USC Leads NFL Draft Picks, Powerhouses Shape Franchises

0:00It's April 24th, I'm Cory with the story, and this is California News Today, local news powered by AI. University of Southern California sits at the top, with six number one overall NFL draft picks, including legends like OJ, Simpson back in 1969, Carson Palmer in 2003, and Caleb Williams just last year in 2024. Georgia, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma each have five, with Georgia's latest being Trevon Walker in 2022. Notre Dame's Walt Patulski from 1972, and Oklahoma stacking three quarterbacks like Baker Mayfield and Kyla Murray in recent years. Auburn and Stanford follow with four piece, think Bo Jackson and Cam Newton for Auburn, or John L.A., and Andrew Luck from Stanford, while schools. Like LSU, Ohio State, Texas, and Miami have three each, including Miami's Cam Ward picked first in 2025 by the Titans. This year in 2026, the Las Vegas Raiders graph Indiana's Fernando Mendoza as the top pick,

1:02only the second ever from that school, and the draft hit Pittsburgh for the first time since it started back in 1936. These powerhouse programs keep turning out elite talent that shapes franchises, proven college football pedigrees still carry weight in the pros.