With the announcement that Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter is the winner of the 2024 Heisman Trophy, it’s time to look at how Heisman winners have fared in the NFL Draft over the years.
The first Heisman was awarded in 1935, won by Jay Berwanger from the University of Chicago. Berwanger subsequently became the first Heisman winner to become the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL selection process, heading to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Including Berwanger up through last year’s Heisman winner and No. 1 overall pick, Caleb Williams, 25 players have been the top draft pick after winning the Heisman. That includes five of the last six, dating back to Baker Mayfield in the 2018 draft. Devonta Smith, the 2020 Heisman winner, went 10th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The 25 winners taken No. 1 include Hall of Famers like Paul Hornung, Earl Campbell and O.J. Simpson but also some largely forgotten players like Frank Sinkwich, Angelo Bertelli and Terry Baker.
Winning the Heisman recently has been a very strong guarantee of becoming a first-round pick, with 17 of the last 19 meeting that threshold. The exceptions are Derrick Henry (2nd round 2016) and Troy Smith (5th round 2007).
Smith wasn’t the latest selection in a draft, however. Far from it, in fact; 1990 winner Ty Detmer wasn’t picked until the ninth round of the 1992 NFL Draft. The winner in ’92 was Geno Torretta, a seventh-rounder in 1993. Going back to before the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, six Heisman winners weren’t selected until at least the 10th round. That group includes Hall of Famer Roger Staubach, though the 1963 Heisman winner deserves an asterisk because he was destined for active duty in the Navy over immediately playing in the NFL.
Three Heisman winners have gone undrafted: Jason White (2003), Charlie Ward (1993) and Pete Dawkins (1958). Ward was a first-round pick in the NBA and played professional basketball for 11 years, however.
In all, 62 Heisman winners have been first-round picks out of 88 winners, with Archie Griffin being the only player to win two Heismans. The Lions have selected the most Heisman winners, with 10. That includes four of the first 12 winners and extends through tabbing winners Barry Sanders and Andre Ware in back-to-back years in 1988 and 1989. The Rams are next in picking eight winners. The New Orleans Saints earn a special mention for selecting four between 1996 winner Danny Wuerffel and 2009 winner Mark Ingram.
Where will Hunter wind up in the 2025 NFL Draft? It’s still to early to know, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him gracing the draft stage in April in the first handful of picks. There’s even a chance Hunter could add to the list of No. 1 overall picks who captured college football’s most prestigious honor.
