ESPN’s way-too-early 2026 NFL Mock Draft features 13 SEC stars in Round 1

ESPN analyst Jordan Reid is already looking ahead to the 2026 NFL Draft, which will take place in Pittsburgh next April. After producing 15 first-round picks in 2025, the SEC is looking poised to dominate the first night of the 2026 draft, too.

In fact, it could be a great year for SEC QBs. Reid has 2 SEC signal callers going in the top 10 of his way-too-early mock draft that published on Thursday.

Here’s a look at the 13 SEC football standouts who Reid thinks will go in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft:

• No. 2 — Kadyn Proctor, OL, Alabama — New York Giants
• No. 4 — LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina — New York Jets
• No. 7 — Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU — Los Angeles Rams
• No. 10 — Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn — New England Patriots
• No. 11 — Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas — Carolina Panthers
• No. 14 — Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee — Miami Dolphins
• No. 16 — LT Overton, DL, Alabama — Pittsburgh Steelers
• No. 20 — CJ Allen, LB, Georgia — Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• No. 22 — Nic Anderson, WR, LSU — Los Angeles Chargers
• No. 25 — Caleb Banks, DL, Florida — Cincinnati Bengals
• No. 29 — Cashius Howell, Edge, Texas A&M — Detroit Lions
• No. 30 — Malik Muhammad, CB, Texas — Baltimore Ravens
• No. 31 — Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt — Philadelphia Eagles

As you can see, a total of 10 different SEC teams are responsible for those 13 first-round picks, with Alabama, LSU and Texas all producing 2 first-rounders apiece.

Naturally, this is subject to change over the next year, so we’ll see which of these guys impress on the field this fall and boost their draft stock.

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.