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By Chris Huston 5.22.19

Heisman winners in the NFL draft (Updated)

09/29/2018 Oklahoma vs Baylor football. Photo by Ty Russell

(Updated 4-21-22)

The NFL loves the Heisman. The evidence for that claim is supported by the history of the league’s annual draft.

The first player ever drafted by the NFL was also the very first Heisman winner, Jay Berwanger of the University of Chicago. Berwanger was selected first overall by the Philadelphia Eagles and then traded to the Chicago Bears, but it didn’t matter — Berwanger decided to skip the NFL and pursue other interests.

His indifference didn’t stop the NFL from coveting future Heisman winners.

Of the 85 Heisman winners eligible for drafting, 58 have been selected in the first round. Twenty-three of them were taken with the first overall pick and 39 within the first five selections. Just four Heisman winners ended up not being drafted (two of them had military obligations, one went to the NBA and one had multiple knee injuries that affected his draft stock).

The 2018 NFL draft featured two Heisman winners for the sixth time overall and fourth time since 2010. Baker Mayfield became the 21st Heisman winner to be the first overall player selected. In 2019, Kyler Murray of Oklahoma matched his former Oklahoma teammate and become the the 22nd Heisman winner to be selected first overall. And, for the first time since 1986-87 (and fifth time overall), a Heisman winner went first overall in back-to-back drafts (it was the first time it happened from the same school).

When Joe Burrow was selected first in the 2020 NFL draft, it marked the first time Heisman winners went first overall in three straight years.

With Alabama 2021 Heisman winner Bryce Young returning for his redshirt sophomore year in 2022, this will mark the first Heisman-less NFL draft since 2017.

Here’s a historical breakdown of Heisman winners and the professional draft (NFL/AFL/USFL):

(table is scrollable)

