Every Oregon Duck selected in the first round of the NFL draft
The Oregon Ducks have a long history of success in the NFL draft. Here's all of the former players to be first-rounders in program history.
The 2026 NFL draft is finally here, and as has become commonplace over the past few years, the Oregon Ducks are expected to be part of the conversation over the next few days. Over a half-dozen former Ducks are expecting to hear their names called at the draft this weekend, with a couple of them holding a good chance to continue Oregon's streak of first-round draft picks, making it six years in a row that a member of the Ducks went among the top 32 picks. In total, Oregon has had 25 first-round picks, dating back to quarterback George Shaw in 1955.
There's a chance that number could reach 26, or even 27, this year if both TE Kenyon Sadiq and S Dillon Thieneman are selected, which many projects will happen in the first round. Should that happen, those two would join an elite list of former Ducks to go in the first round. Here's a look at who came before them.
QB George Shaw (1955) Overall Pick: 1 Team: Baltimore Colts DB Jim Smith (1968) Overall Pick: 12 Team: Washington Redskins WR Ahmad Rashad (1972) Overall Pick: 4 Team: St. Louis Cardinals OT Tom Drougas (1972) Overall Pick: 22 Team: Baltimore Colts TE Russ Francis (1975) Overall Pick: 16 Team: New England Patriots DB Mario Clark (1976) Overall Pick: 18 Team: Buffalo Bills OG Gary Zimmerman (1984) Overall Pick: 3 Team: New York Giants QB Chris Miller (1987) Overall Pick: 13 Team: Atlanta Falcons DB Alex Molden (1996) Overall Pick: 11 Team: New Orleans Saints QB Akili Smith (1999) Overall Pick: 3 Team: Cincinnati Bengals QB Joey Harrington (2002) Overall Pick: 3 Team: Detroit Lions DL Haloti Ngata (2006) Overall Pick: 12 Team: Baltimore Ravens RB Jonathan Stewart (2008) Overall Pick: 13 Team: Carolina Panthers DE Dion Jordan (2013) Overall Pick: 3 Team: Miami Dolphins OL Kyle Long (2013) Overall Pick: 20 Team: Chicago Bears QB Marcus Mariota (2015) Overall Pick: 2 Team: Tennessee Titans DE Arik Armstead (2015) Overall Pick: 17 Team: San Francisco 49ers DE DeForest Buckner (2016) Overall Pick: 7 Team: San Francisco 49ers QB Justin Herbert (2020) Overall Pick: 6 Team: Los Angeles Chargers LT Penei Sewell (2021) Overall Pick: 7 Team: Detroit Lions DE Kayvon Thibodeaux (2022) Overall Pick: 5 Team: New York Giants CB Christian Gonzalez (2023) Overall Pick: 17 Team: New England Patriots QB Bo Nix (2024) Overall Pick: 12 Team: Denver Broncos DT Derrick Harmon (2025) Overall Pick: 21 Team: Pittsburgh Steelers OT Josh Conerly Jr. (2025) Overall Pick: 29 Team: Washington Commanders Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinion s.
This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Ducks: Every first-round NFL draft pick in program history