Power 4 teams with no players drafted in 2026 NFL Draft

2. North Carolina Tar Heels

North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick

Record: 4–8 (2–6 in the ACC)
North Carolina showed flashes but couldn’t string together consistent wins. The lack of draft picks reflects a roster that may need more development before producing NFL-level talent again.

3. Oklahoma State Cowboys

Record: 1–11 (0–9 in the Big 12)
It was a brutal year for Oklahoma State, with just one win all season. A record like that often signals deeper roster issues, and the absence of draft selections reinforces that reality.

4. Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue Boilermakers

Record: 2–10 (0–9 in the Big Ten)
Purdue struggled mightily in one of the toughest conferences in the country. Without clear NFL-ready prospects emerging, they were shut out of the draft this cycle.

5. Syracuse Orange

Record: 3–9 (1–7 in the ACC)
Syracuse had a challenging season and couldn’t generate much momentum. The lack of draft picks suggests the program is still rebuilding its pipeline to the pros.

6. UCLA Bruins football

Record: 3–9 (3–6 in the Big Ten)
UCLA’s transition into the Big Ten proved difficult, with inconsistent results throughout the year. Despite some competitive outings, no players stood out enough to be selected in the draft.

7. Virginia Cavaliers football

Record: 11–3 (7–1 in the ACC)
Virginia stands out on this list with an impressive record and strong conference performance. Still, even successful teams can lack top-end NFL prospects in a given year, which appears to be the case here.

8. Virginia Tech Hokies football

Record: 3–9 (2–6 in the ACC)
Virginia Tech had difficulty finding consistency on both sides of the ball. The absence of draft picks highlights a need for more high-impact talent moving forward.

9. West Virginia Mountaineers football

Record: 4–8 (2–7 in the Big 12)
West Virginia hovered near the bottom of the Big 12 standings. While there may be promising players on the roster, none rose to the level of draft selection this year.

10. Wisconsin Badgers football

Record: 4–8 (2–7 in the Big Ten)
Wisconsin’s season didn’t live up to its usual standards. Known for producing NFL talent, this draft drought is more of an anomaly than a trend for the program.

MORE: NFL Draft grades for all 32 teams

Conclusion

In the end, having zero players drafted in the 2026 NFL Draft isn’t always a definitive statement about a program’s future—but it does offer a telling snapshot. For many of these teams, it reflects rebuilding phases, roster turnover, or simply a lack of elite, draft-ready talent this cycle. For others, like Virginia, it’s more of an unusual blip despite on-field success. The good news is that college football evolves quickly, and development timelines vary. A year from now, several of these programs could easily bounce back and reestablish their presence in the NFL pipeline.