Heisman Trophy Winners in the NFL Draft

A complete list of drafted Heisman winners listed by the player, year, round and team

When Chicago University's Jay Berwanger won the inaugural Heisman Trophy in 1935, the NFL Draft was coming into fold. Berwanger became the first player selected in the NFL Draft and since then, some Heisman Winners have garnered an early draft spotlight while others have been shunned by NFL squads.

Heisman Trophy winners in the NFL Draft
All eyes are on where 2015 Heisman Trophy winner, Derrick Henry will be drafted.  The punishing running back helped deliver Alabama a national championship and promises to be a force in the NFL

 
Heisman Winner - School Heisman Year Drafted By Draft Year/Round Overall Selection Summary
Jay Berwanger - Chicago 1935 Philadelphia Eagles 1936/Round 1 #1 The Philadelphia Eagles traded his rights to the Chicago Bears, but he never played pro ball.
Larry Kelley - Yale 1936 Detroit Lions 1937/Round 9 #87 Played for AFL's Boston Shamrocks
Clint Frank - Yale 1937 Detroit Lions 1938/Round 12 #106 Frank pursued a military career after college.
Davey O'Brien - TCU 1938 Philadelphia Eagles 1939/Round 1 #4 Led NFL in passing yards rookie year, but retired after two seasons
Nile Kinnick - Iowa 1939 Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL) 1940/Round 2 #14 Pursued law school instead of pro ball and was later killed in World War II
Tom Harmon - Michigan 1940 Chicago Bears 1941/Round 1 #1 Rejected Bears to play for AFL's NY Americans.
Bruce Smith - Minnesota 1941 Green Bay Packers 1942/Round 13 #119 Served in WW II & later played for Packers & Rams
Frank Sinkwich - Georgia 1942 Detroit Lions 1943/Round 1 #1 Joined the Marines after college, but later won NFL MVP honors with Lions in 1944.
Angelo Bertelli - Notre Dame 1943 Boston Yanks 1944/Round 1 #1 After service with Marines in WW II, Bertelli played fin the All-American Football Conference
Les Horvath - Ohio State 1944 Cleveland Rams 1943/Round 6 N/A Horvath went to dental school in 1945 and later joined the military.  Eventually he played for the Rams & Browns.
Doc Blanchard - Army 1945 Pittsburgh Steelers 1946/Round 1 #3 Never played pro ball but served as a fighter pilot for the Air Force & flew 113 missions in Vietnam.
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Heisman Winner - School Heisman Year Drafted By Draft Year/Round Overall Selection Summary
Glenn Davis - Army 1946 Detroit Lions 1947/Round 1 #2 Served in the military for three years before joining the Los Angeles Rams and played until 1952.
Johnny Lujack - Notre Dame 1947 Chicago Bears 1949/Round 1 #3 Played another season at Notre Dame after being drafted, but joined Chicago in 1948.
Doak Walker - SMU 1948 Boston Yanks 1949/Round 1 #3 Played for Detroit Lions & was All-Pro 4 times before being enshrined in Pro Football HOF.
Leon Hart - Notre Dame 1949 Detroit Lions 1950/Round 1 #1 Played 7 seasons in Detroit & 1 Pro Bowl season.
Vic Janowicz - Ohio State 1950 Washington Redskins 1952/Round 7 #79 Janowicz initially played pro baseball before playing two seasons for the Washington Redskins.
Dick Kazmaier - Princeton 1951 Chicago Bears 1952/Round 15 #176 Rejected Bears to attend Harvard Business School.
Billy Vessels - Oklahoma 1952 Baltimore Colts 1953/Round 1 #2 Decided to play in Canada & was leagues Most Outstanding player in '53.  Played for Colts in '56.
Johnny Lattner - Notre Dame 1953 Pittsburgh Steelers 1954/Round 1 #7 Played for Steelers one season before joining Air Force.
Alan Ameche - Wisconsin 1954 Baltimore Colts 1955/Round 1 #3 1955 NFL Rookie of the Year & 4x Pro Bowl in 6 years
Howard Cassady - Ohio State 1955 Detroit Lions 1956/Round 1 #3 Cassady played nine NFL seasons with the Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Paul Hornung - Notre Dame 1956 Green Bay Packers 1957/Round 1 #1 Won 4 NFL championships with the Green Bay Packers and led the league scoring 3 times. Hornung was the 1961 NFL MVP & is a member of the Pro Football HOF.
