North Carolina Tar Heels' highest NFL draft picks since 1970

While most colleges and universities field a football team as part of its general athletics program, there are some for which football is more than merely a sport—it's akin almost to a religion. Devotion to the team and its colors is as important to that school's culture as a religious icon is to a believer. These programs actively scout and recruit notable high school players, and are in turn rigorously applied to by matriculating seniors eager to make a name for themselves at the collegiate level.

Among the most notable college football empires are Notre Dame, the universities of Alabama, Michigan, Texas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, Penn State, Ohio State—the list goes on and on.

But for every touchstone football school, there is an outlier that has produced some of the most successful and cherished players in the game. Think Jackson State, which gave us "Sweetness" himself, Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton. Or Mississippi Valley State, which yielded 3-time Super Bowl champion and #1 Player in NFL History, as voted by the NFL Network, '49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice.

Each year, the college draft serves as a source of renewal to professional football and a testament to the quality of college programs nationwide. With the 2022 NFL draft set to take place April 28-30 in Las Vegas, Stacker compiled a list of the highest NFL draft picks from the North Carolina Tar Heels using data from Pro Football Reference. Ties were broken by the most recent year drafted.

#20. Thomas Smith (DB)
- Draft pick: Round 1, #28 overall in 1993
- Drafted by: Buffalo Bills
- Years as a starter in NFL: 7 (0 Pro Bowls)

#19. Brian Blados (T)
- Draft pick: Round 1, #28 overall in 1984
- Drafted by: Cincinnati Bengals
- Years as a starter in NFL: 4 (0 Pro Bowls)

#18. Harris Barton (T)
- Draft pick: Round 1, #22 overall in 1987
- Drafted by: San Francisco 49ers
- Years as a starter in NFL: 10 (1 Pro Bowls)

#17. Don McCauley (RB)
- Draft pick: Round 1, #22 overall in 1971
- Drafted by: Baltimore Ravens
- Years as a starter in NFL: 2 (0 Pro Bowls)

#16. Marcus Jones (DE)
- Draft pick: Round 1, #22 overall in 1996
- Drafted by: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Years as a starter in NFL: 2 (0 Pro Bowls)

#15. Ebenezer Ekuban (DE)
- Draft pick: Round 1, #20 overall in 1999
- Drafted by: Dallas Cowboys
- Years as a starter in NFL: 5 (0 Pro Bowls)

#14. Vonnie Holliday (DE)
- Draft pick: Round 1, #19 overall in 1998
- Drafted by: Green Bay Packers
- Years as a starter in NFL: 9 (0 Pro Bowls)

#13. Donnell Thompson (DE)
- Draft pick: Round 1, #18 overall in 1981
- Drafted by: Baltimore Ravens
- Years as a starter in NFL: 11 (0 Pro Bowls)

#12. Brian Simmons (LB)
- Draft pick: Round 1, #17 overall in 1998
- Drafted by: Cincinnati Bengals
- Years as a starter in NFL: 8 (0 Pro Bowls)

#11. Quinton Coples (DE)
- Draft pick: Round 1, #16 overall in 2012
- Drafted by: NY Jets
- Years as a starter in NFL: 2 (0 Pro Bowls)

#10. Ethan Horton (TE)
- Draft pick: Round 1, #15 overall in 1985
- Drafted by: Kansas City Chiefs
- Years as a starter in NFL: 5 (1 Pro Bowls)

#9. Robert Quinn (DE)
- Draft pick: Round 1, #14 overall in 2011
- Drafted by: St. Louis Rams
- Years as a starter in NFL: 9 (3 Pro Bowls)

#8. Eric Ebron (TE)
- Draft pick: Round 1, #10 overall in 2014
- Drafted by: Detroit Lions
- Years as a starter in NFL: 4 (1 Pro Bowls)

#7. Greg Ellis (DE)
- Draft pick: Round 1, #8 overall in 1998
- Drafted by: Dallas Cowboys
- Years as a starter in NFL: 12 (1 Pro Bowls)

#6. Jonathan Cooper (G)
- Draft pick: Round 1, #7 overall in 2013
- Drafted by: Arizona Cardinals
- Years as a starter in NFL: 2 (0 Pro Bowls)

#5. Ryan Sims (DT)
- Draft pick: Round 1, #6 overall in 2002
- Drafted by: Kansas City Chiefs
- Years as a starter in NFL: 3 (0 Pro Bowls)

#4. Ken Huff (G)
- Draft pick: Round 1, #3 overall in 1975
- Drafted by: Baltimore Ravens
- Years as a starter in NFL: 8 (0 Pro Bowls)

#3. Julius Peppers (DE)
- Draft pick: Round 1, #2 overall in 2002
- Drafted by: Carolina Panthers
- Years as a starter in NFL: 16 (9 Pro Bowls)

#2. Mitchell Trubisky (QB)
- Draft pick: Round 1, #2 overall in 2017
- Drafted by: Chicago Bears
- Years as a starter in NFL: 4 (1 Pro Bowls)

#1. Lawrence Taylor (LB)
- Draft pick: Round 1, #2 overall in 1981
- Drafted by: NY Giants
- Years as a starter in NFL: 13 (10 Pro Bowls)