States with the most NFL Draft No. 1 picks since 1936
Being selected as the No. 1 pick of the NFL Draft has happened 97 times over the course of history, with last night the Las Vegas Raiders selecting former Miami (FL) Columbus quarterback Fernando Mendoza as their selection. That was surprisingly only the second time in draft history that a player came from the Sunshine State, with the only other being running back Tucker Frederickson of Hollywood (Fla.
) South Broward by the New York Giants. [ $19. 99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage ] When it comes to which states rule the dais for NFL Draft No.
1 draft picks, we bring you an updated state-by-state look at who has the most, starting with the Lone Star State and working our way down: State-by-state breakdown of NFL Draft No. 1 picks Texas – 18 Like the latest 2027 Rivals300 update, Texas rules the day when it comes to having the most No. 1 picks coming from the Lone Star State.
Looking at the names of players selected, the most recent one for the state was when Cam Ward , formerly of West Columbia (Texas) Columbia , was picked in the 2025 draft by the Tennessee. The state enjoyed a three-year stretch from 2017-2019 where the top picks came from Texas in Myles Garrett of Arlington (Texas) Martin , Baker Mayfield of Austin (Texas) Lake Travis and Kyler Murray from Allen (Texas) Allen . California – 12 It might be no coincidence that this list looks somewhat reminiscent of that when it comes to the Rivals300 as California is another state that ranks right up there with Texas and others.
It has been a decade since the Golden State last saw a player selected at the top of the draft, with the Los Angeles Rams selecting Jared Goff of Kentfield (Calif. ) Marin Catholic . Other notable names to come from California are quarterbacks Alex Smith of La Mesa (Calif.