From No. 1 to Mr. Irrelevant, no conference dominates NFL Draft like SEC
The pre-draft evaluation process is long and grueling for prospects, and that’s exactly how the NFL wants it.
You have the East-West Shrine Game in January. The Senior Bowl in February. The Scouting Combine in March, as well as Pro Days held across the country. When the big weekend in April finally arrives, there’s a sense of relief.
Round 1 of the draft kicks off Thursday in prime time, with Rounds 2-3 scheduled for Friday — also during more TV-friendly viewing hours — and then Rounds 4-7 set for Saturday afternoon. Lifelong dreams will be realized, but being selected is less about ending a college career and more about starting a professional journey.
The best conference in America will be put on display immediately, as Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett is expected to be the No. 1 pick.
A rare blend of size, power and speed for an edge rusher, Garrett is widely regarded as the single most talented player available. The constantly rebuilding Cleveland Browns will more than likely take him off the board first overall.
If Garrett lives up to his potential, then he’s a Pro Bowler as a rookie and a lock for the Hall of Fame five years after he retires. Still, he does have his fair share of detractors — ESPN analyst Booger McFarland, most notably — who don’t see enough down-to-down production or series-to-series hunger to be truly dominant.
But even beyond Garrett, the league expects to be very busy Thursday and could set a new record for most first-round choices.
According to CBS Sports, of the 40 prospects being given a first-round grade, 13 are from the SEC. The Big Ten and Pac-12 are well behind with eight apiece. The ACC has just five. The Big 12 doesn’t even appear to have a first-rounder.
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Incredibly, seven of the Top 10 come from the SEC. Pass rusher Derek Barnett (above) has Tennessee relevant in the draft again. Safety Jamal Adams and running back Leonard Fournette continue the pro pipeline from LSU. Jonathan Allen, O.J. Howard and Reuben Foster — defensive end, tight end and linebacker, respectively — represent almighty Alabama.
Half a dozen other conference superstars are on the verge of hearing their names called in Round 1 if things break their way.
To call Vanderbilt linebacker Zach Cunningham the best player on a bad team is doing him a terrible disservice. Had he decided to play collegiately in Tuscaloosa or Baton Route instead of Nashville, he’d still be highly coveted.
Alabama offensive tackle Cam Robinson has a lot of hardware on his mantel — not only did he win a national championship, but he was awarded the Outland Trophy this past season — but it’s possible that he’s in for a position switch at the next level. Many evaluators see more potential for him inside at guard.
Steadily rising up draft boards for weeks, LSU cornerback Tre’Davious White can also be a returner on special teams.
While he’s not the physical specimen that Howard is, Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram can offer the route-running precision and pass-catching ability of a wide receiver. He’s a matchup nightmare for linebackers and safeties alike.
Even if the Missouri program has been a mess each of the last two years — those back-to-back runs to the SEC Championship Game seem all the more distant now — defensive end Charles Harris managed to record 16.0 sacks and 30.5 sacks during that time. He didn’t have nearly the help some thought he was going to get, either.
Florida linebacker Jarrad Davis is another product from the Will Muschamp era in Gainesville with a bright future ahead of him.
Not to mention Auburn’s Carl Lawson, LSU’s Duke Riley, Tennessee’s Alvin Kamara, Alabama’s Marlon Humphrey and Tim Williams and the Florida trio of Marcus Maye, Teez Tabor and Quincy Wilson (below). Each has heard some first-round chatter.
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The all-time mark for selections in Round 1 is 12. The ACC first set the standard in 2006, while the SEC tied it in 2013 — eventual Pro Bowlers like Missouri’s Sheldon Richardson, LSU’s Eric Reid and Tennessee’s Cordarrelle Patterson were among them. However, there were several busts like LSU’s Barkevious Mingo and Alabama’s Dee Milliner.
For the last 10 drafts consecutively, the SEC has led all conferences in total players chosen. If you want a direct path to the pros, look no further.
And it’s not only the cream of the crop making the leap from Saturday football to Sunday. From No. 1 to Mr. Irrelevant and everywhere in between, no league consistently puts more players into the draft and, as a result, the NFL.
The SEC had eight first rounders last April: Ryan Kelly of Alabama, Germain Ifedi of Texas A&M, Leonard Floyd of Georgia, Vernon Hargreaves and Keanu Neal of Florida and Laremy Tunsil, Laquon Treadwell and Robert Nkemdiche of Ole Miss. Gas-mask jokes aside — sorry, Rebels fans — no other conference had more than six.
Expect an even greater disparity this year. The SEC is going to own Round 1 and again be the talk of the draft.
As if ‘Bama needs any more publicity, the Tide have an outside chance of tying another record. No school has ever had more first-rounders in one draft than Miami in 2004. The Hurricanes had six of them that year.
Allen, Howard, Foster, Robinson, Humphrey and Williams could all be among the Top 32. If Alabama wants to break the mark with seven, not only would the aforementioned players need to be chosen — that in itself is a stretch — but a team would then have to reach for a Ryan Anderson, an ArDarius Stewart or a Dalvin Tomlinson.
The SEC also tends to make the most headlines on National Signing Day. It’s no coincidence that so many blue-chippers become first-rounders, too.
John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.
