Peter Schrager places just 6 SEC players in first round of latest NFL mock draft
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
The SEC has traditionally been the standard-bearer among the Power 4 conferences in the NFL Draft. Nearly half of the players in 2025’s first round, 15 in all, suited up for an SEC program before having their names called. All told, a total of 79 players from the conference were selected, breaking its own record of 65 set in 2021.
The 2026 draft might be a little different. That is, according to the latest Round One mock draft from ESPN’s Peter Schrager that dropped on Tuesday.
Schrager has just six players from the SEC going in the first round. The first player listed from the conference is LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane to the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 10.
The next SEC player in Schrager’s mock is another cornerback, Tennessee‘s Jermod McCoy, at No. 15 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Georgia offensive tackle Monroe Freeling came in at No. 19 to the Carolina Panthers, while Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion (24th, Cleveland Brown), Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor (25th, Chicago Bears), and Tennessee CB Colton Hood (29th, Kansas City Chiefs) round out the list.
Obviously, this is a mock draft, so none of this is set in stone. But it might be just another reminder that the balance of power may be shifting further toward the Big Ten. In contrast to the SEC, Schrager lists 12 B1G players. That’s led, of course, by Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza with the Las Vegas Raiders’ No. 1 overall pick, while Ohio State linebacker/edge rusher Arvell Reese was placed at No. 3, the Arizona Cardinals’ first selection.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