John David Crow - Texas A&M 1957 Chicago Cardinals 1958/Round 1 #2 Played 11 NFL seasons for & 4 Pro Bowls.
Pete Dawkins - Army 1958 Not Drafted N/A N/A This Rhodes Scholar pursued a military career and became an Army Brigadier General.
Billy Cannon - LSU 1959 Los Angeles Rams Houston Oilers (AFL) 1960/Round 1 1960/Round 1 #1 #1 Signed with AFL's Oilers and was leagues rushing leader in 1961.  Also played for Raiders &  Chiefs
Joe Bellino - Navy 1960 Washington Redskins Boston Patriots 1961/Round 17 1961/Round 19 #227 #146 Served 4 years of active duty before playing 3 seasons for the Patriots.
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Heisman Winner - School Heisman Year Drafted By Draft Year/Round Overall Selection Summary
Ernie Davis - Syracuse 1961 Washington Redskins 1963/Round 1 #1 Traded to Cleveland after draft.  Davis developed Leukemia & never played for Browns.  Died in 1962.
Terry Baker - Oregon State 1962 Los Angeles Rams 1963/Round 1 #1 Played 3 seasons for Rams and 1 in the CFL.
Roger Staubach - Navy 1963 Dallas Cowboys 1964/Round 10 #129 After military career, joined Dallas as a 27-year-old rookie.  6x Pro Bowl selections, & Super Bowl VI MVP.  Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.
John Huarte - Notre Dame 1964 Philadelphia Eagles 1965/Round 6 #76 Also drafted by AFL Jets.  Played for Jets one season and 5 other teams in 10-year pro career.
Mike Garrett - USC 1965 Los Angeles Rams 1966/Round 2 #18 Also drafted by AFL K.C. Chiefs and won a Super Bowl (IV).  Finished career in '73 with Chargers.
Steve Spurrier - Florida 1966 San Francisco 49ers 1967/Round 1 #3 Played 9 seasons for SF and final year for expansion Tampa Bay. Threw 40 career TD passes.
Gary Beban - UCLA 1967 Los Angeles Rams 1968/Round 2 #30 Played for Redskins in '68 & '69 before retiring.
O.J. Simpson - USC 1968 Buffalo Bills 1969/Round 1 #1 In '72, became first to surpass 2,000 yards rushing in single season.  5x All-Pro and Pro Football HOF.
Steve Owens - Oklahoma 1969 Detroit Lions 1970/Round 1 #19 In 1971, became first Lion to rush for 1,000+ yards.  Earned Pro Bowl in '71. Injuries ended career in 1975
Jim Plunkett - Stanford 1970 New England Patriots 1971/Round 1 #1 Struggled with Pats and 49ers early in career, but won SB XV MVP honors by guiding Raiders to victory.
Pat Sullivan - Auburn 1971 Atlanta Falcons 1972/Round 2 #40 Played 4 years in Atlanta & final 2 with Washington.
Johnny Rodgers - Nebraska 1972 San Diego Chargers 1973/Round 1 #25 Began pro career as the top rookie in the CFL.  After 4 seasons in Montreal, finished career in '78 in S.D.
John Cappelletti - Penn State 1973 Los Angeles Rams 1974/Round 1 #11 Played 5 years with Rams & 4 with Chargers.
Archie Griffin - Ohio State 1974 & 75 Cincinnati Bengals 1976/Round 1 #24 This Rhodes Scholar pursued a military career and became an Army Brigadier General.
Tony Dorsett - Pittsburgh 1976 Dallas Cowboys 1977/Round 1 #2 11 years in Dallas and 1 in Denver. NFL ROY, 4x Pro Bowl player and SB XII champ.  Pro Football HOF
Earl Campbell - Texas 1977 Houston Oilers 1978/Round 11 #1 Offensive ROY in '78 and NFL MVP in '79.  Was 3x All-Pro selection for Oilers.  Played 9 yrs Oilers/Saints
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Heisman Winner - School Heisman Year Drafted By: Draft Year/Round Overall Selection Summary
Billy Sims - Oklahoma 1978 Detroit Lions 1980/Round 1 #1 Billy Sims earned 3 Pro Bowl selections with the Detroit Lions before suffering a career ending knee injury in 1984.  Sims was the 1980 NFL Offensive ROY.
Charles White - USC 1979 Cleveland Browns 1980/Round 1 #27 After slow start in Cleveland, White earned Pro Bowl and Comeback POY with Rams in '87. Retired in '88.
