10 Teams That Failed To Maximize Talent With Boatloads Of NFL Draft Picks

Over the weekend, 257 college football players heard their names called at the 2026 NFL Draft. Many came from notable programs following incredible seasons of on-field success.

Others, however, came from schools that failed to meet expectations. Despite being well-represented at the selection event, those teams failed to produce results in their 2025 campaigns.

Below are 10 teams that had at least five players drafted this April in Pittsburgh after middling seasons. The coaching staffs failed largely to maximize talent on the roster.

Teams that did less with more in terms of 2026 NFL Draft talent.

Some of these teams were projected to compete for national titles, only to fall short. A few had more draft picks than wins.

We’ll start with maybe the most disappointing team on the list.

Clemson

The Tigers had nine players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, headlined by a pair of first round picks. It matched a school record.

Clemson had the most production returning to college football in 2025. It was a veteran team built on experience and upperclassmen. Many heard their names called at the podium this weekend.

Unfortunately, it did not result in on-field success. The Tigers went 7-6 to fall well short of any preseason hype.

Penn State

Penn State’s season got off to an awful start in 2025, one year removed from a College Football Playoff appearance. The Nittany Lions went 3-3 before firing head coach James Franklin.

While they would finish 7-6 after beating previously mentioned Clemson in a bowl game, the program did not meet the national title expectations set at season’s start.

It didn’t necessarily hurt the players on draft night. Seven Nittany Lions were selected at the 2026 NFL Draft to match their win total.

Iowa

Iowa wasn’t in the same boat as Penn State and Clemson in terms of national championship projections. It, however, did boast talent.

The Hawkeyes saw seven players drafted over the weekend, a mark that ranked third in the Big Ten behind Indiana and Ohio State. It also set a school record.

Unfortunately, the total in the win column didn’t reflect that draft success. Iowa won eight games in the regular season. While it wasn’t a bad season by any means, it was a bit of a disappointment given the NFL talent on the roster.

LSU

LSU is the second team on this list which fired a head coach due to an inability to maximize talent. Brian Kelly was shown the door after a 5-3 start to the year. The Tigers would go onto finish 7-6.

That result came despite having seven players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, a number that ranked fourth in the SEC. One of those selections came in the first round.

LSU entered the year as a national title favorite. It barely reached a bowl game, one which it would go onto lose against Houston.

Washington

Washington tied Iowa for the third-most Big Ten draft picks in 2026 with seven. The class was headlined by second-rounder Denzel Boston.

Despite the talent on the roster, the Huskies produced somewhat middling results on the field in 2025.

Washington was largely uncompetitive against top foes, going 0-3 with three double-digit losses to Ohio State, Michigan, and Oregon. It also lost to a miserable Wisconsin team.

While the Huskies did win eight regular season contests, most came against bad opponents. Given the NFL Draft output, most would’ve hoped to see a stronger product that matched up with the top half of the Big Ten.

Tennessee

Tennessee won eight games in 2025 while going 4-4 in SEC play. It failed to meet expectations after making the College Football Playoff the year prior.

The Vols were not void of talent on the roster. The program had six players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft over the weekend.

Tennessee rose as high as No. 11 in the AP Poll in October. It was then blasted by Alabama and Vanderbilt to fall out of the Top 25 altogether.

At the end of the day, it was a disappointment to have nearly as many losses as draft picks come season’s end.

Missouri

Another eight-win SEC team with six NFL Draft picks makes the list next in Missouri. Their season was headlined by an 0-5 mark against ranked foes.

Missouri stacked wins against bad teams. Despite ranking sixth in the SEC in draft picks, they failed to produce wins in big games.

The end result was an 8-5 season off the heels of back-to-back 10-win campaigns. Eli Drinkwitz hopes to rebound despite losing his most talented players to the NFL.

Michigan

Michigan’s football season was full of chaos as head coach Sherrone Moore was fired after the regular season. While his canning was not based on wins and losses, he largely failed to maximize talent.

The Wolverines had six players picked in the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. They won nine games, mostly against overmatched foes.

Michigan was 0-3 against ranked opponents. It beat just one conference opponent with a winning record in league play. The output was disappointing due to an inability to compete against top teams on the schedule.

Each of the program’s four losses came by double digits.

Florida

Billy Napier was fired as Florida’s head football coach midway through the 2025 season. That came after a 3-4 start to the year.

The on-field results wouldn’t get much better following his departure as the Gators finished the year at 4-8.

Despite that disappointing campaign, the program saw five players drafted in Pittsburgh this past weekend. Like Clemson mentioned before them, the were one of a handful of programs that had more draft picks than wins.

Auburn

Rounding out the list is another SEC team that got rid of its head coach before season’s end. Auburn parted ways with Hugh Freeze after a 4-5 start. They’d go on to finish 5-7.

Talent wasn’t necessarily the issue as five Tigers heard their names called at the 2026 NFL Draft. That number ranked Top 20 nationally.

Unfortunately, it did not lead to wins. Auburn dropped seven games, with six coming by one possession. The Tigers were competitive but ultimately, a disappointment.

Much of last year’s talent has now left the Plains as Alex Golesh looks to produce a quick turnaround in 2026.