How many Heisman winners were the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft?

The first Heisman winner and the most recent winner were both the first picks in their NFL Draft, but it’s not a common trend throughout history.

Winning the Heisman doesn’t always equate to success in the NFL. For a long time, the Heisman curse felt like a very tangible thing with one bust after another. That’s why it’s not very common for the Heisman winner to be the top pick in the NFL Draft.

But there are plenty of success stories of Heisman winners being coveted by the NFL. The first winner, Jay Berwanger, was the first pick in the first NFL Draft in 1936. Last year’s winner, Baker Mayfield, was the top pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. In total, there have been 21 Heisman Trophy winners to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft.

Heisman winners who were the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft (Heisman year, player, school, NFL team)

• 1935 – Jay Berwanger – Chicago – Philadelphia Eagles
• 1940 – Tom Harmon – Michigan – Chicago Bears
• 1942 – Frank Sinkwich – Georgia – Detroit Lions
• 1943 – Angelo Bertelli – Notre Dame – Boston Yanks
• 1949 – Leon Hart – Notre Dame – Detroit Lions
• 1956 – Paul Hornung – Notre Dame – Green Bay Packers
• 1959 – Billy Cannon – LSU – Los Angeles Rams
• 1961 – Ernie Davis – Syracuse – Washington Redskins
• 1962 – Terry Baker – Oregon State – Los Angeles Rams
• 1969 – O.J. Simpson – USC – Buffalo Bills
• 1970 – Jim Plunkett – Stanford – New England Patriots
• 1977 – Earl Campbell – Texas – Houston Oilers
• 1978 – Billy Sims – Oklahoma – Detroit Lions
• 1980 – George Rogers – South Carolina – New Orleans Saints
• 1985 – Bo Jackson – Auburn – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• 1986 – Vinnie Testaverde – Miami – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• 2002 – Carson Palmer – USC – Cincinnati Bengals
• 2008 – Sam Bradford – Oklahoma – St. Louis Rams
• 2010 – Cam Newton – Auburn – Carolina Panthers
• 2013 – Jameis Winston – Florida State – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• 2017 – Baker Mayfield – Oklahoma – Cleveland Browns

The 2018 finalists, Tua Tagovailoa, Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins will wait to see if they can join this exclusive club. Tagovailoa has at least one more year at Alabama and projects as a potential No. 1 pick. Murray was the No. 9 pick in the last MLB Draft and has a future in baseball and not football. Haskins, however, could have a shot at being the top pick in the 2019 NFL Draft if he declares. But his chances of being that are greater than his chance of winning the Heisman.

It looks like the club will stay at 21 but if Tagovailoa wins this year, he could make it 22 after next year.