2023 NFL Draft picks ranked by college football team, conference: SEC leads the way again
The 2023 NFL Draft is in the books and once again the SEC established itself as the place to go for teams who want the best players coming out of college football. The league responsible for winning 13 of the last 17 national championships led the way for the 17th straight year, with the most selections taken at the events in Kansas City.
Among those 62 players, Alabama and back-to-back College Football Playoff national champion Georgia carried much of the load, with 10 players from each program hearing their names called. It does, after all, just mean more.
A total of 14 members of the 2021 Georgia defense, for example, have been drafted to date, including seven total first-round picks. That's in addition to 11 players on the Bulldogs' offense in that time, and a punter for good measure.
In second place was the Big Ten, not too far behind the SEC with 55 players drafted, but it notably wasn't Ohio State in the lead on that score, but Michigan, which had nine players selected, with the Buckeyes tied with Penn State having six alumni drafted.
Related: Complete list of Round 1 picks at 2023 NFL Draft
More: Every pick in the 2023 NFL Draft
Here's your look at how the 2023 NFL Draft went down when accounting for college football programs and conferences.
2023 NFL Draft picks by college football team, conference
SEC (62)
Alabama (10): For the first time in the common draft era, a Crimson Tide player went No. 1 as quarterback Bryce Young was the top pick by Carolina. Edge rusher Will Anderson went to Houston at No. 3, and running back Jahmyr Gibbs was the No. 12 overall selection by Detroit.
Georgia (10): Defensive tackle Jalen Carter was the No. 9 pick by Philadelphia, which also selected linebacker Nolan Smith at No. 31 overall, while offensive tackle Broderick Jones was the No. 14 pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Florida (6): Quarterback Anthony Richardson went to the Colts at No. 4, while defensive tackle Gervon Dexter and offensive guard O'Cyrus Torrence went in the second round, to Chicago and Buffalo, respectively.
LSU (6): Edge rusher BJ Ojulari was the No. 41 overall pick by Arizona and wide receiver Kayshon Boutte fell to Round 6, where he was picked by New England.
Tennessee (5): Offensive tackle Darnell Wright is heading to Chicago as the No. 10 pick, and four Vols went in Round 3, including quarterback Hendon Hooker to the Lions, wide receivers Jalin Hyatt to the Giants and Cedric Tillman to the Browns in consecutive picks, and defensive lineman Byron Young to the Rams.
Auburn (5): Edge rusher Derick Hall was the Tigers' highest pick, going at 37th overall to Seattle, while running back Tank Bigsby landed with the Jaguars at No. 88.
South Carolina (5): Defensive back Cam Smith was the Gamecocks' initial selection, going No. 51 to the Miami Dolphins, and defensive lineman Zacch Pickens was taken by Chicago at No. 64.
Ole Miss (4): Wide receiver Jonathan Mingo led the way for the Rebels, becoming the No. 39 pick in Round 2 by the Carolina Panthers, and tailback Zach Evans was a sixth round selection by the Rams.
Kentucky and Texas A&M were tied with three selections each, as were Arkansas and Mississippi State with two, and Missouri had one player taken.
Big Ten (55)
Michigan (9): Defensive tackle Mazi Smith landed with Dallas at No. 26 overall, while the Cowboys also took a chance on tight end Luke Schoonmaker in the second round, and defensive back DJ Turner went 60th to the Bengals.
Ohio State (6): C.J. Stroud lands in Houston as the No. 2 overall selection by Houston, while offensive tackle Paris Johnson went to Arizona at No. 6, and coveted wide receiver to the Seahawks with the No. 20 pick.
Penn State (6): Three former Nittany Lions went in Round 2, led by cornerback Joey Porter to the Steelers, with tight end Brenton Strange going to Jacksonville at 61 and center Juice Scruggs to Houston at 62.
Maryland (5): Defensive back Deonte Banks is headed to the Giants at No. 24 with cornerback Jakorian Bennett going to the Raiders at 104 and the Patriots taking a chance on place kicker Chad Ryland at 112.
Purdue (5): It took a while for the Boilermakers to catch on, with two key offensive stars going in Round 4: receiver Charlie Jones to the Bengals and quarterback Aidan O'Connell to the Raiders.
Northwestern, Illinois, and Iowa were tied with four players selected, while Michigan State, Minnesota, and Wisconsin had three, and Nebraska had two, with Rutgers getting one.
ACC (32)
Clemson (6): Two blue-chip defensive linemen went in consecutive picks, as end Myles Murphy went to Cincinnati at No. 28 and tackle Bryan Bresee to New Orleans at No. 29 overall. Four of Clemson's six play on defense.
Pittsburgh (6): Defensive tackle Calijah Kancey goes to Tampa Bay at No. 19 and running back Israel Abanikanda to the Jets at No. 143.
North Carolina (4): Wide receiver Josh Downs was the highest pick for the Tar Heels, going 79th overall in Round 3 to the Colts.
Louisville and Miami tied with three picks, while Syracuse and Wake Forest each had two, and Florida State, Boston College, Georgia Tech, NC State, Virginia, and Virginia Tech each had one.
Big 12 (30)
TCU (8): Wide receiver Quentin Johnston went No. 21 to the Chargers, running back Kendre Miller was No. 71 to the Saints, edge rusher Dylan Horton and receiver Derius Davis were both fourth-rounders, and quarterback Max Duggan went in the seventh.
Oklahoma (5): Offensive tackle Anton Harrison was the No. 27 pick by Jacksonville and wide receiver Marvin Mims was the final pick of Round 2, to Denver.
Texas (5): Star running back Bijan Robinson was picked up by Atlanta at No. 8.
Kansas State (4): Edge rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah went at No. 31 to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, with cornerbacks Julius Brents going 44th to the Colts and Josh Hayes to Tampa Bay.
Oklahoma State had two picks, Iowa State had three, while Baylor, West Virginia, and Texas Tech each had one.
Pac-12 (27)
Oregon (6): Defensive back Christian Gonzalez was the Ducks' top draft selection, going with the Patriots at No. 17.
Stanford (5): The Cardinal won three games and lost its coach last season but still had more picks than USC or Utah, led by receiver Michael Wilson at No. 94 to Arizona and quarterback Tanner McKee went to NFC champion Philadelphia in the sixth round.
USC and UCLA each had four draft picks, followed by Utah with three and Oregon State at two, while Cal, Washington State, and Arizona State had one each.
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