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The more things change, the more they stay the same. The SEC once again flexed its muscle in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft Thursday night.
The SEC set an NFL record in 2020 with 15 first-round draft picks. The previous record — tied by the SEC twice and the ACC once — for the most first round picks was 12. The SEC didn’t break its record of 15, but it still led all conferences in picks. Amazingly, the Big 12 didn’t have a single first-round pick.
This year, the SEC finished with 12 first-round picks, highlighted by Alabama’s impressive 6 selections. The Crimson Tide tied Miami’s 2004 draft class for the most ever in the first round.
Below is a breakdown by conference:
- SEC: 12
- Big Ten: 7
- ACC: 6
- Pac-12: 3
- AAC: 2
- Independent: 1
- FCS: 1
Below are all the SEC first-round picks:
- No. 4: Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida (Falcons)
- No. 5: Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU (Bengals)
- No. 6: Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama (Miami)
- No. 8: Jaycee Horn, DB, South Carolina (Panthers)
- No. 9: Patrick Surtain II, DB, Alabama (Broncos)
- No. 10: DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama (Eagles)
- No. 15: Mac Jones, QB, Alabama (Patriots)
- No. 17: Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama (Raiders)
- No. 19: Jamin Davis, LB, Kentucky (Washington football team)
- No. 20: Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida (Giants)
- No. 24: Najee Harris, RB, Alabama (Steelers)
- No. 29: Eric Stokes, DB, Georgia (Packers)
Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.