For the 12th consecutive year, the SEC had the most players selected in the NFL Draft, led by reigning national champion, Alabama with 12.
You may have heard this before, but the SEC is the best conference in college football. Not only did last year’s National Championship Game feature two SEC teams playing for it all, but the SEC dominated the NFL Draft, again.
The reigning national champion Alabama Crimson Tide led the way with 12 selections, including leading the way with four in the first round. The 12 draft picks is the most for Nick Saban and the most in program history. Alabama’s previous record-high was 10 in the 2017 NFL Draft and the 1945 Draft, although that went 32 rounds. The 12 draft picks is also a record-high for any SEC program.
Alabama has seen their entire starting defense from 2016 drafted into the league and their 77 picks over the last 10 years are the most of any school. LSU and USC come in second and third, respectively, with 72 and 66.
For the 12th straight year, the SEC led all conferences in selections with 53, tied for the 3rd-most by any conference since the draft went to 7 rounds in 1994. Alabama led all schools with 12 selections in 2018, the most for Alabama in the Common Draft Era (1967).
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 29, 2018
Minkah Fitzpatrick was the first to hear his name when the Miami Dolphins used the No. 11 pick on him in the first round. Two picks later, Washington took Da’Ron Payne who will be reunited with former defensive line-mate Jonathan Allen in the nation’s capital.
Rashaan Evans went No. 22 to the Tennessee Titans with Calvin Ridley going No. 26 to the Atlanta Falcons where he’ll learn from Alabama’s greatest product under Saban, Julio Jones.
Ronnie Harrison went to the Jaguars in the third round.
Da’Shawn Hand went to the Lions and Anthony Averett went to the Ravens in the fourth round.
Punter JK Scott went in the fifth round to the Packers.
Shaun Dion Hamilton went in the sixth round and will join Payne in Washington.
Bradley Bozeman is the last Alabama player picked by Ravens General Manager and Alabama alum, Ozzie Newsome, who went in the sixth round.
The seventh round saw running back Bo Scarbrough finally hear his name called by the Cowboys and Joshua Frazier rounded out the 12 when the Steelers took him with pick No. 246.
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It’s no wonder then why Alabama routinely is playing for the national championship when you consider they’re essentially fielding an NFL team. And don’t expect this to change in the near future. As long as Saban is on the sideline, they’ll recruit at an elite level and continue to bring in four and five-star recruits and develop them into future NFL Draft picks, many of them going in the first round.
Alabama didn’t play a game this weekend, but Crimson Tide fans should be walking around with their chests puffed out the next few days in celebration of the dozen players who joined the NFL this draft.