NFL Draft by the Numbers: SEC produces the most picks again

May 3, 2025 WOL

During the 90th NFL Draft, 30 teams combined to pick 79 players from the SEC. Here are 10 things that happened during the 2025 selections:

4 SEC quarterbacks were chosen in the 2025 NFL Draft, including Florida’s Graham Mertz in the sixth round by the Houston Texans. Before picking Mertz, Houston had been the only franchise in the NFL that had not drafted a quarterback from the SEC. The other QB picks from the SEC in 2025 were Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart by the New York Giants in the first round, Alabama‘s Jalen Milroe by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round and Texas’ Quinn Ewers by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round.

4 NFL drafts have included a quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end from the same SEC program, with Texas achieving the feat in 2025. The Green Bay Packers chose WR Matthew Golden at No. 43, the Tennessee Titans chose TE Gunnar Helm at No. 120, the Dallas Cowboys chose RB Jaydon Blue at No. 149 and the Miami Dolphins chose QB Quinn Ewers at No. 231. In 1990, LSU had QB Tommy Hodson, RB Eddie Fuller, WR Tony Moss and TE Ronnie Haliburton drafted. Arkansas had QB Tyler Wilson, RB Knile Davis, WR Cobi Hamilton and TE Chris Gragg as its only four picks in the 2013 draft. In 2020, LSU had QB Joe Burrow, RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, WR Justin Jefferson and TE Stephen Sullivan drafted.

5 SEC players were chosen by the Detroit Lions in the 2025 NFL Draft. At the other extreme, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers did not pick a player from the SEC this year. Detroit made three of its SEC picks from Georgia. NFL teams that made two picks from the same SEC member in 2025 were the Baltimore Ravens from LSU, Buffalo Bills from Kentucky, Green Bay Packers from Texas, New England Patriots from LSU, New Orleans Saints from Texas, Philadelphia Eagles from Texas and Seattle Seahawks from Alabama. Before taking OT Emery Jones in the third round and G Garrett Dellinger in the seventh round in 2025, Baltimore’s only selection from LSU had been LB Patrick Queen in 2020.

7 Selections remained in the 2025 NFL Draft when the New England Patriots chose Vanderbilt LS Julian Ashby at No. 251. Ashby’s selection kept Vanderbilt from becoming the first SEC program to go four consecutive drafts without having a player picked. The most recent player chosen from Vanderbilt had been DE Dayo Odeyingbo at No. 54 by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2021 NFL Draft. Vanderbilt also did not have a player chosen in the 1993, 1994 and 1995 drafts. In 2025, one SEC program did not produce a draft pick – Mississippi State.

12 NFL drafts had passed between first-round picks from the SEC by the Dallas Cowboys. But Dallas ended the streak by selecting Alabama guard Tyler Booker at No. 12 in the 2025 draft. Booker became the Cowboys’ first first-round choice from the SEC since LSU CB Morris Claiborne was taken at No. 6 in 2012. The Los Angeles Chargers have the longest SEC first-round drought now. The Chargers’ most recent first-round pick from the SEC was Alabama OT D.J. Fluker at No. 11 in 2013. The Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers have chosen an SEC player in the first round of each of the past two drafts.

17 Consecutive first rounds have included at least one Alabama player, the longest streak in draft history. Those same 17 drafts have not included a player from Vanderbilt, the longest current first-round drought by an SEC program. The most recent first round without an Alabama player came in 2008. The Crimson Tide’s streak is three years longer than the No. 2 streak of Miami (Fla.). The Hurricanes had at least one player picked in every first round from 1995 through 2008. Twenty-seven of the NFL’s 32 teams have drafted an Alabama player in the first round during the streak, with the Raiders selecting five. The most recent Commodores player to be drafted in the first round is OT Chris Williams, who went to the Chicago Bears at No. 14 in 2008. Vanderbilt owns the longest streak without a first-round pick in SEC history, too, going 23 drafts in a row without one between the Green Bay Packers’ selection of RB Tom Moore with the fifth pick in 1960 and the Indianapolis Colts’ choice of DB Leonard Coleman with the eighth pick in 1984.

19 Consecutive drafts have had more players selected from the SEC than from any other conference. In 2025, the SEC provided 79 selections, with the Big Ten next at 71. The SEC’s haul broke the single-draft record of 65 players from one conference established by the SEC in 2021 and matched in 2022. The most recent draft in which the SEC did not provide the most players came in 2006, when the Big Ten had 41 players picked and the SEC 37. The SEC’s draft-pick total and the runner-up in the previous years of the streak include:

2007: SEC 41, Big Ten 32
2008: SEC 35, ACC 33
2009: SEC 37, ACC 33
2010: SEC 49, Big Ten 34
2011: SEC 38, ACC 35
2012: SEC 42, Big Ten 41
2013: SEC 63, ACC 30
2014: SEC 49, ACC 42
2015: SEC 54, ACC 47
2016: SEC 51, Big Ten 47
2017: SEC 53, ACC 43
2018: SEC 53, ACC 45
2019: SEC 64, Big Ten 40
2020: SEC 63, Big Ten 48
2021: SEC 65, Big Ten 44
2022: SEC 65, Big Ten 48
2023: SEC 63, Big Ten 55
2024: SEC 59, Pac-12 43

21 Kentucky players have been selected in the NFL Draft as defensive backs. But only one has been chosen in the first round – CB Maxwell Hairston, who went to the Buffalo Bills at No. 30 in the 2025 NFL Draft.

26 Consecutive NFL drafts without an LSU offensive lineman in the first round, a drought broken in the 2025 draft when the New England Patriots picked LSU OT Will Campbell at No. 4. Campbell was the first LSU offensive lineman chosen in the first round since the Pittsburgh Steelers took G Alan Faneca at No. 26 in 1998. Thirty-seven consecutive first rounds had passed without an offensive lineman from Missouri when the New York Jets broke the streak by picking OT Armand Membou at No. 7 in the 2025 draft. Membou was the first Missouri offensive lineman picked in the first round since the Los Angeles Raiders picked OT John Clay at No. 15 in 1987. Clay played in 12 games over two seasons. Faneca is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

38 Years since their previous selection from Ole Miss when the Las Vegas Raiders picked Rebels DT JJ Pegues in the sixth round in the 2025 NFL Draft. Pegues was the Raiders’ first pick from Ole Miss since TE Mario Perry in the 11th round of the 1987 draft. The franchise was the Los Angeles Raiders at that time. Three other teams made picks in the 2025 draft from an SEC member for the first time in this century. The Washington Commanders’ pick of CB Trey Amos in the second round was the team’s first selection from Ole Miss since RB Joe Mickles in the 12th round in 1989. The Seattle Seahawks’ pick of S Nick Emmanwori in the second round was the team’s first selection from South Carolina since G Ike Harris in the 12th round in 1991. The Chicago Bears’ pick of DE Shemar Turner in the second round was the team’s first selection from Texas A&M since LB Warrick Holdman in the fourth round in 1999, 13 years before the Aggies played their first SEC season.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE SEC, GO TO OUR SEC PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.

Source link