Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
CollegeFootballNews.com

2021 NFL Draft: College Football Conference Rankings. How Did The Leagues Do?

Which college football conference won the 2021 NFL Draft? Where do they all rank when it comes to sending players to the next level?


2021 NFL Draft: College Conference Rankings

Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews | @PeteFiutak

2021 NFL Draft: Team Analysis, Picks, 
AFC East Buffalo | Miami | NY Jets | New England
AFC North Baltimore | Cincinnati | Cleveland | Pitt
AFC South Houston | Indy | Jacksonville | Tenn
AFC West Denver | KC | Las Vegas | LA Chargers
NFC East Dallas | NY Giants | Phil | Washington
NFC North Chicago | Detroit | Green BayMinn
NFC South Atlanta | Carolina | New Orleans | TB
NFC West Arizona | LA Rams | San Fran | Seattle

How did all the college football conferences do in the 2021 NFL Draft?

Who gets the big bragging rights and which conference were lagging behind a bit?

A conference gets 7 points for each first round draft pick, 6 for a second, 5 for a third, 4 for a fourth, 3 for a fifth, 2 for a sixth, and 1 for a seventh round selection.

12. Sun Belt (8 points)

A conference gets 7 points for each first round draft pick, 6 for a second, 5 for a third, 4 for a fourth, 3 for a fifth, 2 for a sixth, and 1 for a seventh round selection.

TOTAL PICKS BY ROUNDS
1st 0, 2nd 0, 3rd 0, 4th 0, 5th 1, 6th 2, 7th 1
NFL Draft Conference Rankings
2020: 11, 2019: 11, 2018: 11

Team Winner: Appalachian State, 1 player, 3 points
5 (178) Green Bay – CB Shemar Jean-Charles

T2 Coastal Carolina 2
T2 Louisiana 2
4 South Alabama 1
T5 Arkansas State 0
T5 Georgia Southern 0
T5 Georgia State 0
T5 Texas State 0
T5 Troy 0
T5 ULM 0

11. Mountain West (11 points)

A conference gets 7 points for each first round draft pick, 6 for a second, 5 for a third, 4 for a fourth, 3 for a fifth, 2 for a sixth, and 1 for a seventh round selection.

TOTAL PICKS BY ROUNDS
1st 0, 2nd 0, 3rd 0, 4th 2, 5th 1, 6th 0, 7th 0
NFL Draft Conference Rankings
2020: 8, 2019: 9, 2018: 7

Team Winner: Boise State, 2 players, 7 points
4 (124) Washington – TE John Bates
5 (183) Atlanta – CB Avery Williams

2 San Diego State 4
T3 Air Force 0
T3 Colorado State 0
T3 Fresno State 0
T3 Hawaii 0
T3 New Mexico 0
T3 Nevada 0
T3 San Jose State 0
T3 UNLV 0
T3 Utah State 0
T3 Wyoming 0

T9. MAC (17 points)

TOTAL PICKS BY ROUNDS
1st 0, 2nd 1, 3rd 1, 4th 0, 5th 2, 6th 0, 7th 0
NFL Draft Conference Rankings
2020: 11, 2019: 8, 2018: 10

Conference Winner: Western Michigan, 2 players, 9 points overall
Seattle 2 (56) Seattle – WR D’Wayne Eskridge
San Francisco 5 (155) San Francisco – OG Jaylon Moore

2 Buffalo 5
3 Miami University 3
T4 Akron 0
T4 Ball State 0
T4 Bowling Green 0
T4 Central Michigan 0
T4 Eastern Michigan 0
T4 Kent State 0
T4 Miami University 0
T4 Northern Illinois 0
T4 Ohio 0
T4 Toledo 0

T9. Conference USA (17 points)

A conference gets 7 points for each first round draft pick, 6 for a second, 5 for a third, 4 for a fourth, 3 for a fifth, 2 for a sixth, and 1 for a seventh round selection.

TOTAL PICKS BY ROUNDS
1st 0, 2nd 0, 3rd 1, 4th 3, 5th 0, 6th 0, 7th 0
NFL Draft Conference Rankings
2020: 9, 2019: 10, 2018: 8

Team Winner: Louisiana Tech, 1 player, 5 points
3 (73) Philadelphia – DE Milton Williams

T2 UAB 4
T2 North Texas 4
T2 Marshall 4
T5 Charlotte 0
T5 Florida Atlantic 0
T5 FIU 0
T5 Middle Tennessee 0
T5 Old Dominion 0
T5 Rice 0
T5 Southern Miss 0
T5 UTEP 0
T5 UTSA 0
T5 WKU 0

8. FCS, non-FBS (36 points)

A conference – and in this case, a whole level of college football – gets 7 points for each first round draft pick, 6 for a second, 5 for a third, 4 for a fourth, 3 for a fifth, 2 for a sixth, and 1 for a seventh round selection.