YEARNAMESCHOOLDRAFT
YEAR
DRAFT TEAMRDPICK
1935Jay BerwangerChicago1936Philadelphia Eagles1st1st
1936Larry KelleyYale1937Detroit Lions9th
1937Clinton FrankYale1938Detroit Lions12th
1938Davey O’BrienTexas Christian1939Philadelphia Eagles1st4th
1939Nile KinnickIowa1940Brooklyn Dodgers2nd
1940Tom HarmonMichigan1941Chicago Bears1st1st
1941Bruce SmithMinnesota1942Green Bay Packers13th
1942Frank SinkwichGeorgia1943Detroit Lions1st1st
1943Angelo BertelliNotre Dame1944Boston Yanks1st1st
1945Doc BlanchardArmy1946Pittsburgh Steelers1st3rd
1946Glenn DavisArmy1947Detroit Lions1st2nd
1947John LujackNotre Dame1946Chicago Bears1st4th
1948Doak WalkerSo. Methodist1949Boston Yanks1st3rd
1949Leon HartNotre Dame1950Detroit Lions1st1st
1950Vic JanowiczOhio State1952Washington Redskins7th
1951Dick KazmaierPrinceton1952Chicago Bears15th
1952Billy VesselsOklahoma1953Baltimore Colts1st2nd
1953John LattnerNotre Dame1954Pittsburgh Steelers1st7th
1954Alan AmecheWisconsin1955Baltimore Colts1st3rd
1955Howard CassadyOhio State1956Detroit Lions1st3rd
1956Paul HornungNotre Dame1957Green Bay Packers1st1st
1957John David CrowTexas A&M1958Chicago Cardinals1st2nd
1959Billy CannonLouisiana State1960Los Angeles Rams1st1st
1960Joe BellinoNavy1961Boston Patriots (AFL)19th
1961Ernie DavisSyracuse1962Washington Redskins1st1st
1962Terry BakerOregon State1963Los Angeles Rams1st1st
1963Roger StaubachNavy1964Dallas Cowboys10th129th
1964John HuarteNotre Dame1965New York Jets (AFL)2nd
1965Mike GarrettUSC1966Los Angeles Rams2nd18th
1966Steve SpurrierFlorida1967San Francisco 49ers1st3rd
1967Gary BebanUCLA1968Los Angeles Rams2nd30th
1968O.J. SimpsonUSC1969Buffalo Bills1st1st
1969Steve OwensOklahoma1970Detroit Lions1st19th
1970Jim PlunkettStanford1971New England Patriots1st1st
1971Pat SullivanAuburn1972Atlanta Falcons2nd40th
1972Johnny RodgersNebraska1973San Diego Chargers1st25th
1973John CappellettiPenn State1974Lons Angeles Rams1st11th
1974 &75Archie GriffinOhio State1976Cincinnati Bengals1st24th
1976Tony DorsettPittsburgh1977Dallas Cowboys1st2nd
1977Earl CampbellTexas1978Houston Oilers1st1st
1978Billy SimsOklahoma1980Detroit Lions1st1st
1979Charles WhiteUSC1980Cleveland Browns1st27th
1980George RogersSouth Carolina1981New Orleans Saints1st1st
1981Marcus AllenUSC1982Oakland Raiders1st10th
1982Herschel WalkerGeorgia1985Dallas Cowboys5th114th
1983Mike RozierNebraska1984Pittsburgh Maulers (USFL)1st2nd
1984Doug FlutieBoston College1985Los Angeles Rams11th286th
1985Bo JacksonAuburn1986Tampa Bay Buccaneers1st1st
1986Vinny TestaverdeMiami (Fl.)1987Tampa Bay Buccaneers1st1st
1987Tim BrownNotre Dame1988Los Angeles Raiders1st6th
1988Barry SandersOklahoma State1989Detroit Lions1st3rd
1989Andre WareHouston1990Detroit Lions1st7th
1990Ty DetmerBrigham Young1992Green Bay Packers9th230th
1991Desmond HowardMichigan1992Washington Redskins1st4th
1992Gino TorrettaMiami (Fl.)1993Minnesota Vikings7th192nd
1994Rashaan SalaamColorado1995Chicago Bears1st21st
1995Eddie GeorgeOhio State1996Houston Oilers1st14th
1996Danny WuerffelFlorida1997New Orleans Saints4th136th
1997Charles WoodsonMichigan1998Oakland Raiders1st4th
1998Ricky WilliamsTexas1999New Orleans Saints1st5th
1999Ron DayneWisconsin2000New York Giants1st11th
2000Chris WeinkeFlorida State2001Carolina Panthers4th106th
2001Eric CrouchNebraska2002St. Louis Rams3rd95th
2002Carson PalmerUSC2003Cincinnati Bengals1st1st
2004Matt LeinartUSC2006Arizona Cardinals1st10th
2006Troy SmithOhio State2007Baltimore Ravens5th174th
2007Tim TebowFlorida2010Denver Broncos1st25th
2008Sam BradfordOklahoma2010St. Louis Rams1st1st
2009Mark IngramAlabama2011New Orleans Saints1st28th
2010Cam NewtonAuburn2011Carolina Panthers1st1st
2011Robert Griffin IIIBaylor2012Washington Redskins1st2nd
2012Johnny ManzielTexas A&M2014Cleveland Browns1st22nd
2013Jameis WinstonFlorida State2015Tampa Bay Buccaneers1st1st
2014Marcus MariotaOregon2015Tennessee Titans1st2nd
2015Derrick HenryAlabama2016Tennessee Titans2nd45th
2016Lamar JacksonLouisville2018Baltimore Ravens1st32nd
2017Baker MayfieldOklahoma2018Cleveland Browns1st1st
2018Kyler MurrayOklahoma2019Arizona Cardinals1st1st
2019Joe BurrowLSU2020Cincinnati Bengals1st1st
2020DeVonta SmithAlabama2021Philadelphia Eagles1st10th

 

 

 

This entry was posted in Heisman Winners and tagged Angelo Bertelli, Bruce Smith, Clinton Frank, Davey O’Brien, Frank Sinkwich, Glenn Davis, Jay Berwanger, Lamar Jackson, Larry Kelley, Nile Kinnick, Tom Harmon. Bookmark the permalink.

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