Well, we can’t get to the CFP Championship game or win out bowl seasons, but the SEC still leads the way in NFL Draft picks. During the 2026 Draft, every SEC team had at least one athlete picked during the Draft. No other conference had that distinction. Here’s some stats for context:
And while some of the pro-SEC pundits are beating their chests about leading in the final Draft picks, some interesting talking points are starting to arise:
Yes, the Big XII is horrendous, and there’s a point to be made there, somewhere. Honestly, though, this is more interesting to process:
There’s a reason why four of those teams now have new coaches, and the rest, well let’s just say we are all amazed that Bobby Hill continues to get credence as a quality football coach, Drink (and TAMU!) always seems to have some epic faceplant each year, and Alabama just gave a contract extension to the guy who shows up not once, but twice in this graphic, and the tale of the two losses can’t be more polar opposite – one to the eventual national champ, and the other to a team that lost to Florida in their annual rivalry and was one of the worst teams…in the ACC.
As EE posted yesterday about the quality of draft picks in the later rounds, the distinction of “most draft picks” may be losing some luster when those who used to declare can just remain in college and continue to make millions. I don’t think that’s what’s happening the Big XII, but it stands to reason that having draftable players versus a team that’s retaining college players at an extended rate through NIL may shift this SEC “point of pride” from “look what me do” to “what are we actually doing with it when we have it”, as it should.
Oh, and to add icing to the cake, Vanderbilt actually felt it necessary to provide some hype to this festering ass carbuncle rather than choosing to have it lanced and treated with broad spectrum antibiotics:
Just another Monday in the growing saga called “what the hell happened to the sport I love?”
