Who are the best picks from each of the 14 SEC programs. Here’s a look with the 2019 NFL Draft approaching.
Who were the best NFL draft picks from every SEC school?
Considering the conference is loaded with talent year after year after year, you’d think this would be easy.
Not quite.
This isn’t a list of the top pro players to come from the SEC schools – these are the best draft picks.
That means the guys who had great careers for someone other than the teams that drafted them get knocked down a peg, or aren’t on the list at all.
The goal with any draft pick is to get a player who performs at a high level for a long period of time, so longevity matters over one short burst of greatness. You’ll get the idea.
2019 NFL Draft Prospects
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | OGs & Cs | OTs
DTs | DEs | Edge Rush | LBs | CB | Safs
– 2 Round Mock Draft | Top 10 Prop Bets
SEC EAST
Florida
RB Emmitt Smith
1990, 1st round, 17th pick overall, Dallas
Silver: LB Jack Youngblood, 1971, 1st round, 20th pick overall, Los Angeles Rams
Bronze: OT Lomas Brown, 1985, 1st round, 6th pick overall, Detroit
There’s obviously no other choice for the top spot than the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. Emmitt Smith might have been a slam-dunk, but Jack Youngblood was named to more All-Pro teams (5 to 4) and went to one less Pro Bowl (8 to 7).
Flip a coin on the third-best option. Wilber Marshall might have been more sensational for Chicago, but Lomas Brown’s 11 years of service for Detroit with six Pro Bowls and 1995 All-Pro recognition won out. An argument could be made for Maurkice Pouncey, Fred Taylor and Kevin Carter, too.
Georgia
QB Fran Tarkenton
1961, 3rd round, 29th pick overall, Minnesota
Silver: DT Richard Seymour, 2001, 1st round, 6th pick overall, New England
Bronze: RB Terrell Davis, 1995, 6th round, 196th pick overall, Denver
Fran Tarkenton gets credit for starting out his career at Minnesota – he went to two Pro Bowls in his first six years – and then coming back after five phenomenal years with the New York Giants. In his second stint, he went to three more Pro Bowls and was named to the 1975 All-Pro team for the Vikings, finishing his Minnesota career with close to 34,000 passing yards with 239 touchdowns.
Terrell Davis only played for six years with Denver, but his three All-Pro/Pro Bowl seasons, two Super Bowls, one Super Bowl MVP, the 1998 NFL MVP – and considering his value in the sixth round – were good enough to get the Hall of Famer the No. 3 call.
Richard Seymour was every bit as valuable for New England, earning three All-Pro nods with five Pro Bowl appearances as one of the stars of a few championship Patriot defenses.
Champ Bailey might have a claim to the top spot, but he only spent five years at Washington – going to four Pro Bowls – before turning in a Hall of Fame career with Denver. Hines Ward has a claim with his 13 years at Pittsburgh.
Kentucky
C Dermontti Dawson
1988, 2nd round, 44th pick overall, Pittsburgh
Silver: C Jeff Van Note, 1969, 11th round, 262nd pick overall, Atlanta
Bronze: DE Art Still, 1978, 1st round, 2nd pick overall, Kansas City
It could be argued that Dawson belongs on the all-time team of most valuable draft picks. Taken 44th overall, he anchored the Steeler line for 13 seasons being named to six All-Pro teams and going to seven Pro Bowls in his Hall of Fame career.
It took Jeff Van Note a while to get into the mix, but once he got a start in his second season, he didn’t give up the spot in his 18-year career with five Pro Bowl trips along the way.
Art Still played ten years for Kansas City, going to four Pro Bowls and turning into a very good, very solid pass rusher.
Missouri
TE Kellen Winslow
1979, 1st round, 13th pick overall, San Diego
Silver: CB Roger Wehrli, 1969, 1st round, 19th pick overall, St. Louis
Bronze: DE Justin Smith, 2001, 1st round, 4th pick overall Cincinnati
Kellen Winslow might be the greatest pre-2000 tight end ever, catching 541 passes for 6,741 yards and 45 touchdowns in his nine-year Hall of Fame career. He went to four straight Pro Bowls and earned three straight All-Pro honors as part of the high-octane Charger attacks.
Wehrli probably deserves the top spot, but he didn’t revolutionize his position like Winslow did. The Hall of Fame, three-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler was a mainstay of the Cardinal secondary for 14 years picking off 40 passes.
Justin Smith might have been a five-time Pro Bowler and 2011 All-Pro for San Francisco, but his seven years with Cincinnati were strong, too, coming up with 43.5 sacks.
