First-Round Recap: The Numbers
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‘It Just Means More.’ It’s more than a mantra. When it comes to the first round of the NFL Draft, it’s a reality. Thursday kicked off the 2025 NFL Draft, and—like clockwork—the SEC reminded everyone why it still just means more. Eighteen straight years of dominance. The last time another conference had more players drafted? 2006. Here is a look at the number of players that were drafted from each conference on Thursday.
- SEC: 15 picks
- Big Ten: 11 picks
- Big 12: 2 picks
- ACC: 2 picks
- MWC: 1 pick
- FCS: 1 pick
The numbers illustrate that the idea of a P4, or Power Four, group of conferences (SEC, Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12) is more an ideal than something tangible. We’ve seen this come to reality with conference realignment, notably Texas and Oklahoma leaving the Big 12 for the SEC. It’s also evident in media rights deals. The SEC and Big Ten are pulling in $70–100 million per school annually from media rights, while the ACC and Big 12 are stuck around $30–40 million. The disparity in first-round picks Thursday night provides another data point of this growing gap. 26 of the 32 first-round picks Thursday night came from the SEC or Big Ten. They do not like us.
First-Round Recap: SEC vs. Big Ten
Let’s take a closer look at the “Big Two.” Here is a list of the schools that helped make up the 26 players drafted from the SEC and Big Ten on Thursday night.
SEC:
Big Ten:
- Michigan: 3
- Oregon: 2
Shout out to the Buckeyes in Columbus. The Ohio State University had the most first-round picks of any school on Thursday night. A closer look at the two lists helps illustrate the gap between the SEC and the Big Ten. It all comes down to depth. For many fans outside the Southeastern Conference, the idea of SEC depth is a tired trope. More of a marketing scheme by ESPN, Paul Finebaum, and the SEC Network than anything in reality. But a closer look at the numbers shows that it may be grounded more in reality.
Three of the four teams that represented the Big Ten in the College Football Playoff in 2024 had players drafted on Thursday night. Indiana was the only Big Ten playoff team not to have a player drafted; the NFL missed out on the Maple Missile. Michigan was the only non-playoff team in the Big Ten to have a player drafted in the first round. It was a different story in the SEC.
All three SEC teams in the Playoff had at least one first-round pick. And get this — eight more first-rounders came from SEC squads that didn’t even make the Playoff. That’s the same number the Big Ten’s playoff teams had combined. They do not like us.
First-Round Recap: The Players
Here is a quick look at where all the SEC players went in the first round on Thursday night.
- Will Campbell (LSU): Offensive tackle, drafted #4 by the Patriots.
- Armand Membou (Missouri): Offensive tackle, drafted #7 to the Jets, Jets, Jets.
- Kevin Banks (Texas): SEC offensive tackles were popular. Banks was drafted #9 by the Saints.
- Mykel Williams (Georgia): The EDGE #11 to the 49ers. Kirby Smart has 20 first-round picks—and just 19 losses. Pretty, pretty, pretty good.
- Tyler Booker (Alabama): Offensive guard, drafted #12 by the Cowboys.
- Jalon Walker (Georgia): EDGE rusher, drafted #15 by the Falcons. 150 miles separate Athens from Flowery Branch, the Falcons’ training facility. Yet, this is the first Dawg drafted by the Falcons in the first round since 1966.
- Walter Nolen (Ole Miss): Defensive tackle, drafted #16 by the Cardinals. Yes, they play defense in Oxford, too.
- Shemar Stewart (Texas A&M): EDGE rusher, drafted #17 by the Bengals.
- Jahdae Barron (Texas): Cornerback, drafted #20 by the Broncos.
- Matthew Golden (Texas): Wide receiver, drafted #23 by the Packers.
- Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss): Quarterback, drafted #25 by the Giants. Grab your Louie—New York just got a Rebel.
- James Pearce Jr. (Tennessee): EDGE rusher, drafted #26 by the Falcons.
- Malaki Starks (Georgia): Safety, drafted #27 by the Ravens. Baltimore’s channeling Philly—stacking Dawgs on defense.
- Maxwell Hariston (Kentucky): Cornerback, drafted #30 by the Bills.
- Jihaad Campbell (Alabama): Linebacker, drafted #31 by the Eagles. He’s not from Georgia, but to be fair, Alabama does have a good track record against Georgia.
Congratulations to all the players who were drafted.
