Discover which NFL teams have selected the most Heisman Trophy winners in the NFL Draft. The interest in these award-winners seems to be quite strong from some franchises, while other teams have not made it a priority to draft players singled out as the best in college football.
When the first NFL Draft was held in 1936, the first player selected was 1935 Heisman Trophy winner Jay Berwanger. Through the years, selecting the winners of college football’s top individual award has been a popular early-round choice.
A Heisman Double-Shot in 2024
The 2024 NFL Draft saw two Heisman Trophy winners selected with the first two picks. The Chicago Bears chose Caleb Williams, the 2022 winner, with the the first pick. The 2023 winner, Jayden Daniels, was then picked by the Washington Commanders with the No. 2 overall selection.
| NFL Franchise | Heisman Winners Drafted | Heisman Winner – College – Year Drafted |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | 10 | Larry Kelley, Yale, 1937 Clint Frank, Yale 1938 Frank Sinkwich, Georgia, 1943 Glenn Davis, Army, 1947 Leon Hart, Notre Dame, 1950 Howard Cassady, Ohio State, 1956 Steve Owens, Oklahoma, 1970 Billy Sims, Oklahoma 1980 Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State, 1989 Andre Ware, Houston, 1990 |
| L.A. Rams | 9 | Les Horvath, Ohio State, 1943 Billy Cannon, LSU, 1960 Terry Baker, Oregon State, 1963 Mike Garrett, USC, 1966 Gary Beban, UCLA, 1968 John Cappalletti, Penn State, 1974 Doug Flutie, Boston Coll., 1985 Eric Crouch, Nebraska, 2002 |
| Tennessee Titans Houston Oilers | 6 | Earl Campbell, Texas, 1978 Mike Rozier, Nebraska, 1984 Eddie George, Ohio State 1996 Marcus Mariota, Oregon, 2014 Derrick Henry, Alabama, 2016 |
| Washington Commanders | 6 | Vick Janowicz, Ohio State, 1952 Joe Bellino, Navy, 1961 Ernie Davis, Syracuse, 1963 Desmond Howard, Washington, 1992 Robert Griffin III, Baylor, 2012 Jayden Daniels, LSU 2024 |
Lions Pride
The Detroit Lions have drafted more Heisman winners that any other NFL franchise. Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders proved to be Detroit’s top Heisman choice with the Pro Football Hall of Fame career that Sanders earned.
| NFL Franchise | Heisman Winners Drafted | Heisman Winner – College – Year Drafted |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 5 | Tom Harmon, Michigan, 1941 Johnny Lujack, Notre Dame, 1949 Dick Kazmaier, Princeton, 1952 Rashaan Salaam, Colorado 1995 Caleb Williams, USC 2023 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4 | George Rogers, South Carolina 1981 Danny Wuerffel, Florida, 1997 Ricky Williams, Texas, 1999 Reggie Bush, USC, 2006 |
| Oakland Raiders Las Vegas | 4 | Marcus Allen, USC, 1982 Bo Jackson, Auburn, 1988 Tim Brown Notre Dame, 1988 Charles Woodson, Michigan, 1998 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3 | Archie Griffin, Ohio State, 1976 Carson Palmer, USC, 2003 Joe Burrow, LSU, 2020 |
| Cleveland Browns | 3 | Charles White, USC, 1980 Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M 2014 Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma, 2017 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 3 | Roger Staubach, Navy, 1964 Tony Dorsett, Pitt, 1977 Herschel Walker, 1985 |
| Green Bay Packers | 3 | Bruce Smith, Minnesota 1942 Paul Hornung, Notre Dame 1957 Ty Detmer, BYU, 1992 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | Jay Berwanger, Chicago, 1936 Davey O’Brien, TCU, 1939 John Huarte, Notre Dame, 1965 |
| Arizona Cardinals St. Louis & Chicago | 3 | John David Crow, Texas A&M, 1958 Matt Leinart, USC, 2004, Kyler Murray, Oklahoma 2019 |
| Carolina Panthers | 3 | Chris Weinke, FSU, 2001, Cam Newton, Auburn, 2011 Bryce Young, Auburn 2023 |
Hitting Heisman Gold
The Raiders franchise struck the jackpot by drafting Heisman Trophy winners who excelled in the draft. Three of the Raiders picks, Marcus Allen, Tim Brown and Charles Woodson went from wearing the vaunted Silver and Black to Gold Pro Football Hall of Fame blazers. Had Bo Jackson not suffered a devastating hip injury and refrained from playing Major League Baseball, he easily could have been a hall of famer as well.
| Tampa Bay Bucaneers | 2 | Vinny Testaverde, Miami 1987 Jameis Winston, FSU, 2013 |
| Carolina Panthers | 2 | Chris Weinke, FSU, 2001, Cam Newton, Auburn, 2011 |
| Indianapolis/Baltimore Colts | 2 | Billy Vessels, Oklahoma, 1953 Alan Ameche, Wisconsin, 1955 |
| New England Patriots | 2 | Joe Bellino, Navy, 1961 Jim Plunkett, Stanford, 1971 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 2 | Doc Blanchard, Army, 1946 Johnny Lattner, Notre Dame, 1954 |
| Tampa Bay Bucaneers | 2 | Vinny Testaverde, Miami 1987, Jameis Winston 2014 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 1 | Pat Sullivan, Auburn, 1972 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 1 | Troy Smith, Ohio State, 2007 |
| Denver Broncos | 1 | Tim Tebow, Florida, 2010 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 1 | Gino Torretta, Miami, 1993 |
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