Since the NFL Draft began in 1936, only a small number of college programs have produced multiple players selected with the first pick.
Penn State is one of 19 schools to reach that mark, joining a group that includes some of the most successful programs in college football history.
The Nittany Lions’ two top selections came within a five-year span and represent two different paths to the top of the draft: Ki-Jana Carter as an explosive running back who powered Penn State’s undefeated 1994 season, and Courtney Brown as a dominant defensive end who became one of the most decorated defenders in program history.
Both players became No. 1 overall picks after leaving lasting legacies in Happy Valley.
Ki-Jana Carter, 1995
Running back Ki-Jana Carter became the first PSU player selected No. 1 overall when he went to the Cincinnati Bengals with the top pick in the 1995 NFL Draft.
The heartbeat of Penn State’s 1994 team that finished 12-0, Carter rushed for 1,539 yards and 23 touchdowns that season, finishing as the Heisman Trophy runner-up and winning MVP of the 1995 Rose Bowl after an 83-yard touchdown run on the game’s opening play.
Courtney Brown, 2000
Five years after Carter made program history, Courtney Brown became Penn State’s second No. 1 overall pick when the Cleveland Browns selected him first in the 2000 NFL Draft.
Brown left an unmatched legacy at Penn State as a dominant defensive end. He remains the program’s all-time leader with 33 sacks and 70 tackles for loss. In 1999, he won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and earned unanimous All-American honors.
The 19-program club
USC leads all schools with six No. 1 overall picks, most recently quarterback Caleb Williams in 2024.
Georgia, Notre Dame and Oklahoma each have five. Auburn and Stanford have four. LSU, Ohio State, Texas and Miami have three.
Penn State shares the two-pick tier with Alabama, California, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia Tech.
Here’s a look at the schools that have produced multiple No. 1 overall picks in the NFL Draft:
USC (6)
OT Ron Yary (1968), HB O.J. Simpson (1969), HB Ricky Bell (1977), WR Keyshawn Johnson (1996), QB Carson Palmer (2003), QB Caleb Williams (2024)
Georgia (5)
HB Frank Sinkwich (1943), HB Charley Trippi (1945), WR/DE Harry Babcock (1953), QB Matthew Stafford (2009), DE Travon Walker (2022)
Notre Dame (5)
QB Angelo Bertelli (1944), QB Frank Dancewicz (1946), WR/DE Leon Hart (1950), HB Paul Hornung (1957), DE Walt Patulski (1972)
Oklahoma (5)
DE Lee Roy Selmon (1976), HB Billy Sims (1980), QB Sam Bradford (2010), QB Baker Mayfield (2018), QB Kyler Murray (2019)
Auburn (4)
HB Tucker Frederickson (1965), HB Bo Jackson (1986), LB Aundray Bruce (1988), QB Cam Newton (2011)
Stanford (4)
QB Bobby Garrett (1954), QB Jim Plunkett (1971), QB John Elway (1983), QB Andrew Luck (2012)
LSU (3)
TE Billy Cannon (1960), QB JaMarcus Russell (2007), QB Joe Burrow (2020)
Miami (3)
QB Vinny Testaverde (1987), DL Russell Maryland (1991), QB Cam Ward (2025)
Ohio State (3)
LB Tom Cousineau (1979), DT Dan Wilkinson (1994), OT Orlando Pace (1997)
Texas (3)
LB Tommy Nobis (1966), HB Earl Campbell (1978), DE Kenneth Sims (1982)
Alabama (2)
HB Harry Gilmer (1948), QB Bryce Young (2023)
California (2)
QB Steve Bartkowski (1975), QB Jared Goff (2016)
Indiana (2)
FB Corbett Davis (1938), QB Fernando Mendoza (2026)
Michigan (2)
HB Tom Harmon (1941), OT Jake Long (2008)
Nebraska (2)
FB Sam Francis (1937), WR Irving Fryar (1984)
Penn State (2)
RB Ki-Jana Carter (1995), DE Courtney Brown (2000)
South Carolina (2)
RB George Rogers (1981), DE Jadeveon Clowney (2014)
Tennessee (2)
HB George Cafego (1940), Peyton Manning (1998)
Virginia Tech (2)
DE Bruce Smith (1985), QB Michael Vick (2001)
Mike Garbett is a content specialist working with McClatchy’s Content Innovation Lab.