The 2023 NFL Draft is now in the rearview mirror. All 32 NFL teams will turn their attention to the 2024 NFL Draft, which will be held in Detroit from April 25-27 of next year.

Speculation has already started as to who will be the first-round picks in next year’s draft, and there are sure to be more than a few SEC players in the mix.

Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley released his way-too-early 2024 projections and has a total of 8 SEC standouts going in Round 1:

  • No. 4 — Dallas Turner, Edge, Alabama — Tennessee Titans
  • No. 7 — Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama — Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • No. 8 — Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia — New England Patriots
  • No. 10 — Kamari Lassiter, CB, Georgia — Los Angeles Rams
  • No. 15 — Maason Smith, DL, LSU — Las Vegas Raiders
  • No. 18 — JC Latham, OL, Alabama — New Orleans Saints
  • No. 20 — Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama — Jacksonville Jaguars
  • No. 32 — Jason Marshall Jr., CB, Florida — Kansas City Chiefs

Interestingly, Buckley’s mock draft includes 8 SEC players and 10 B1G players, which would end the SEC’s streak of producing the most (or tied for the most) Round 1 picks. We’ll see what happens, but next year’s draft could be very intriguing!