South Carolina
WR Sterling Sharpe
1988, 1st round, 7th pick overall, Green Bay
Silver: CB Bobby Bryant, 1967, 7th round, 167h pick overall, Minnesota
Bronze: DE John Abraham, 2000, 1st round, 13th pick overall, New York Jets
Sharpe just started to get in on the Brett Favre Green Bay Packer fun before getting hurt, cutting short his terrific career. He only played for seven years, but he was named to three All-Pro teams and went to five Pro Bowls catching 595 passes for 8,134 yards and 65 scores.
Bobby Bryant was serviceable, playing 13 years for the Vikings going to two Pro Bowls and picking off 51 passes. Longevity matters, doing a nice job for the Purple People Eater defenses that were so strong throughout the 1970s.
John Abraham might have been No. 1, but he only played six years for the Jets, going to three Pro Bowls and earning 2001 All-Pro recognition.
Tennessee
QB Peyton Manning
1998, 1st round, 1st pick overall, Indianapolis
Silver: DE Reggie White, 1984, 1st round supplemental, 4th pick overall, Philadelphia
Bronze: TE Jason Witten, 2003, 3rd round, 69th pick overall, Dallas
You had better come really, really strong to get in the mix for the Tennessee top three.
About 20 different draft picks would’ve been considered for just about anyone else, but Peyton Manning – duh. Reggie White – after his USFL stint, double-duh.
11-time Pro Bowler Jason Witten has put together a Hall of Fame career as strong as any tight end in NFL history, catching 1,152 passes for 12,448 yards and 68 touchdowns in his – so far.
Vanderbilt
OT Will Wolford
1986, 1st round, 20th pick overall, Buffalo
Silver: DE Dennis Harrison, 1978, 4th round, 92nd pick overall, Philadelphia
Bronze: QB Jay Cutler, 2006, 1st round, 11th pick overall, Denver
Yuck.
Jay Cutler is the best pro to come from Vandy, but he only played three years for Denver. He went to a Pro Bowl, but his career has been defined by his tenure with Chicago. Even so, he’s better than most of the other options.
Jim Arnold is the only Commodore to ever make an All-Pro team, but he’s a punter, and he only played three years for Kansas City.
Will Wolford was a nice part of the Super Bowl-caliber Buffalo offensive lines, playing seven years for the Bills at left tackle – keeping Jim Kelly upright – going to two Pro Bowls. Dennis Harrison only played seven years for Philadelphia, but he grew into a terrific pass rusher.
NEXT: SEC WEST
2019 NFL Draft Prospects
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | OGs & Cs | OTs
DTs | DEs | Edge Rush | LBs | CB | Safs
– 2 Round Mock Draft | Top 10 Prop Bets
SEC WEST
Alabama
OG John Hannah
1973, 1st round, 4th pick overall, New England
Silver: LB Derrick Thomas, 1989, 1st round, 4th pick overall, Kansas City
Bronze: TE Ozzie Newsome, 1978, 1st round, 23rd pick overall, Cleveland
John Hannah is the easy choice, playing 13 years for the Patriots and going to nine Pro Bowls and being named to seven All-Pro teams on the way to the Hall of Fame.
Derrick Thomas played 11 years for Kansas City, cranking up 126.5 sacks in his Hall of Fame career. Ozzie Newsome became one of the prototypes for NFL tight ends for Cleveland on his way to Canton.
Arkansas
DT Dan Hampton
1979, 1st round, 4th pick overall, Chicago Bears
Silver: S Steve Atwater, 1989, 1st round, 20th pick overall, Denver
Bronze: OT Jason Peters, 2004, undrafted, Buffalo
Dan Hampton might not have been the most famous star of the epic Chicago Bear defenses, but the four-time Pro Bowler and Hall of Famer was the best.
Lance Alworth was an all-timer for San Diego and would be an obvious choice, but he was drafted by San Francisco and Oakland in the NFL/AFL war.
Steve Atwater suffered from not being Ronnie Lott, but he made 1,038 tackles in his ten years with Denver, on the way to eight Pro Bowls and being named to two All-Pro teams.
Jason Peters was an undrafted free agent who grew into a two-time Pro Bowl performer for Buffalo before turning in a fringe Hall of Fame career with Philadelphia – he was good enough for the Bills for five years to make the cut.
Auburn
QB Cam Newton
2011, 1st round, 1st pick overall, Carolina
Silver: OT Willie Anderson, 1996, 1st round, 10th pick overall, Cincinnati
Bronze: C Forrest Blue, 1968, 1st round, 15th pick overall, San Francisco
Kevin Greene was one of the greatest pro players to come from Auburn, but he was just okay for the team that drafted him – the Los Angeles Rams – and became great with Pittsburgh and Carolina.
