SEC Football by the Numbers: Top 10 from the 2024 NFL Draft

During the 89th NFL Draft, 30 teams combined to pick 59 players from the SEC. Here are 10 things that happened during the 2024 selections:

0 Vanderbilt players were chosen in the 2024 NFL Draft after none were picked in the drafts of 2022 and 2023. This is the second time that an SEC program has gone three consecutive NFL drafts without producing a pick. Vanderbilt also has the other streak of three empty drafts. The Commodores did not have a player picked in the 1993, 1994 and 1995 drafts. The most recent player picked from Vanderbilt during the NFL Draft is DE Dayo Odeyingbo by the Indianapolis Colts in 2021. On the other hand, Florida extended its record streak for producing draft picks to 73 years. But WR Ricky Pearsall, chosen by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round on Thursday, was solely responsible for keeping the Gators’ streak going. This was the fourth time during the streak, which started with the 1952 draft, that Florida produced only one pick, joining 1968, 1971 and 1980.

1 Current NFL team has never drafted an SEC quarterback. The Houston Texans were left as the lone exception after the Baltimore Ravens made their first quarterback selection from the SEC by choosing Kentucky’s Devin Leary in the sixth round on Saturday. Leary was among the four SEC quarterbacks picked in 2024, joining LSU’s Jayden Daniels by the Washington Commanders, South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler by the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee’s Joe Milton III by the New England Patriots. The most SEC quarterbacks selected in one draft is five, which occurred in 1971 and 2023. The SEC list for 2024 does not include Oregon QB Bo Nix, who played his first three college seasons at Auburn and was picked by the Denver Broncos on Thursday.

6 NFL teams made their first selections of SEC players from Missouri, South Carolina or Texas A&M during the 2024 NFL Draft. When New Orleans chose South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler in the fifth round on Saturday, he became the first Gamecocks player picked by the Saints since DB Earl Johnson in 1985′s ninth round. Because South Carolina didn’t play its first SEC season until 1992, Rattler became New Orleans’ first SEC pick from the Gamecocks. While this was the 32nd NFL Draft since South Carolina began SEC play, it was the 12th for Missouri and Texas A&M. The Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars made their first SEC picks from Missouri, and the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles made their first SEC picks from Texas A&M. Detroit’s selection of CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr. was its first from Missouri since 1983. Indianapolis’ selection of S Jaylon Carlies was its first from Missouri since 1996. Jacksonville’s selection of OT Javon Foster was its first from Missouri since 2011. New England’s selection of G Layden Robinson was its first from Texas A&M since 2003. Philadelphia’s selection of WR Ainias Smith was its first from Texas A&M in 1997.

11 SEC players have been Mr. Irrelevant after the New York Jets chose Alabama S Jaylen Key with the 257th and final pick in the 2024 draft on Saturday. The SEC’s other Mr. Irrelevants have been Tennessee C Lamar Leachman in 1955, Tennessee B Tommy Bronson in 1958, Georgia DT Donald Chumley in 1985, LSU DB Norman Jefferson in 1987, Kentucky LB Marty Moore in 1994, Alabama DB Ramzee Robinson in 2007, South Carolina PK Ryan Succop in 2009, South Carolina TE Justice Cunningham in 2013, Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly in 2017 and Georgia LB Tae Crowder in 2020. The first three of those players never played in the NFL, but the other seven did.

18 Consecutive drafts have had more players selected from the SEC than from any other conference. In 2024, the SEC provided 59 selections, with the Pac-12 next with 43. The most recent draft in which the SEC did not provide the most players came in 2006, when the Big Ten had 41 players picked and the SEC 37. The SEC’s draft-pick total and the runner-up in the previous years of the streak include:

· 2007: SEC 41, Big Ten 32

· 2008: SEC 35, ACC 33

· 2009: SEC 37, ACC 33

· 2010: SEC 49, Big Ten 34

· 2011: SEC 38, ACC 35

· 2012: SEC 42, Big Ten 41

· 2013: SEC 63, ACC 30

· 2014: SEC 49, ACC 42

· 2015: SEC 54, ACC 47

· 2016: SEC 51, Big Ten 47

· 2017: SEC 53, ACC 43

· 2018: SEC 53, ACC 45

· 2019: SEC 64, Big Ten 40

· 2020: SEC 63, Big Ten 48

· 2021: SEC 65, Big Ten 44

· 2022: SEC 65, Big Ten 48

· 2023: SEC 63, Big Ten 55

27 Consecutive drafts have featured a selection from the SEC by the Cincinnati Bengals. The second-longest current streak is 13 drafts by the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants. Cincinnati’s streak started when it chose Auburn LB Takeo Spikes with the 13th choice in the 1998 NFL Draft. During the streak, the Bengals have selected 56 SEC players, choosing from every conference member except Missouri and Vanderbilt. (Cincinnati drafted two Missouri players during the streak, but they were chosen before the Tigers joined the SEC.) Over the past 27 drafts, the Bengals have picked 10 players from Georgia, eight from LSU, seven from Alabama, six apiece from Auburn and Florida, five from Ole Miss, four from Texas A&M, three each from Arkansas and South Carolina, two from Tennessee and one apiece from Kentucky and Mississippi State. The Bengals picked five SEC players in 2024. The Jacksonville Jaguars made the most selections from the SEC in 2024 with six.

