Three rounds of the 2014 NFL Draft are in the books, and once again the SEC is leading the pack in sending talent to the draft. After 100 picks through three rounds, the SEC has accounted for 23 draft picks, including the top pick overall with South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney to the Houston Texans. The SEC has more players than any other conference in college football drafted so far.
The SEC set a record for total draft picks in the 2013 NFL Draft with 63 players chosen by NFL franchises. With four rounds to go, the SEC will have to average 10 players per round to match that number. The SEC could see the pace pick up after seeing the total number of players drafted dip in rounds two (seven) and three (five) after sending 11 players in the first round Thursday night.
The Big Ten added some depth to NFL rosters on Friday night with six picks each in the second and third rounds. With four picks in the first round, the Big Ten has a total of 16 players chosen in this year’s draft. The Big Ten had just 22 players drafted in 2013, so the conference should be on pace to avoid another repeat performance of a conference-low total since 1994.
It was the ACC that provided the most picks in the third round of the NFL draft, with seven players being chosen by NFL teams. The third round also saw non-FBS programs leave their marks as well. After Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo got things started with a late second round draft pick by the New England Patriots, there were four players from non-FBS programs selected in the third round. North Dakota State offensive tackle Billy Turner was selected early in the third round by the Miami Dolphins with the 67th overall pick. Division 2 Pittsburg State celebrated wide receiver John Brown being drafted 91st overall by the Arizona Cardinals. Towson running back Terrance West was later picked up by the Cleveland Browns with the 94th pick and Georgia Southern running back Jerick McKinnon was nabbed by the Minnesota Vikings with the 96th pick. Georgia Southern will be moving up to the FBS level as a member of the Sun Belt Conference this fall.
There are plenty of good players still to be had by NFL teams as the draft wraps up with the final four rounds on Saturday. Some names to keep an eye on include Stanford offensive tackle Cameron Fleming, Baylor offensive lineman Cyril Richardson, Boston College running back Andre Johnson, Arizona running back Ka’Deem Carey and Wisconsin wide receiver Jared Abbrederis. Teams in need of an extra quarterback have some options left on the board as well. LSU’s Zach Mettenberger, Georgia’s Aaron Murray, Pittsburgh’s Tom Savage and Alabama’s AJ McCarron are all among those still waiting for a phone call on the final day of the draft.