History of First Round NFL Draft Picks by College Football Conference

Ever wonder which college football conference historically has had the most players selected in the first round of the NFL draft?

Of course you have.

• Independent -- 64
• C-USA -- 61
• BIG EAST -- 55
• Mountain West -- 37
• Western Athletic -- 33
• Schools that No Longer Play FB -- 23
• Mid-American -- 9
• Sun Belt Conference -- 5
• Other: (JC, none, Canadian College) -- 3
  

The list above reflects the composite total of players drafted in the first round (by conference) from the NFL Draft, 1936-2009; and the AFL draft from 1961-66.

As is so often the case, the SEC and Big Ten are 1 and 2. This time the Big Ten is #1; the SEC #2. You can read more SEC vs Big Ten stuff at SEC vs Big Ten.

However, it should be noted that the SEC is catching up -- fast. In the 2009 NFL draft, the SEC led the way as it usually has recently. The Southeastern Conference had 8 players drafted in the 1st round. Second, was the Big 12 with 7. The Big Ten was tied with the Pac-10 for fourth place with 4 first round NFL picks.

But, when it comes to comparing all time #1 NFL draft picks (THE player drafted first) -- the SEC is tops. So, these are only counting the very first player selected in an NFL or AFL draft. [By the way, Georgia QB, Matt Stafford, was the top overall pick in 2009. Those numbers can be seen at this pdf: Top NFL Draft Choice History: 1936 - 2009. The pdf also lists top picks by college. Which college has had the most? USC.

Wondering which SEC school has had the all-time most players drafted in the first round of the NFL draft? The answer is at SEC - NFL Draft Picks.

Check out our SEC Football Statistics.

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