ESPN includes 14 SEC players in early Round 1 2026 NFL Draft projections

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before… the SEC is projected to dominate Round 1 of an NFL Draft.

OK, you’ve probably heard plenty about the SEC’s run of dominance in the NFL Draft.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before… Alabama is projected to have multiple first-round picks.

That became a common occurrence under Nick Saban and it appears likely to continue under Kalen DeBoer.

On Monday, ESPN draft expert Matt Miller unveiled his early projections for Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft. As you can see below, he has 14 SEC standouts going in the first 32 picks next April:

• No. 4 — Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas — New York Jets
• No. 9 — Kadyn Proctor, OL, Alabama — Los Angeles Rams
• No. 11 — Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU — Indianapolis Colts
• No. 13 — Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn — Dallas Cowboys
• No. 15 — Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee — Miami Dolphins
• No. 16 — LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina — Pittsburgh Steelers
• No. 18 — Tim Keenan III, DL, Alabama — Minnesota Vikings
• No. 19 — LT Overton, Edge, Alabama — Green Bay Packers
• No. 20 — Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt — Denver Broncos
• No. 21 — Austin Barber, OL, Florida — Houston Texans
• No. 22 — Patrick Payton, Edge, LSU — Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• No. 26 — CJ Allen, LB, Georgia — Los Angeles Chargers
• No. 29 — Tyreak Sapp, Edge, Florida — Detroit Lions
• No. 32 — Jake Slaughter, OL, Florida — Buffalo Bills

For those keeping track at home, that’s 3 Florida players and 3 Alabama players going in Round 1. The Gators and Crimson Tide both have lofty expectations this season, and it shows up in Miller’s projections.

Obviously, there’s a lot of football to be played between now and next April. We’ll see which players keep their stock on the rise and which take a fall down draft boards as the 2025 college football season kicks off.

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.