft picks by college.
Perhaps they dug a bit deeper and included players who had spent some time at G5/FCS/etc programs before moving to the P4 where they were actually drafted from. Even if you accept their number, it's a sad showing from among over 250 picks. The lesson is pretty clear: Compete at a P4 program or you have little more than a 10% chance of getting drafted.
| Classification | Players Drafted |
|---|---|
| Power 4 (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC) | 239 |
| Group of Five (G5) | 11 |
| FCS | 4 |
| Independents (UConn/UMass) | 3 |
| International (IPP) | 1” |
How could this possibly be ? Montana Tech ? Must be a powerhouse program that the griz don't play cause the players are not good enough quality?
1 outlier doesn’t drive the data.
Great follow-up. The smaller number just drives home the point that talented athletes will be looking to get onto P4 rosters to really have a chance to be drafted ... works out to only 7% from non-P4. Ouch!
I looked closely at my first search again, to see what it did, and where the glitch might have been. Because I had been intending to find what you had found, i.e. measuring players from which FBS school they were at last fall. I think my prior search pulled in other players. Look at the large number in my search for the MW. I think the NCAA stats said only 3 players. I think my first AI search listed 7 or so. Thx.
Well, you don't lose a year eligibility now in the FBS, so there is no need to drop down. You are probably right the NIL money ain't going to be there either?
Did you fact check these numbers? I don't think they are accurate. The numbers CBS is reporting is much different (https://www.cbssports.com/college-f...aft-picks-college-team-conference-sec-record/).
Is this a joke? Tommy was a 6th round pick. There is almost zero expectation that 6th and 7th round picks will stick around or have any sort of impact.
Not a joke. I said TCT (and the Lance bust) helped nothing. Didn't say anything more or less than that. Surely, you're not implying their NFL careers in some way helped FCS players get drafted in the future.
Wha?
No, I didn't check any numbers. Did you read my last post? I said I had double-checked and realized the prompt I asked wasn't narrow enough to catch only the players I wanted to catch? Can you read? Just checking.
Who is TCT in CDA's post? What Tommy are you talking about?
