Tag: sec draft picks

Which college football conference had the most first round picks in the NFL draft? (Hint: the SEC was dominant, again)

The SEC and the Big Ten battled it out to see which conference was the most-dominant in the first round of the NFL draft.

Conference superiority is an argument that college football fans love to have. But other than College Football Playoff and bowl game success, one of the best arguments that a conference can have is their record in the NFL draft.

In particular, the first round of the NFL draft.

And no conferences are as dominant in the NFL draft as the SEC and the Big Ten. That shouldn’t be a surprise since they are the most talented and deepest conferences in all of college football.

The SEC had four picks in the top 10 of the first round of Thursday night’s NFL draft. The Big Ten had two selections in the opening 10 picks.

And coincidentally, the Big Ten was 6-4 in bowl games and the SEC was 6-8. Although two SEC teams squared off in the College Football Playoff’s championship game.

So let the debate continue, because, well, it is fun. But the SEC still has a pretty strong claim as the best conference in the nation.

Two FCS conferences, the Missouri Valley Football Conference and the Souther Conference, each had a first round selection. The Big 12 had zero selections.

A look at how the conferences did in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft and which conference had the most first-round picks.

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Former New York Giant Carl Banks defends Deandre Baker after rocky NFL start

Former New York Giants linebacker Carl Banks said former Georgia football corner Deandre Baker is capable after mediocre rookie year.

Former New York Giants linebacker Carl Banks, now a Giants radio commentator and analyst, defended former Georgia cornerback Deandre Baker recently.

Banks said on Twitter that the Giants 2019 first-round pick is capable, but he has to show willingness to learn coming off a rough rookie year.

The former Georgia corner was a dominant defensive presence for the Bulldogs in his time in Athens. In 2018 at Georgia, Baker was a All-American and Jim Thorpe Award winner. (given to the country’s top defensive back)

Baker’s performance at UGA hasn’t exactly translated to the NFL yet. In his first year, Baker had seven touchdowns scored against him where he was the closest defender on the field. A big contrast to his four years at Georgia where he only allowed one touchdown. However, after a rocky start to his rookie season, Baker picked it up and began playing like we knew he could.

Via the New York Post:

“To whom much is given much is expected,” Banks said. “If he wasn’t held accountable and he didn’t have a structure by which he should have been held accountable from play to play, series to series, then you can expect that.’’

With the Giants hire of new head coach Joe Judge from the Patriots, Baker should have plenty of opportunities to improve and prove himself as a first-round pick moving forward.