Cam Newton might not have the longevity quite yet, but he’s a record-setting MVP who carried the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance. Yeah, they lost, but he was the franchise quarterback Carolina needed.
Willie Anderson played 12 years for Cincinnati as a mainstay at right tackle, going to four Pro Bowls and being named to three All-Pro teams. Forrest Blue was an anchor for San Francisco for seven years, growing into a four-time Pro Bowl performer with two All-Pro nods.
LSU
OG Alan Faneca
1998, 1st round, 26th pick overall, Pittsburgh Steelers
Silver: WR/S Johnny Robinson, 1960, Dallas Texans
Bronze: CB Patrick Peterson, 2011, 1st round, 5th pick overall, Arizona
Alan Faneca belongs in the Hall of Fame. He’ll get there someday after an elite career, being named to six All-Pro teams in seven years and going to seven Pro Bowls in his ten years with the Steelers.
Johnny Robinson is an interesting case. He was drafted in the first round with the third pick overall by Detroit, but he ended up choosing the Dallas Texans – which turned into the Kansas City Chiefs – as a territorial pick. The fringe Hall of Fame candidate was a six-time All-Pro and went to seven Pro Bowls.
There might be players with more tenure than Patrick Peterson, but he quickly became one of the NFL’s elite stars with eight Pro Bowls and three All-Pro nods in his first eight years.
Kevin Mawae would’ve made the cut, but he didn’t start to stand out until he left Seattle for the Jets.
Mississippi State
C Kent Hull
1986, Free Agent, Buffalo Bills
Silver: DE Fletcher Cox, 2012, 1st round, 12th pick overall, Philadelphia
Bronze: LB Joe Fortunato, 1952, 7th round, 80th overall, Chicago
The Mississippi State options are just plain sad. Kent Hull wasn’t drafted, but he became an 11-year starter for Buffalo during the glory days, going to three Pro Bowls and being named a two-time All-Pro.
Joe Fortunato had a good career with the Bears, being named to three All-Pro teams and going to five Pro Bowls in his 12-year career.
Fletcher Cox will likely be the No. 1 guy soon, going to four Pro Bowls, earning an All-Pro nod, and was a lead dog for a Super Bowl-winning defense.
Ole Miss
QB Eli Manning
2004, 1st round, 1st overall pick, San Diego Chargers*
Silver: QB Patrick Willis, 2007, 1st round, 11th overall pick, San Francisco
Bronze: LB Larry Grantham, 1960, 15th round, 178th overall pick, New York Titans
Even though this piece is based on draft picks for the teams that drafted them, the exception is made for draft day trades – the New York Giants get credit for making the deal for Manning, even though San Diego technically drafted the future Hall of Famer. Manning has had a far better career than he gets credit for in the age of Tom, Peyton, Drew and Aaron, winning two Super Bowls and throwing for close to 56,000 yards in his 15 seasons.
Patrick Willis might have been the best linebacker in football during his brief seven-year career, going to seven Pro Bowls and being named to five All-Pro teams.
Larry Grantham was part of a territorial draft selection process by the AFL, the five-time All-Pro put in a Hall of Fame-worthy career – but he’s not in.
Texas A&M
DE Von Miller
2011, 1st round, 2nd pick overall, Denver
Silver: DB/P Yale Lary, 1952, 3rd round, 34th pick overall, Detroit
Bronze: OT Richmond Webb, 1990, 1st round, 9th pick overall, Miami
This is really, really tough.
You don’t know Yale Lary, and it’s really, really boring to put a guy No. 2 because of his punting as well as his 50 picks, but the guy played 11 years for Detroit, was named to three All-Pro teams and nine Pro Bowls – and he’s in the Hall of Fame. He probably deserves to be in the top spot.
Von Miller has a Super Bowl MVP, seven Pro Bowl appearances and three All-Pro teams on the resumé – he’s just a better pick than Lary, even being taken with the second overall pick.
Richmond Webb went to the Pro Bowl his first seven years in the league, being named to two All-Pro teams over his ten years with the Dolphins.
Lester Hayes deserves to be in the Hall of Fame and should be No. 3A on the list – and, based on his overall career, should probably be on over Webb.
A case could also be made for punter Shane Lechler, who doubled everyone else when it comes to All-Pro recognition, being named to six teams.
2019 NFL Draft Prospects
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | OGs & Cs | OTs
DTs | DEs | Edge Rush | LBs | CB | Safs
– 2 Round Mock Draft | Top 10 Prop Bets
