Don't believe Big Ten has really passed the SEC? Did you watch NFL Draft?
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Don't believe Big Ten has really passed the SEC? Did you watch NFL Draft?
Matt Hayes, USA TODAY·USA TODAY Sports
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4 min read
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UPDATE:The NFL Draft first round came and went Thursday night, and true to projections, theBig Ten produced 10 first-round picks— most for any conference and three more than the SEC.
PREVIOUSLY REPORTED:
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We're less than two weeks away from the final tell, the statement that could send shockwaves through the mightySEC.
TheNFL draft. And more specifically, the SEC's unassailable place in it.
No other conference produces NFL talent like the SEC. No other conference has more players on NFL rosters.
And now here comes the surgingBig Ten, with its three consecutive national championships from three teams, primed for another red flag shift at the top of college football.
IfMichigan,Ohio StateandIndianawinning the past three national titles didn't do it for you, if the SEC missing the past three national title games didn't clearly underscore a massive shift at the top of the sport, the NFL draft will leave no doubt.
For 19 years, the SEC has had more players drafted than any conference, a near two decade run that coincides with its dominance on the field.LSUstarted the conference's run of 14 national titles this century with a win overOklahomain the 2003 national title game.
1. Las Vegas Raiders – Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
(Kirby Lee, Imagn Images)
2. New York Jets – David Bailey, OLB/DE, Texas Tech
(Nathan Giese, Avalanche-Journal)
3. Arizona Cardinals – Arvell Reese, LB/DE, Ohio State
(Adam Cairns, Columbus Dispatch)
4. Tennessee Titans – Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
(Joseph Maiorana, Imagn Images)
5. New York Giants – Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
(Michael Caterina, Imagn Images)
6. Cleveland Browns – Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
(Grace Smith, IndyStar)
7. Washington Commanders – Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
NFL mock draft: Final projection features major shift in early picks
29. Kansas City Chiefs (from Rams) – Malachi Lawrence, DE, UCF
(David Purdy, Getty Images)
30/32
NFL mock draft: Final projection features major shift in early picks
30. Miami Dolphins (from Denver Broncos) – Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State
(James Snook, Imagn Images)
31/32
NFL mock draft: Big-name prospect drops in latest first-round projection
31. New England Patriots – Zion Young, DE/OLB, Missouri
(Denny Medley, Imagn Images)
32/32
NFL mock draft: Final projection features major shift in early picks
32. Seattle Seahawks – Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
(Wesley Hale, Imagn Images)
The dominance on the field and in the draft has been unrivaled. Until now.
Until the era of NIL and free player movement changed everything. Until the Big Ten, with its deep-pocket alumni bases and (as important) significant upgrades at the head coach and assistant coach positions, has blown by the SEC in the passing lane.
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All the way to the top of college football.
It's not just the national titles, it's bowl games and head-to-head matchups over the past three seasons, too. Since 2023, the Big Ten is 11-4 in the College Football Playoff, the SEC is 5-8.
But the NFL draft is the final frontier. The SEC held a slim 77-71 edge in total selections over the Big Ten last year. The last and final move of this remarkable paradigm shift within the power structure of the sport could play out later this month.
It won't take long to see where this is headed. Day 1 of the draft could pull back the curtain.
The SEC holds the record for most first-round selections in a single season with 15 (2020 and 2025), and has led or tied for the most first round picks in 14 of the past 15 years — including a whopping 170 since 2010.
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In hislatest mock draftfor USA TODAY Sports, Nate Davis predicts 12 Big Ten players will be selected in the first round and seven for the SEC.
But like every draft, the projected 33-43 picks are also first-round worthy, so the Big Ten's number could still increase depending on how the first round shakes out. That puts the league within striking distance of the record of 15, an opening salvo in what could be a generational change in the draft.
So the SEC can ignore the three national titles in a row. It can ignore the 2024 postseason, when it pushed forSouth CarolinaandAlabamato make the CFP — and both were beaten by Big Ten schools (Illinoisand Michigan, respectively) in bowl games.
It can ignore last year, when Vanderbilt andTexaswere the two teams that were "left out" of the CFP, and Vanderbilt lost toIowain a bowl game (Texas beat Michigan).
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It can ignore Southern California andOregonat Nos. 1 and 2 in the 247Sportscomposite recruiting rankingsfor the class of 2026, and the Big Ten with five of the first 12 in the rankings and eight of the top 30. While that's still a long way from the 13 of the SEC's 16 programs in the top 30, the fact we're even talking about the inroads made by the Big Ten in high school recruiting is a massive red flag.
Recruiting leads to player development, player development leads to championships. And championship play leads to an increased presence in the NFL draft.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza will be the first player selected in the draft. Ohio State could have as many as five selections in the first 10 picks. And that's just the beginning of what could be a glorious Big Ten affair at the NFL's annual player procurement party.
Deny it all you want, SEC honks. The Big Ten is the new king of college football.
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The official crown will be placed on its head after the NFL draft.
Matt Hayesis the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports. Follow him on X at@MattHayesCFB.
