With the first pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts selected … Peyton Manning, quarterback, Tennessee.
With the first pick of the 1999 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns selected … Tim Couch, quarterback, Kentucky.
With the first pick of the 2004 NFL Draft, the San Diego Chargers selected (and traded) … Eli Manning, quarterback Ole Miss.
And so on. And so forth.
The SEC has had seven players go No. 1 overall in the past 20 years. (Ole Miss left tackle Laremy Tunsil might add to that total later this month, though it appears more likely now that the Los Angeles Rams traded up to No. 1 to take a quarterback.)
The ACC, Big Ten and Pac 12 tied for next best with three apiece in that span.
Yet one player alone can’t make a draft class. Keep that in mind as we rank the 10 best SEC NFL Draft classes from the past 20 years.
2004
First-rounders: 6.
Highest pick: Ole Miss QB Eli Manning, No. 1 overall.
Worth noting: Manning has led the Giants to two Super Bowl titles. Ben Watson became a reliable target for Tom Brady in New England, and Karlos Dansby, the first pick of the second round, still is a starting linebacker and proved to be undervalued.
2013
First-rounders: 12, a conference record.
Highest pick: Texas A&M LT Luke Joeckel, No. 2 overall.
Worth noting: This class gets credit for size (a league-record 63 draft picks) more so than on-field success. Eric Reid made the Pro Bowl as a rookie. Several others, including Joeckel, are starting, but there haven’t been as many home runs as in other classes.
2002
First-rounders: 6.
Highest pick: Tennessee DT John Henderson, No. 9 overall.
Worth noting: No Hall of Famers, but plenty of longtime starters, including Henderson and Donte’ Stallworth, who was part of New England’s near-perfect team in 2007. Alex Brown, a fourth-round pick, was a starter and run-stopper for the Chicago Bears team that lost to Peyton Manning in the Super Bowl.
2000
First-rounders: 6.
Highest pick: Alabama LT Chris Samuels, No. 3 overall.
Worth noting: Samuels, a left tackle out of Alabama, was a six-time Pro Bowler with the Washington Redskins. Jamal Lewis, the No. 5 overall pick, won a Super Bowl as a rookie and later rushed for 2,066 yards — the third-highest total in NFL history. Shaun Alexander was a three-time Pro Bowler who helped Seattle get to the Super Bowl in 2005.
1999
First-rounders: 8,
Highest pick: Kentucky QB Tim Couch, No. 1 overall.
Worth noting: Couch was a mistake, but Champ Bailey (No. 7 overall) more than made up for it. Bailey is on his way to Canton, a 12-time Pro Bowler. Jevon Kearse, a three-time Pro Bowler early in his career, helped reinvent the edge rush position and was a key part of the Tennessee Titans’ Super Bowl team as a rookie. Al Wilson was a five-time Pro Bowl linebacker for the Broncos.
2014
First-rounders: 11, most in the nation, one shy of 2013 conference record.
Highest pick: South Carolina DE Jadeveon Clowney, No. 1 overall.
Worth noting: The SEC supplied four of the first seven picks — and none of those four have started as well as Odell Beckham, a two-time Pro Bowler whom the New York Giants selected No. 12 overall.
Alabama’s Greg Robinson, the No. 2 overall pick, is a staple at left tackle for the Rams.
Clowney has battled injuries and still trying to match his draft hype.
Johnny Manziel no longer is with a team and his NFL future is cloudy, at best.
2009
First-rounders: 8.
Highest pick: Georgia QB Matthew Stafford, No. 1 overall.
Worth noting: Stafford, a 2014 Pro Bowler, bolsters the class, but Percy Harvin is one of the NFL’s best returners/receivers. Harvin returned a kick for a touchdown to help Seattle crush Denver in the Super Bowl in 2013.
Michael Oher won a Super Bowl with Baltimore and helped the Carolina Pathers get to the Super Bowl this past season.
2015
First-rounders: 7.
Highest pick: Florida DE Dante Fowler, No. 3 overall.
Worth noting: Keep an eye on this class. Fowler missed his rookie season after tearing knee ligaments soon after the draft. Amari Cooper (No. 4 overall) and Todd Gurley (No. 10) made the Pro Bowl as rookies.
Gurley was named the Rookie of the Year, and Cooper finished third.
Shane Ray had two tackles for Denver in the Super Bowl win over the Panthers, and T.J. Yeldon, a second-round pick, ran for 740 yards in 12 games as Jacksonville’s feature back.
1998
First-rounders: 10.
Highest pick: Tennessee QB Peyton Manning, No. 1 overall.
Worth noting: Manning just retired after winning his second Super Bowl with just about every significant NFL passing record. But he was in good company. Fred Taylor (No. 9 overall) ran for 11,695 career yards and should have been elected to more than just one Pro Bowl. Linebacker Takeo Spikes was a two-time Pro Bowler. Leonard Little, a fourth-round pick, helped Tennessee win the Super Bowl as a rookie and made the Pro Bowl in 2003.
2011
First-rounders: 10, two shy of the conference record set in 2013.
Highest pick: Auburn QB Cam Newton, No. 1 overall.
Worth noting: Four of the first player players taken were from the SEC.
(Von Miller, the No. 2 pick, doesn’t count because Texas A&M wasn’t yet in the SEC. Missouri also had two top-10 picks who weren’t yet SEC members.)
Alabama had four first-rounders, setting a program record.
In hindsight, the top 5 picks might look the same today: Newton, Miller, Marcell Dareus is a two-time Pro Bowler, A.J. Green and Patrick Peterson both are five-time Pro Bowlers.
This draft is one of the best in NFL history, and the SEC stars playing like NFL stars is a huge reason.
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