George Rogers - South Carolina 1980 New Orleans Saints 1981/Round 1 #1 Rogers was the 1981 NFL ROY while leading the league in rushing.  His career tailed off after that.  Rogers played 4 years in New Orleans and 3 for Washington.
Marcus Allen - USC 1981 Los Angeles Raiders 1982/Round 1 #10 16 remarkable seasons with Raiders & Chiefs. 6x Pro Bowl, '85 NFL MVP, SB XVIII MVP & Pro F'ball HOF.
Herschel Walker -Georgia 1982 Dallas Cowboys 1985/Round 5 #114 Stint with USFL began 14-year pro career.  Won USFL rushing title in '85 & '85.  Gained 18,168 combined yards in 12 NFL years.
Mike Rozier- Nebraska 1983 Houston Oilers 1984/Supple- mental Round 1 #2 Began 8-year pro career with USFL's Pittsburgh Maulers and finished his career with the Atlanta Falcons
Doug Flutie - Boston Coll. 1984 Los Angeles Rams 1985/Round 11 #285 Fluties's 21-year career included the USFL, CFL & NFL.  3x Grey Cup champ & CFL's most outstanding player 6x.  '98 NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Bo Jackson- Auburn 1985 Tampa Bay Buccaneers LA Raiders 1986/Round 1 1988/Round 7 #1 #183 Perhaps best pro athlete ever.  Played for MLB & NFL & was an All Star for KC and Pro Bowler for Oakland.  A serious hip injury in 1991 ended his NFL career.
Vinny Testaverde - Miami 1986 Tampa Bay Bucaneers 1987/Round 1 #1 Played with 7 NFL teams over a 21-year span and enjoyed 2 Pro Bowl seasons.  At 43, became oldest starting QB to win a game in NFL history.
Tim Brown- Notre Dame 1987 Los Angles Raiders 1988/Round 1 #6 Brown played all but one of his 17 seasons with the Raiders and earned 9 Pro Bowl seasons and 14,934 receiving yards which was the 2nd most in NFL history when he retired.
Barry Sanders - Oklahoma State 1988 Detroit Lions 1989/Round 1 #3 Was on pace to become NFL's all-time leading rusher when he unexpectedly retired before the '99 season. Was a 10x Pro Bowl selection & '97 NFL MVP.   Rushed for 15,269 yards and 109 TD's in 10 seasons.
Andre Ware - Houston 1989 Detroit Lions 1990/Round 1 #7 Played in Detroit 4 years before his NFL career ended with the Raiders in '94.  Also played in the CFL.
Ty Detmer- BYU 1990 Green Bay Packers 1992/Round 9 #230 Deemed too small to play NFL QB, but logged a 14-year career as mostly a backup for 6 teams.
Desmond Howard - Michigan 1991 Washington Redskins 1992/Round 1 #4 Although drafted as a WR, Howard made his NFL mark as a punt returner where he was Super Bowl XXXI MVP for the Packers.  Played for 5 NFL teams.
Gino Torretta - Miami 1992 Minnesota Vikings 1993/Round 7 #192 Was on the roster of 5 NFL teams in 5 year career, but saw little action.
Charlie Ward - Florida State 1993 Not drafted by an NFL team N/A N/A After stating that he would not play in the NFL unless drafted in the 1st round, Charlie Ward was instead drafted into the NBA where he had a successful career
 
Heisman Winner - School Heisman Year Drafted By: Draft Year/Round Overall Selection Summary
Rashaan Salaam - Colorado 1994 Chicago Bears 1995/Round 1 #21 Although rushing for 1000+ yds and 10 TD's his rookie year, injuries and fumbles ended his NFL career after 4 seasons.  Salaam's career ended in 2004 with the CFL.
Eddie George - Ohio State 1995 Houston Oilers 1996/Round 1 #14 George was the '96 NFL ROY and ran strong for the Oilers/Titans thru the '03 season.  When George retired in '04 after a season in Dall., he had 10,441 career rushing yards, 2,227 Rec. yards,  78 total TD's & 4 Pro Bowls.
Danny Wuerffel - Florida 1996 New Orleans Saints 1997/Round 4 #99 Wuerffel served primarily as a backup and his six year NFL career included stints in N.O., G. Bay, Chi. & Wash.
