For the first time since 2015, the Big Ten conference knocked the SEC off its throne in the opening round of the NFL draft, though the Southeastern Conference still managed to break records for overall player selections.
The Big Ten claimed 10 first-round selections, powered by recent national championship teams Indiana and Ohio State, ending the SEC’s streak of leading round one. The SEC managed just seven first-round picks — a dramatic drop from last year’s record 15 selections and their smallest first-round showing since 2015.
LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane became the first SEC player selected when Kansas City chose him sixth overall, marking the latest an SEC player has been picked to start a draft since 2018, when Roquan Smith went eighth to Chicago.
Where the SEC truly flexed its muscle was in the later rounds, demonstrating remarkable depth across the conference. The league dominated days two and three with 29 selections in rounds two and three, plus 51 additional picks in the final four rounds. Their total of 87 drafted players shattered previous records and easily surpassed the Big Ten’s 67 selections.
This marks two decades of SEC draft supremacy, with the conference leading total selections in every draft since the ACC topped the list in 2006. That period coincided with Florida’s national championship the following year, launching an era where SEC schools captured 13 of 17 national titles.
That championship dominance shifted when Michigan claimed the 2023 title, followed by Ohio State and Indiana winning their own championships recently.
The remaining power conferences trailed significantly, with both the Big 12 and ACC placing six players in round one and 38 total selections each.
Recent conference realignment, combined with relaxed transfer rules and NIL compensation, has increasingly concentrated top talent at major programs within the power conferences.
San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson stood as the lone exception among first-round picks, going 27th to Miami as the only player who didn’t complete his college career in a power conference or at Notre Dame.
Group of Six representation remained minimal, with Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren selected 58th by Cleveland as the next non-power conference player chosen. Georgia State receiver Ted Hurst went 84th to Tampa Bay as the only other Group of Six player picked in the first two days.
Overall, just 14 Group of Six players heard their names called, with the American and MAC conferences leading with four selections each. ESPN reported that 39 additional draftees had transferred from Group of Six schools to power conferences.
FBS independents contributed seven players, including six from Notre Dame and one from UConn. Four players came from FCS programs, while Philadelphia selected Nigerian native Uar Bernard in the seventh round through the NFL’s International Pathway Program despite him never playing college football.
Running backs experienced a historic night in round one, with Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love becoming the first back selected in the top five in eight years when Arizona took him third overall. His teammate Jadarian Price closed out the round as Seattle’s final pick.
This marked just the sixth instance since 1967 of two running backs from the same school going in the first round of one draft, last occurring in 2008 with Arkansas teammates Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.
The position became an afterthought afterward, with Indiana’s Kaelon Black becoming the next running back selected near the end of round three at 90th overall to San Francisco. This created the smallest group of running backs ever chosen in the first three rounds of the modern draft era.
Only 10 additional running backs were selected on the final day, bringing the total to 13 — the fewest in draft history.
Tight ends enjoyed a resurgence with 22 selections, matching 2015 for the most since that year, reflecting the NFL’s increased use of multiple tight end formations.
Traditional position priorities remained evident with teams selecting 51 defensive linemen and 50 offensive linemen. Defensive backs (46), wide receivers (36), linebackers (26), quarterbacks (10), and specialists (3) rounded out the selections.
Ohio State achieved historic draft success, becoming the third school ever to place four players in the top 11 selections. Carnell Tate, Arvell Reece, Sonny Styles, and Caleb Downs all went within those first 11 picks.
Only Michigan State in 1967 (four in the top eight) and Notre Dame in 1946 (four in the top 10) had accomplished similar early-draft dominance.
The Buckeyes continued their strong showing with seven additional selections, leading all schools with 11 total picks. Alabama and Texas A&M each had 10 players chosen, while Clemson, Miami, and Texas Tech contributed nine apiece.
Michigan and USC extended their remarkable consistency, each having at least one player selected for the 88th consecutive draft — the longest active streaks. Notre Dame has missed just one regular draft since 1938 (1977, though Al Hunter was picked in that year’s supplemental draft).
Wisconsin saw its streak of annual selections since 1979 come to an end.
The NFL streamlined the first round by reducing selection time from 10 to eight minutes, completing the opening round in 2 hours and 53 minutes Thursday night — 36 minutes faster than last year and 40 minutes quicker than the five-year average.
This efficiency represents a dramatic change from Commissioner Roger Goodell’s first draft in 2007, when 15-minute selection windows created a marathon 6-hour, 8-minute first round. The current format cuts that duration in half.
