The SEC is king: Trey Wingo begins league’s annual PR celebration around the NFL Draft

Trey Wingo started what shapes up to be days of promotion about the SEC in and around the NFL Draft, which is set for April 28 in Las Vegas.

Wingo, most known for his days as an NFL voice at ESPN, is now at Pro Football Network, but took some time on Sunday to recall the staggering numbers about draft picks from the SEC in recent NFL drafts that date back 15 years. Wingo counted 147 first-round picks for the SEC in the last decade and a half, almost twice as many as the next closest conference, the ACC, which has had 78.

Say whatever you want but the SEC reigns supreme when it comes to the NFL draft. Over the previous 15 drafts, 147 players from the SEC have been drafted in the first round, almost twice as many as the next closest conference – the ACC with 78. pic.twitter.com/C5Y2exS3oT

— trey wingo (@wingoz) April 17, 2022

Last year, the SEC topped its own record with 65 picks in the NFL Draft, as it had 63 picks in 2020.

Overall, the SEC led the nation’s conferences in NFL Draft picks for the 15th consecutive year in 2021. The last time that the SEC did not top the conference draft list was in 2006.

The draft later this month will aim to be the eighth straight year for the SEC to see 50 or more players taken in the NFL Draft. Only once in the last 25 years has another conference other than the SEC seen 50 or more players drafted.

The SEC has averaged over 50 selections per draft since 2006.

Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.