The West Virginia Mountaineers football team, representing West Virginia University (WVU), has had 198 players selected in the National Football League (NFL) since the league began holding drafts in 1936. [1] This includes nine players selected in the first round. The Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions have drafted the most Mountaineers overall, 16 and 15, respectively. The Baltimore Ravens are the only current franchise to not have drafted a player from WVU. [2] Fifteen Mountaineer draft choices have been selected to a Pro Bowl and eleven have won a league championship.
Each NFL franchise seeks to add new players through the annual NFL Draft. The draft rules were last updated in 2009. The team with the worst record from the previous year picks first, the next-worst team second, and so on. Teams that did not make the playoffs are ordered by their regular-season record with any remaining ties broken by strength of schedule. Playoff participants are sequenced after non-playoff teams, based on their round of elimination (wild card, division, conference, and Super Bowl). [3]
B | Back [A 1] | K | Kicker | NT | Nose tackle |
C | Center | LB | Linebacker | FB | Fullback |
DB | Defensive back | P | Punter | RB | Running back |
DE | Defensive end | QB | Quarterback | WR | Wide receiver |
DT | Defensive tackle | RB | Running back | G | Guard |
E | End | T | Offensive tackle | TE | Tight end |
† | Selected to an all-star game | ||||
‡ | Won a league championship | ||||
# | Selected to an all-star game and won a league championship | ||||
Note: No drafts held before 1936
John Fox is an American football coach and former player who previously was a senior defensive assistant for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He was the head coach of the Carolina Panthers (2002–2010), Denver Broncos (2011–2014) and Chicago Bears (2015–2017) of the National Football League (NFL). He coached the Panthers to Super Bowl XXXVIII and the Broncos to Super Bowl XLVIII.
Joseph Lee Stydahar nicknamed "Jumbo Joe", was an American professional football player and coach. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1972.
The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of college football. West Virginia plays its home games at Milan Puskar Stadium on the campus of West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. The Mountaineers have won or shared a total of 15 conference championships, including eight Southern Conference titles and seven Big East Conference titles. The Mountaineers compete in the Big 12 Conference.
Harry Charles Clarke was a professional American football halfback for four seasons for the Chicago Bears in the National Football League (NFL). He later played three seasons in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). He played college football for West Virginia Mountaineers.
Eugene Cyril Smith III is an American professional football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers, leading them to multiple bowl games, breaking numerous passing records, and garnering multiple awards before being selected by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft.
Bruce Pernell Irvin Jr. is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round with the 15th overall pick of the 2012 NFL draft. Irvin won Super Bowl XLVIII over the Denver Broncos, and also played in Super Bowl XLIX where he became the first player ever to be ejected from a Super Bowl.
Wendell Lynn Smallwood Jr. is a former American football running back. He played college football at West Virginia and was selected in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Smallwood was also a member of the Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Karl Myrthell Joseph is an American professional football safety. He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft. He has also played for the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Nick Kwiatkoski is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football at West Virginia. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft.