What are the chances of a college football player making the NFL?

Many college football players dream of playing in the NFL, but few reach the highest level of football. According to a 2019 report by the NCAA, nearly 16,400 NCAA football players were eligible for the 2018 NFL Draft. Of that figure, 255 were drafted by the NFL (1.6 percent). Not all of those athletes made NFL rosters. 

What are chances of being drafted in other sports?

The odds vary, but the chances are slim in every sports except baseball. All figures from the NCAA study are from 2018.

Of the nearly 4,200 draft-eligible NCAA men's basketball players, only 52 (1.2 percent) were drafted by the NBA.

Of the nearly 3,700 draft-eligible NCAA women's players, only 34 (0.9 percent) were drafted by the WNBA.

Of the nearly 7,900 draft-eligible NCAA baseball players, 775 were drafted (9.8 percent) by Major League Baseball teams. Many of those athletes will never play for a MLB team, however.

Of the 940 draft-eligible NCAA men's hockey players, 65 were drafted (6.9 percent) by the NHL.

What are odds of NCAA athlete earning a college degree?

According to the NCAA report, the odds are "significantly greater" compared to being drafted by a major professional sports league. Graduation success rates are 86 percent in Division I, 71 percent in Division II and 87 percent in Division III, according to the study posted in April 2019.