TOTAL PICKS BY ROUNDS
1st 1, 2nd 1, 3rd 2, 4th 2, 5th 1, 6th 0, 7th 2
NFL Draft Conference Rankings
2020: 9, 2019: 10, 2018: 8

Team Winner: North Dakota State, 2 players, 13 points
1 (03) San Francisco – QB Trey Lance
2 (53) Tennessee – OT Dillon Radunz

2 Northern Iowa 9
3 Wisconsin-Whitewater 5
4 Central Arkansas 4
5 Central Missouri 3
T6 Charleston (WV) 1
T6 Concordia-St. Paul 1

NEXT: 2021 NFL Draft Conference Rankings No. 7

7. Independents (55 points)

A conference gets 7 points for each first round draft pick, 6 for a second, 5 for a third, 4 for a fourth, 3 for a fifth, 2 for a sixth, and 1 for a seventh round selection.

TOTAL PICKS BY ROUNDS
1st 1, 2nd 3, 3rd 3, 4th 1, 5th 2, 6th 0, 7th 5
NFL Draft Conference Rankings
2020: 7, 2019: 7, 2018: 9

Team Winner: Notre Dame, 9 players, 43 points
2 (48) San Francisco – OG Aaron Banks
2 (52) Cleveland – LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
3 (83) Carolina – TE Tommy Tremble
3 (95) Tampa Bay – OT Robert Hainsey
4 (133) New Orleans – QB Ian Book
5 (171) Baltimore – DE Daelin Hayes
5 (182) Atlanta – DE Adetokunbo Ogundeji
7 (249) Los Angeles Rams – WR Ben Skowronek

2 BYU 15
3 UMass 1
T4 Army 0
T4 Liberty 0
T4 New Mexico State 0
T4 UConn 0

NEXT: 2021 NFL Draft Conference Rankings No. 6

6. American Athletic (67 points)

A conference gets 7 points for each first round draft pick, 6 for a second, 5 for a third, 4 for a fourth, 3 for a fifth, 2 for a sixth, and 1 for a seventh round selection.

TOTAL PICKS BY ROUNDS
1st 2, 2nd 1, 3rd 2, 4th 5, 5th 2, 6th 2, 7th 5
NFL Draft Conference Rankings
2020: 6, 2019: 6, 2018: 6

Team Winner: UCF, 6 players, 26 points
2 (40) Atlanta – S Richie Grant
3 (71) New York Giants – CB Aaron Robinson
4 (121) Jacksonville – DE Jordan Smith
4 (141) Los Angeles Rams – WR Jacob Harris
6 (223) Arizona – CB Tay Gowa
7 (242) New England – WR Tre Nixon

2. Houston 10
T3. Cincinnati 9
T3. SMU 9
5. Tulsa 7
6. Tulane 5
7. East Carolina 4
8. Memphis 3
T9. Navy 0
T9. Temple 0
T9. USF 0

NEXT: 2021 NFL Draft Conference Rankings No. 5

5. Big 12 (75 points)

A conference gets 7 points for each first round draft pick, 6 for a second, 5 for a third, 4 for a fourth, 3 for a fifth, 2 for a sixth, and 1 for a seventh round selection.

TOTAL PICKS BY ROUNDS
1st 0, 2nd 4, 3rd 2, 4th 5, 5th 3, 6th 2, 7th 4
Big 12 NFL Draft Conference Rankings
2020: 5, 2019: 5, 2018: 5

Team Winner: Oklahoma, 5 players, 20 points
2 (63) Kansas City – C Creed Humphrey
3 (96) New England – EDGE Ronnie Perkins
4 (137) Seattle – RB Rhamondre Stevenson
4 (137) Seattle – CB Tre Brown
7 (245) Pittsburgh – CB Tre Norwood

2 Texas 22
3 Oklahoma State 16
4 TCU 9
5 Texas Tech 5
6 Iowa State 4
7 West Virginia 3
T8 Baylor 1
T8 Kansas State 1
10 Kansas 0

NEXT: 2021 NFL Draft Conference Rankings No. 4

4. Pac-12 (109 points)

A conference gets 7 points for each first round draft pick, 6 for a second, 5 for a third, 4 for a fourth, 3 for a fifth, 2 for a sixth, and 1 for a seventh round selection.

TOTAL PICKS BY ROUNDS
1st 3, 2nd 3, 3rd 5, 4th 4, 5th 4, 6th 8, 7th 1
NFL Draft Conference Rankings
2020: 3, 2019: 3, 2018: 4

Team Winner: Stanford, 5 players, 23 points
2 (45) Jacksonville – OT Walker Little
3 (67) Houston – QB Davis Mills
3 (76) New Orleans – CB Paulson Adebo
4 (114) Atlanta – C Drew Dalman
5 (179) Dallas – WR Simi Fehoko

2 Washington 21
T3 Oregon 20
T3 USC 20
5 UCLA 7
6 Oregon State 6
T7 Arizona 4
T7 Cal 4
9 Arizona State 2
T10 Colorado
T10 Utah
T10 Washington State

NEXT: 2021 NFL Draft Conference Rankings No. 3

3. ACC (176 points)

A conference gets 7 points for each first round draft pick, 6 for a second, 5 for a third, 4 for a fourth, 3 for a fifth, 2 for a sixth, and 1 for a seventh round selection.

