It's no secret: There are talented football players who play in the SEC and every year, the conference has some of the top selections in the NFL Draft.
Yes, the SEC dominated the first couple of rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft, but let’s be real — it was mostly thanks to a few programs. Georgia, Alabama, and Texas carried most of that weight in the early rounds. It's not like every single team in the conference is cranking out first-rounders. Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Arkansas — they aren't exactly flooding the NFL with stars every spring.
When you look at the 79 players drafted from the SEC, you have to realize that the conference’s size and depth play a role too. It’s a numbers game as much as anything. As a matter of fact, Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Florida accounted for 54 of those total picks. That's five programs, for those counting along at home.
And let's not pretend that there aren't busts in the draft all the time, from every conference — including the SEC. Some of the biggest draft disappointments in the past decade came from big-name SEC programs. Just because a player wears an SEC patch on his jersey doesn’t mean he’s destined for NFL greatness. The "bust rate" isn't magically lower just because someone played in the SEC.
Plus, let’s talk about the bigger picture here. The SEC — for all its "we’re the best" bragging rights — hasn’t even made it to the national championship game the past two years. And last season? It took a transplant in Texas to even get a team into the semifinals. Imagine where the conference would’ve been without the Longhorns coming over from the Big 12. That’s not exactly the type of dominance you’re chanting about when you're screaming "S-E-C!" every time a kid from Alabama gets drafted.
This isn't an "anti-SEC" rant. It’s just pointing out that not every success needs to be celebrated like it’s proof of global superiority. Chanting "SEC" after every single draft pick feels less like a victory lap and more like an exercise in futility. It’s a little bit like bragging about your favorite fast food restaurant having the most franchises — sure, there are a lot of them, but that doesn’t automatically make each one better than the others.
Even when you break down the numbers, the SEC's dominance isn’t as bulletproof as it sounds. The Big Ten had 71 draft picks — just eight fewer than the SEC — and Ohio State absolutely torched the NFL Draft this year with 14 players selected, including 13 in the first five rounds. It’s not like the SEC is in a totally different galaxy. Other conferences are right there, and in some cases, doing just as well (if not better) when it comes to producing NFL-ready talent.
Why? Because it's about program not conference. Are there a lot of quality programs in the SEC? Absolutely. But, that's no reason to group the entire conference together in that same breath.
At the end of the day, NFL Draft success is cool. It's fun to see guys from your school — or your conference — get their moment. But let’s stop pretending that it’s some kind of end-all-be-all measuring stick for college football dominance.
So sure, celebrate your draft picks. Wear your SEC shirts with pride. Just maybe dial it back a bit before acting like it’s the ultimate "we’re better than you" card.