Purdue has 293 total NFL Draft picks, including 21 selected in the first round. Leroy Keyes (Philadelphia Eagles in 1969), Mike Phipps (Cleveland Browns in 1970) and Jim Everett (Houston Oilers in 1986) are the highest selected former Boilermakers at No. 3.

George Karlaftis was the last Boilermaker selected in the first round (No. 23 overall) in 2022.

In addition to the NFL Draft picks, 24 Boilers were drafted to the AFL (1960-1966) and nine were drafted to the AAFC (1947-49).

Fifty-one Boilermakers have appeared in the CFL, while another 14 have appeared in the USFL.

The Boilermakers have produced five Pro Football Hall of Famers, Len Dawson (1987), Bob Griese (1990), coach Hank Stram (2003) and Rod Woodson (2009) and Drew Brees (2026).

Purdue’s group of five former athletes have combined for a total of eight Super Bowl appearances and five victories. Two of the appearances and one of the victories was by Stram as the Kansas City Chiefs’ head coach. Drew Brees won the most recent Super Bowl (XLIV in 2010) by a Purdue alum selected to the Hall of Fame.

Forty-four former Boilers have appeared in at least one Super Bowl and 18 have appeared in multiple. Matt Light leads all Pro Boilers with five Super Bowl appearances with the New England Patriots and won three of them.

George Karlaftis was the last Pro Boiler to appear in a Super Bowl in 2025 (LIX) against the Philadelphia Eagles. He was the last to win a Super Bowl the previous year with his 25-22 Super Bowl LVIII victory over the San Fransico 49ers. Karlaftis opened his career with back-to-back Super Bowl victories to become the first defensive lineman in NFL history to win a title in his first two seasons.

Len Dawson (IV in 1970) and Drew Brees (XLIV in 2010) are the only two former Boilermakers to win Super Bowl Most Valuable Player.

Mike Alstott scored the first Super Bowl touchdown by a Purdue alum in a 48-21 Super Bowl XXXVII victory for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the Oakland Raiders in 2003. 

Three former Boilers have thrown a touchdown in the Super Bowl – Len Dawson in Super Bowl I (1967), Bob Griese in Super Bowl VII (1973) and Drew Brees in Super Bowl XLIV (2010).

Rod Woodson is one of 11 players in NFL history to play in three Super Bowls with three teams – Pittsburgh Steelers (XXX in 1996), Baltimore Ravens (XXXV in 2001) and Oakland Raiders (XXXVII in 2003).

Former Boilers have teamed up in the Super Bowl 14 times, while former Boilers have faced each other 15 times.

Four Pro Boilers teamed up to win back-to-back championships with the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVIII and XXXIX – Roosevelt Colvin, Brandon Gorin, Matt Light and Gene Mruczkowski.