If anyone wanted another example of just how dominant and better the SEC is when compared with the rest of college football, the 2013 NFL Draft proved to be another huge statement for the best conference in the sport, getting in more players than anyone else overall and obviously in the first round as well.
The SEC ruled so highly, that they got in more players than the number two (ACC) and three (Pac-12) conferences on the list , while others, like the Big Ten and the Big East, managed to get only one player each in the first round, while the SEC were the only ones with a double digit crop.
Big East – 19 Players
Justin Pugh, guard, coming out of Syracuse, didn’t have to go too far by being taken by the New York Giants as the 19th overall pick and the top one coming out of the Big East. He was the only Big East players in the first couple of rounds taken in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Big 12 – 22 Players
Only three players out of the 22 coming from the Big 12, the smallest of the BCS conferences, were selected in the first round. Lane Johnson, an offensive tackle coming out of Oklahoma, was the top pick from the conference, chosen by the Philadelphia Eagles at the number 4 spot.
Big Ten – 22 Players
The Big Ten got in 22 players, and only one, Travis Frederick, a Center heading to play for the Dallas Cowboys, in the first round, as the 31st overall pick. Only four more from the conference were chosen in the second round.
Pac-12 – 28 Players
The Pac-12 should have had a national championship contender last season, but Oregon lost to Stanford and they had to settle for two teams winning BCS bowls, which isn’t too bad. Dion Jordan of Oregon was the top pick from the conference, going third overall to the Miami Dolphins. Five players got into the first round.
ACC – 32 Players
The ACC isn’t as respected as other conferences in terms of current quality, but they did finish second in the getting-players-into-the-NFL, with Jonathan Cooper coming out of North Carolina leading the way, being the 7th overall pick, heading to the Arizona Cardinals. The ACC got six players in the first round.
SEC – 63 Players
The SEC has won the BCS championship for the last seven seasons, and is by far regarded as the best conference in College Football. No surprise then that it got more players in than the number two and three conferences on this list combined. Texas A&M have been in the conference only one season, but they had the number two pick overall, the highest among conference players, with left tackle Luke Joeckel, going to the Jacksonville Jaguars. They got 12 players selected in the first round.