 By SuperWest Sports Staff
April 18, 2026
Atotal of 89 players have gone No. 1 in the NFL Draft since it premiered in 1936, with 19 of those top picks coming from schools in the West.
USC leads the way with six top picks, followed by Stanford with four and Cal with two.
Here is a table of all the players from the region who have been drafted as the top pick.
There is a breakdown by program at the bottom.
Overall No. 1 NFL Draft Picks for Programs from the West
| Year | Player | College | NFL Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Caleb Williams | USC | Chicago Bears | QB |
| 2016 | Jared Goff | California | Los Angeles Rams | QB |
| 2012 | Andrew Luck | Stanford | Indianapolis Colts | QB |
| 2005 | Alex Smith | Utah | San Francisco 49ers | QB |
| 2003 | Carson Palmer | USC | Cincinnati Bengals | QB |
| 2002 | David Carr | Fresno State | Houston Texans | QB |
| 1996 | Keyshawn Johnson | USC | New York Jets | WR |
| 1993 | Drew Bledsoe | Washington State | New England Patriots | QB |
| 1992 | Steve Emtman | Washington | Indianapolis Colts | DT |
| 1989 | Troy Aikman | UCLA | Dallas Cowboys | QB |
| 1983 | John Elway | Stanford | Baltimore Colts | QB |
| 1977 | Ricky Bell | USC | Tampa Bay Bucs | RB |
| 1975 | Steve Bartkowski | California | Atlanta Falcons | QB |
| 1971 | Jim Plunkett | Stanford | New England Patriots | QB |
| 1969 | O.J. Simpson | USC | Buffalo Bills | RB |
| 1968 | Ron Yary | USC | Minnesota Vikings | OT |
| 1963 | Terry Baker | Oregon State | Los Angeles Rams | QB |
| 1955 | George Shaw | Oregon | Baltimore Colts | QB |
| 1954 | Bobby Garrett | Stanford | Cleveland Browns | QB |
Breakdown of No. 1 Picks by Program
| No. 1 Picks | School | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | USC | 2024, 2003, 1996, 1977, 1969, 1968 |
| 4 | Stanford | 2012, 1983, 1971, 1954 |
| 2 | Cal | 2016, 1975 |
| 1 | Fresno St | 2002 |
| 1 | Oregon | 1955 |
| 1 | Ore St | 1963 |
| 1 | UCLA | 1989 |
| 1 | Utah | 2005 |
| 1 | Washington | 1992 |
| 1 | WSU | 1993 |