With 257 CFB players picked, 75 different colleges produced at least one drafted player in the 2026 NFL Draft. Ohio State may have claimed the 2026 NFL Draft crown with 11 selections, but the real story was the powerhouse SEC conference breathing down its neck

Texas A&M and Alabama had 10 players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, and they tied for the second-most players drafted by any school in the country, trailing only Ohio State. The SEC shattered its own all-time NFL record by sending 87 players to the pros, with Oklahoma TE Jaren Kanak officially breaking the previous mark of 79 when the Titans selected him 225th overall.

The Aggies’ draft success was built on both sides of the ball, with first-round receiver KC Concepcion as the offensive firepower and second-round edge rusher Cashius Howell as the leader of the defense. Meanwhile, Alabama extended its unprecedented NCAA record to 18 consecutive drafts with at least one first-round pick and also hit a 10th consecutive year with multiple first-round selections.

The Tide has first-round picks like QB Ty Simpson and OT Kadyn Proctor. Then they have a second-round pick, WR Germie Bernard, who was coached and recruited by Kalen DeBoer. While the SEC proved its unmatched depth by dominating Friday and Saturday, Day 1 was sluggish. Only 7 players were drafted in round 1 from this conference. With that, the conference failed to produce a top-five pick for the first time since 2018.

Although the SEC entered the final day with 36 players already drafted through the first three rounds, it added 51 more players across Rounds 4, 5, 6, and 7. That helps the SEC to beat the Big Ten, which produced a total of 68 drafted players in the 2026 NFL draft.

Despite that, the B1G claimed 10 first-rounders, and Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza went No. 1 overall to the Raiders. Driven by their historic undefeated run, national champion IU produced a program-record 8 draft picks. Even last year’s NFL Draft, the Big Ten led with Ohio State’s 14 player selections. The 14 picks tied the OSU and Big Ten record, originally set back in 2004.

But this season, you can’t overlook the dominance of the SEC. 16 SEC schools produce drafted players, including Georgia (8), LSU (7), Texas (7), Missouri (6), and more. Yet, other conferences weren’t far from putting their own on the board.

Other conferences’ production in the 2026 NFL Draft

While the SEC dominated, other conferences had strong showings, with the ACC and Big 12 each producing 38 drafted players, led by nine selections apiece from Miami, Clemson, and Texas Tech. To cap it off, Independents have a total of 7 players drafted, with Notre Dame contributing 6 of them. The Irish holds the record for the most all-time NFL Draft picks, slightly edging out USC. Both programs are the only schools to have produced over 500 NFL draft picks since the draft’s inception in 1936.

Meanwhile, MAC has 4 with Toledo’s 2; AAC has 3; Mountain West also has 3 with SDSU, Boise State, and New Mexico (1 each); and the Sun Belt has 2 drafted players this season. Despite all that, they are not leading the all-time record.

While the 2026 class was impressive, schools are still chasing historic benchmarks, like Georgia’s modern record of 15 players drafted in 2022 or Ohio State’s staggering 95 all-time first-round selections.