SEC dominated the NFL Draft again

Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston became the program’s first Day 1 pick in the NFL Draft in four years on Thursday night in Green Bay. The former three-star recruit out of Greater Detroit is stepping into a great situation for the Buffalo Bills. The defensive back was one of the many former SEC players who showed up after the draft jingle played.

The best conference in college athletics again had a huge draft night. Greg Sankey’s league had the most first-round selections again edging out the Big Ten and pulling way ahead of both the Big 12 and ACC. This feels relevant when you consider where college football is headed. The 15 first-round picks were an NFL Draft record.

• 4.) New England Patriots: Will Campbell (T, LSU)
• 7.) New York Jets: Armand Membou (T, Missouri)
• 9.) New Orleans Saints: Kelvin Banks Jr. (T, Texas)
• 11.) San Francisco 49ers: Mykel Williams (EDGE, Georgia)
• 12.) Dallas Cowboys: Tyler Booker (iOL, Alabama)
• 15.) Atlanta Falcons: Jalon Walker (EDGE, Georgia)
• 16.) Arizona Cardinals: Walter Nolen (iDL, Ole Miss)
• 17.) Cincinnati Bengals: Shemar Stewart (EDGE, Texas A&M)
• 20.) Denver Broncos: Jahdae Barron (CB, Texas)
• 23.) Green Bay Packers: Matthew Golden (WR, Texas)
• 25.) New York Giants: Jaxson Dart (QB, Ole Miss)
• 26.) Atlanta Falcons: James Pearce Jr. (EDGE, Tennessee)
• 27.) Baltimore Ravens: Malaki Starks (S, Georgia)
• 30.) Buffalo Bills: Maxwell Hairston (CB, Kentucky)
• 31.) Philadelphia Eagles: Jihaad Campbell (LB, Alabama)

With the SEC expanding to 16 teams and the Big Ten expanding to 18 teams, we can expect the mega-conferences to rule on draft day. The conferences with the most money will be able to sign the best players both in high school recruiting and in the transfer portal. With the SEC holding a clear edge in high school recruiting thanks to proximity to the best players, this league will continue to rule on draft day.

The 2025 draft was no different.