SEC Network Shares Astonishing Stat Ahead of NFL Draft

With just three days to go before the 2021 NFL Draft kicks off in Cleveland, SEC Network shared a truly mind-blowing statistic regarding the conference's recent performance in the annual event.  While it's nothing new that the SEC is the top dog among college football, the conference's ability to put talent in the NFL is astounding.

Just incredible.

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Beginning in 2007, the SEC has led every other conferences in total draft picks; a streak that does not look like it will stop anytime soon. The conference has seen at least 35 of its' players drafted in the each of the last 14 seasons, with the record for most picks by one conference coming in 2019 when the conference saw 64 players taken across seven rounds.

In those 14 years, a total of 692 players have been selected, which, for anyone wondering, works out to about 13.5 NFL team's worth of players.

While that stat, in and of itself, is absolutely insane, it seems to coincide with something else notable happening within the conference.

Nick Saban came to town in 2007, and with his arrival at Alabama, the conference's hot streak in the NFL Draft began. The Crimson Tide saw three players taken in 2007 draft, beginning a relationship between the Saban led program and the NFL that has done nothing but blossom since. In 2018, the Tide had 12 players taken, setting a program record, and with an impressive 2021 class, Alabama has a chance to tie another record this year.

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Many mock drafts project six Crimson Tide players to be taken in the first round which would tie Miami's record-setting 2004 class and cement the 2020 season as even more impressive for Alabama.

While Nick Saban's arrival may not directly coincide with the improvement of the conference as a whole, it's impossible to deny the significance of it. Saban has, without a doubt, brought a new level of competition to the conference that has helped bring it back to the upper echelon of college football. History seems to show that the conference will continue to dominate as long as 'ole Nick sticks around.