TOTAL PICKS BY ROUNDS
1st 6, 2nd 5, 3rd 9, 4th 6, 5th 5, 6th 9, 7th 2
NFL Draft Conference Rankings
2020: 4, 2019: 4, 2018: 2

Team Winner: Clemson, 5 players, 28 points
1 (1) Jacksonville – QB Trevor Lawrence
1 (25) Jacksonville – RB Travis Etienne
2 (46) Cincinnati – OT Jackson Carman
3 (85) Green Bay – WR Amari Rodgers
5 (181) Kansas City – WR Cornell Powell

2 North Carolina 22
3 Virginia Tech 21
4 Miami 19
5 Pitt 17
6 Florida State 16
7 Duke 12
T8 Louisville 10
T8 Syracuse 10
10 Boston College 7
11 Wake Forest 6
12 NC State 5
13 Georgia Tech 3
14. Virginia 0

NEXT: 2021 NFL Draft Conference Rankings No. 2

2. Big Ten (184 points)

A conference gets 7 points for each first round draft pick, 6 for a second, 5 for a third, 4 for a fourth, 3 for a fifth, 2 for a sixth, and 1 for a seventh round selection.

TOTAL PICKS BY ROUNDS
1st 7, 2nd 4, 3rd 9, 4th 3, 5th 13, 6th 5, 7th 6
NFL Draft Conference Rankings
2020: 2, 2019: 2, 2018: 2

Team Winner: Ohio State, 10 players, 45 points
1 (11) Chicago – QB Justin Fields
2 (60) New Orleans – LB Pete Werner
2 (62) Green Bay – C Josh Myers
3 (105) Denver – LB Baron Browning
3 (86) Minnesota – OG Wyatt Davis
3 (88) San Francisco – RB Trey Sermon
4 (132) Cleveland – DT Tommy Togiai
5 (145) Jacksonville – TE Luke Farrell
5 (160) Baltimore – CB Shaun Wade
7 (239) Denver – DE Jonathon Cooper

2 Michigan 27
3 Penn State 23
4 Northwestern 17
5 Iowa 16
6 Minnesota 12
7 Purdue 10
8 Illinois 8
9 Wisconsin 7
10 Nebraska 4
11 Indiana 3
12 Maryland 1
T13 Michigan State 0
T13 Rutgers 0

NEXT: 2021 NFL Draft Conference Rankings No. 1

1. SEC (269 points)

A conference gets 7 points for each first round draft pick, 6 for a second, 5 for a third, 4 for a fourth, 3 for a fifth, 2 for a sixth, and 1 for a seventh round selection.

2021 NFL Draft Rankings By Team

TOTAL PICKS BY ROUNDS
1st 12, 2nd 10, 3rd 7, 4th 8, 5th 7, 6th 16, 7th 5
NFL Draft Conference Rankings
2020: 1, 2019: 1, 2018: 1

Team Winner: Alabama, 10 players, 58 points
1 (06) Miami – WR Jaylen Waddle
1 (09) Denver – CB Patrick Surtain
1 (10) Philadelphia – WR DeVonta Smith
1 (15) New England – QB Mac Jones
1 (17) Las Vegas – OT Alex Leatherwood
1 (24) Pittsburgh – RB Najee Harris
2 (37) Philadelphia – OG/C Landon Dickerson
2 (38) New England – DT Christian Barmore
6 (193) Carolina – OG Deonte Brown
6 (222) Carolina – LS Thomas Fletcher

2 Georgia 40
3 Florida 35
4 LSU 26
5 Texas A&M 21
6 Kentucky 20
7 Missouri 17
8 South Carolina 16
9 Auburn 13
10 Ole Miss 10
11 Tennessee 7
12 Vanderbilt 6
T13 Arkansas 2
T13 Mississippi State 2

2021 NFL Draft: Day 3 Mock Drafts By Team
AFC East Buffalo | Miami | NY Jets | New England
AFC North Baltimore | Cincinnati | Cleveland | Pitt
AFC South Houston | Indy | Jacksonville | Tenn
AFC West Denver | KC | Las Vegas | LA Chargers
NFC East Dallas | NY Giants | Phil | Washington
NFC North Chicago | Detroit | Green BayMinn
NFC South Atlanta | Carolina | New Orleans | TB
NFC West Arizona | LA Rams | San Fran | Seattle

CFN 2021 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings
from the college perspective …
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | OG & C
DE & Edge | DT | LB | CB | Safeties
Top 105 2021 NFL Draft Prospects

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.