NFL Draft picks by conference: SEC dominated, Big 12 largely invisible
Alabama led all schools with 12 NFL Draft picks in 2018 and the SEC led all conferences in draft picks for the 12th straight year.
Now that all seven rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft have come and gone, it’s time to look at which conferences came out the best.
It’s no surprise that the SEC was the show-stopper with 10 first-round picks and a total of 53 selections over the seven rounds from the 14 member schools. This marks the 12th straight year that the SEC has led all conferences with the most draft picks. It’s no wonder why the conference is widely regarded as the best conference in college football and has been viewed that way for more than a decade.
The reigning national champions led all schools with 12 selections, setting a program and SEC record in the process. If you’re going to beat Alabama, good luck because it means you basically need half of your starting lineup to be made up of NFL players.
Georgia may get them in the coming years as the pipeline of talent is being built in Athens, but for now, Alabama remains the king.
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
FINAL -- Most Picks by School (2018)
— Pick Six Previews (@PickSixPreviews) April 28, 2018
12- Alabama
7- LSU
7- Miami
7- NC State
7- Ohio State
6- FSU
6- Penn St
6- UGA
5- Florida
5- UCLA
5- Virginia Tech
5- Washington
5- Wisconsin
The ACC came closest to knocking off Alabama, and figures to be strong next year with the Clemson Tigers leading the way with draft prospects. Then, there was a big drop-off to the Big Ten and Pac-12. And then another big drop to the Big 12 where only 20 players were picked.
Most Draft Picks by Conference
- SEC – 53
- ACC – 45
- Big Ten – 32
- Pac-12 – 30
- Big 12 – 20
SEC football fans are used to feeling braggadocious and they’ll continue to do so again after owning the NFL Draft. They’re the home to the best football programs and the best football players and that is only going to result in more elite recruits wanting to join the SEC to be the next wave of talent to hear their name called during the NFL Draft.