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SEC’s first-round picks at QB in NFL Draft history … and who might join the mix in 2017
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From 2000-11, the SEC had eight quarterbacks selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, including four No. 1 picks.
Those days are long gone, however, and Johnny Manziel (2014) has been the only SEC quarterback selected in the first round since that stretch. Unless Tennessee star Joshua Dobbs jumps into the back end of the first round, it appears the conference will fail to have a quarterback selected on Day 1 for the third consecutive year.
That doesn’t mean SEC quarterbacks haven’t found success in the NFL in recent years. Part of the reason Dobbs is even garnering this much late attention is because of the incredible rookie season that former Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott had in 2016.
Dobbs fits the Prescott mold, a longtime starter who produced and has a high IQ, but there’s a reason so many teams are clamoring to find another player like the Cowboys’ rookie, they are an extreme rarity.
While an SEC QB likely won’t be any taken in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, we’ve decided to look back at the first-round quarterback selections in the conference’s history as part of our SEC draft series.
All told, 25 SEC quarterbacks have been selected in the first round, according to pro-football-reference.com’s database. Eight were taken No. 1 overall, most notably Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Cam Newton.
With four first-round picks, Florida has the most among SEC schools, but Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky and LSU are close behind with three.
Arkansas, Mississippi State, Missouri (since joining the conference) and South Carolina are the only programs without a first-round quarterback pick.
The full breakdown is below, enjoy!
| Player | School | Team | Overall pick | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnny Manziel | Texas A&M | Cleveland | No. 22 | 2014 |
| Cam Newton | Auburn | Carolina | No. 1 | 2011 |
| Tim Tebow | Florida | Denver | No. 25 | 2010 |
| Matthew Stafford | Georgia | Detroit | No. 1 | 2009 |
| JaMarcus Russell | LSU | Oakland | No. 1 | 2007 |
| Jay Cutler | Vanderbilt | Denver | No. 11 | 2006 |
| Jason Campbell | Auburn | Washington | No. 25 | 2005 |
| Eli Manning | Ole Miss | San Diego | No. 1 | 2004 |
| Rex Grossman | Florida | Chicago | No. 22 | 2003 |
| Tim Couch | Kentucky | Cleveland | No. 1 | 1999 |
| Peyton Manning | Tennessee | Indianapolis | No. 1 | 1998 |
| Heath Shuler | Tennessee | Washington | No. 3 | 1994 |
| Richard Todd | Alabama | New York (J) | No. 6 | 1976 |
| Bert Jones | LSU | Baltimore | No. 2 | 1973 |
| John Reaves | Florida | Philadelphia | No. 14 | 1972 |
| Archie Manning | Ole Miss | New Orleans | No. 2 | 1971 |
| Steve Spurrier | Florida | San Francisco | No. 3 | 1967 |
| Rick Norton | Kentucky | Miami | No. 2 | 1966 |
| Joe Namath | Alabama | St. Louis | No. 12 | 1965 |
| Babe Parilli | Kentucky | Green Bay | No. 4 | 1952 |
| Billy Wade | Vanderbilt | Los Angeles | No. 1 | 1952 |
| Travis Tidwell | Auburn | New York (G) | No. 7 | 1950 |
| John Rauch | Georgia | Detroit | No. 2 | 1949 |
| Harry Gilmer | Alabama | Washington | No. 1 | 1948 |
| Y.A. Tittle | LSU | Detroit | No. 6 | 1948 |
