ESPN’s Matt Miller projects 15 SEC prospects to go in Round 2 of 2026 NFL Draft
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night in Pittsburgh was light on SEC prospects compared to recent years. Only 7 former SEC standouts heard their names called in the first 32 picks.
The Big Ten produced 10 first-rounders, meaning the SEC’s 19-year streak of having the most Round 1 picks came to an end. But Round 2 should be a big one for the conference.
When Friday night’s action kicks off, ESPN’s Matt Miller expects 15 SEC guys to hear their names called in Round 2. Check them out below:
- No. 37 — Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee — New York Giants
- No. 39 — Chase Bisontis, OL, Texas A&M — Cleveland Browns
- No. 41 — Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee — Cincinnati Bengals
- No. 42 — Cashius Howell, Edge, Texas A&M — New Orleans Saints
- No. 43 — Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama — Miami Dolphins
- No. 44 — Brandon Cisse, DB, South Carolina — New York Jets
- No. 47 — CJ Allen, LB, Georgia — Indianapolis Colts
- No. 48 — Christen Miller, DL, Georgia — Atlanta Falcons
- No. 49 — AJ Haulcy, DB, LSU — Minnesota Vikings
- No. 50 — Zion Young, Edge, Mizzou — Detroit Lions
- No. 51 — Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt — Carolina Panthers
- No. 52 — Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas — Green Bay Packers
- No. 53 — Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU — Pittsburgh Steelers
- No. 56 — R Mason Thomas, Edge, Oklahoma — Jacksonville Jaguars
- No. 62 — Josiah Trotter, LB, Mizzou — Denver Broncos
The breakdown there is 2 each for Tennessee, Texas A&M, Georgia, LSU and Mizzou, with 1 player taken from Alabama, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Texas and Oklahoma.
Miller also put together his Round 3 projections. Click here to see the 15 SEC players he has in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Will Garrett Nussmeier be the third QB taken? He has a 24% chance, per Kalshi:
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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.