57 NFL drafts went by between Alabama kickers being picked. On Thursday, the Minnesota Vikings chose Crimson Tide K Will Reichard at No. 203 in the 2024 draft. In 1966, the Cleveland Browns chose Alabama K David Ray at No. 243. Ray never kicked for the Browns. Lou “The Toe” Groza, who had been Cleveland’s kicker since 1946, remained in that role through the 1967 season. While Ray made 19-of-31 field-goal attempts and 44-of-48 extra-point tries in his final two seasons at Alabama, he also played end and led the 1964 team and placed eighth in the SEC with 271 receiving yards. Ray did not kick in an NFL game until 1970, and in 1973, he led the NFL with 30 field goals and 130 points. Between the two Alabama kickers, 30 kickers from the SEC were drafted, including seven apiece from Georgia and Tennessee. While Greg Gantt made a field goal at Alabama (on six attempts), he was drafted as a punter by the New York Jets in 1974.

60 SEC quarterbacks were drafted between the two most recent South Carolina quarterbacks to be picked. When the New Orleans Saints selected Spencer Rattler with the 150th pick in the 2024 draft on Saturday, he became the first Gamecocks QB drafted since the Cleveland Browns took Todd Ellis with the 247th selection in the 1990 draft. Every SEC team has had a quarterback drafted since then, with LSU producing 11 in that span. Because the Gamecocks joined the SEC in 1992, Rattler is the first South Carolina quarterback to play in an SEC game to be drafted.

92 Alabama players have been selected in the past 10 NFL drafts. That’s the most from an SEC program in a 10-year period. The Crimson Tide’s draft total from 2015 through 2024 surpassed the record of 90, which had been set by the Alabama draft classes of 2012 through 2021 and equaled by the Crimson Tide’s draft total from 2014 through 2023. Alabama had 10 players picked in 2024. These will be the last players drafted who were coached in their final seasons by Nick Saban, who retired in January. The 10-player draft class moved Saban past Tom Osborne (Nebraska 1973-1997) and Woody Hayes (Denison 1946-1948, Miami, Ohio 1949-1950, Ohio State 1951-1978) into third on the all-time coaches draft list at 174. He trails the 251 players of Joe Paterno (Penn State 1966-2011) and 182 of Bobby Bowden (Howard 1959-1962, West Virginia 1970-1975, Florida State 1976-2009). Osborne had 168 drafted players, and Hayes had 166.

171 LSU players were drafted between picks from the Tigers by the Detroit Lions, the longest active drought involving one NFL franchise and one SEC program by number picks until Saturday. That’s when the Lions chose DT Mekhi Wingo in the sixth round for their first selection from LSU since WR Slip Watkins in 1991. Every other NFL team drafted at least one LSU player between those picks. Two other SEC programs had their longest draft droughts with an NFL team end in 2024. The San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers hadn’t chosen an Alabama player since OT D.J. Fluker in 2013 when they took Crimson Tide DT Justin Eboigbe on Saturday. Between those picks, 102 Alabama players were drafted by the other NFL teams. The Lions hadn’t chosen a Missouri player since DB Demetrious Johnson in 1983 when they took Tigers CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr. on Friday. Between those picks, 83 Missouri players were drafted by other NFL teams. The longest droughts (as measured by the number of drafted players) in the NFL Draft for each SEC team after the 2024 draft include:

· Alabama: 104 Crimson Tide players have been drafted since the Kansas City Chiefs made their most recent pick from Alabama – LB Nico Johnson in 2013.

· Arkansas: 124 Razorbacks have been drafted since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made their most recent pick from Arkansas -- RB Jerry Eckwood in 1979.

· Auburn: 170 Tigers have been drafted since the New Orleans Saints made their most recent pick from Auburn -- DE Frank Warren in 1981.

· Florida: 92 Gators have been drafted since the Tennessee Titans made their most recent pick from Florida – DB Ryan Smith in 2007.

· Georgia: 90 Bulldogs have been drafted since the Dallas Cowboys made their most recent pick from Georgia – RB Shaun Chapas in 2011.

· Kentucky: 132 Wildcats have been drafted since the Miami Dolphins made their most recent pick from Kentucky -- RB Larry Seiple in 1967.

· LSU: 91 Tigers have been drafted since the Los Angeles Rams made their most recent pick from LSU -- DT Michael Brockers in 2012.

· Mississippi State: 133 Bulldogs have been drafted since the Los Angeles Chargers made their most recent pick from Mississippi State -- WR Sammy Milner in 1971.

· Missouri: 85 Tigers have been drafted since the New York Giants made their most recent pick from Missouri -- OT Conrad Goode in 1984.

· Ole Miss: 109 Rebels have been drafted since the Cleveland Browns made their most recent pick from Ole Miss – TE Curtis Weathers in 1979.

· South Carolina: 122 Gamecocks have been drafted since the Pittsburgh Steelers made their most recent pick from South Carolina – G Steve Courson in 1977.

· Tennessee: 81 Volunteers have been drafted since the Jacksonville Jaguars made their most recent pick from Tennessee – DT John Henderson in 2002.

· Texas A&M: 101 Aggies have been drafted since the Tennessee Titans (as the Houston Oilers) made their most recent pick from Texas A&M – RB Rodney Thomas in 1995.

· Vanderbilt: 81 Commodores have been drafted since the Detroit Lions made their most recent pick from Vanderbilt -- C Ben Donnell in 1959.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.