Football is a sport you can find at most colleges and universities. To some people, football is more than just a game. Football is almost like a religion for some people. There is as much devotion to a school’s team and colors as religion are to a believer.

For every touchstone football school, there are those most successful and cherished players. 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 Charlotte 49ers using data from Pro Football Reference. Ties were broken by the most recent year drafted.