Charles Woodson - Michigan 1997 Los Angeles Raiders 1998/Round 1 #4 Woodson's remarkable career began with the Oakland Raiders in 1988 before joining Green Bay in 2006.  Woodson is a 3x NFL All-Pro selection and was the 2009 AP Defensive Player of the Year.
Ricky Williams - Texas 1998 New Orleans Saints 1999/Round 1 #5 After being heralded as a football savior for Mike Ditka's Saints, Williams played threel injury plagued seasons before being traded to Miami. Williams' fist Dolphins stint began in 2002.  He then stepped away from football 2004 before returning in 2006.
Ron Dayne - Wisconsin 1999 New York Giants 2000/Round 1 #11 Dayne's NFL career earned early success as the powerful component of the Giants Thunder & Lightning duo.  However Dayne's star status quickly faded and his career concluded with short stints in Denver, Houston & Indy.
Chris Weinke - Florida State 2000 Carolina Panthers 2001/Round 4 #106 Weinke played for Carolina from 2001-06 and was the team's starting QB during the 2001 1-15 season.  Weinke's final stint was with San Francisco in 2007.
Eric Crouch - Nebraska 2001 St. Louis Rams 2002/Round 3 #95 Crouch was drafted by the Rams who envisioned him as a wide receiver instead of a QB because of his small stature.  Crouch was injured before making his Rams debut.  He later played as a DB in NFL Europe and also played QB for the CFL's Saskatchewan franchise in 2006-07.
Carson Palmer - USC 2002 Cincinnati Bengals 2003/Round 1 #1 Palmer instantly became the face of the Bengals franchise and has proven to be a top notch pro QB.  Despite battling injuries, Palmer has earned two Pro Bowl berths (2005, 2006).
Jason White - Oklahoma 2003 Undrafted N/A N/A Although not drafted, White was eventually signed by the Tennessee Titans as a free agent in 2005.  However the former Sooner soon stepped away from pro ball.
 
Heisman Winner - School Heisman Year Drafted By: Draft Year/Round Overall Selection Summary
Matt Leinart - USC 2004 Arizona Cardinals 2006/Round 1 #10 Leinart has served primarily as a backup while with the Cardinals after struggling with inconsistencies and injuries.  Following the retirement of Kurt Warner at the end of the 2009 season, Leinart was renamed the team's starting QB.
Reggie Bush - USC 2005 New Orleans Saints 2006/Round 1 #2 Although not the complete dominating force some expected, Bush has been a big-play artist for the Saints and was a key component in the franchise winning their first Super Bowl.
Troy Smith - Ohio State 2006 Baltimore Ravens 2007/Round 5 #174 Since being drafted by the Ravens, Smith has been a backup for most of his career.
Tim Tebow - Florida 2007 Denver Broncos 2010/Round 1 #25 Tebow entered the NFL nearly three years after winning the Heisman Trophy.  The former Gator soared to instant stardom before he threw his first pass with his jersey ranking number 1 in NFL jersey sales.  In his second season, Tebow emerged as the starter and led the Broncos to a division title.
Sam Bradford - Oklahoma 2008 St. Louis Rams 2010/Round 1 #1 Tremendous expectations are on the shoulders of Sam Bradford following his selection as the number 1 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.
Mark Ingram - Alabama 2009 New Orleans Saints 2011/Round 1 #28 Ingram joined the New Orleans Saints after being selected in first round of the 2011 Draft.
Cam Newton- Auburn 2010 Carolina Panthers 2011/Round 1 #1 Newton completes the trifecta of being the Heisman winner, winning a national championship and being the NFL Draft's first selection.
Robert Griffin III Baylor 2011 Washington Redskins 2012/Round 1 #2 RG3 became the new face of the Redskins after Washington trades up for the draft's #2 pick and select him.
Johnny Manziel Texas A&M 2012 Cleveland Browns 2014/Round 1 #22 Manziel was selected by Cleveland with the 22nd overall selection of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Jameis Winston Florida State 2013 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2015/Round 1 #1 Winston stayed in the "Sunshine State" with his selection by Tampa Bay
Marcus Mariota Oregon 2014 Tennessee Titans 2015/Round 1 #2 Much like Mariotta followed Jameis Winston as a Heisman winner, he followed the 2013 winner in the NFL Draft.
Derrick Henry Alabama 2016 Tennessee Titans 2016/Round 2 #45 For the second season in a row, the Tennessee Titans drafted a Heisman Tropyy winner.  Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban said that he was shocked that Henry lasted that long in the draft and that Henry "Breaks the mold."
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