The New Orleans Saints chose Auburn defensive lineman Frank Warren with the first pick in the third round of the 1981 NFL Draft – six selections after they took future Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Rickey Jackson.

Warren was a good pick, too. Only three of the other prospects chosen in the 1981 draft played in more NFL regular-season games than Warren – Jackson, offensive tackle Tim Irwin and Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Ronnie Lott.

A prep standout at Phillips High School in Birmingham, Warren appeared in 189 regular-season and three playoff games and recorded 56 sacks and 11 fumble recoveries in his 13 seasons with the Saints.

Despite Warren’s career, New Orleans has not drafted an Auburn player since, but every other team in the NFL has.

Auburn has had 171 players chosen in the NFL Draft since the Saints selected Warren. That’s the longest active draft drought for SEC players from one program for one NFL team when measured by picks.

There is a conference member with a longer pick drought with an NFL team, but it did not involve SEC players. Texas played its first season as a league member in 2024 and will be sending SEC players to the NFL for the first time this week.

There have been 187 players drafted from Texas since the New York Jets tabbed one. New York took wide receiver Lam Jones from the Longhorns at No. 2 in the 1980 draft, and while the Jets have not picked another player from Texas in the 44 drafts since then, every other NFL team has.

The longest draft drought in terms of years involving an SEC program and an NFL team involves Vanderbilt and the Detroit Lions. Detroit made its most recent selection from the Commodores in 1959, when the Lions took center Ben Donnell. Since then, the other NFL teams have chosen 80 players from Vanderbilt in the draft.

The longest droughts (as measured by the number of drafted players) in the NFL Draft for each SEC team include:

· Alabama: 104 Crimson Tide players have been drafted since the Kansas City Chiefs made their most recent pick from Alabama – LB Nico Johnson in 2013.

· Arkansas: 124 Razorbacks have been drafted since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made their most recent pick from Arkansas — RB Jerry Eckwood in 1979.

· Auburn: 171 Tigers have been drafted since the New Orleans Saints made their most recent pick from Auburn — DL Frank Warren in 1981.

· Florida: 93 Gators have been drafted since the Tennessee Titans made their most recent pick from Florida – DB Ryan Smith in 2007.

· Georgia: 90 Bulldogs have been drafted since the Dallas Cowboys made their most recent pick from Georgia – RB Shaun Chapas in 2011.

· Kentucky: 132 Wildcats have been drafted since the Miami Dolphins made their most recent pick from Kentucky — RB Larry Seiple in 1967.

· LSU: 95 Tigers have been drafted since the Indianapolis Colts made their most recent pick from LSU – DT Drake Nevis in 2011.

· Mississippi State: 133 Bulldogs have been drafted since the Los Angeles Chargers made their most recent pick from Mississippi State — WR Sammy Milner in 1971.

· Missouri: 84 Tigers have been drafted since the New York Giants made their most recent pick from Missouri — OT Conrad Goode in 1984.

· Oklahoma: 117 Sooners have been drafted since the Houston Texans made their first pick in an NFL Draft in 2002, and the team has never selected a player from Oklahoma.

· Ole Miss: 107 Rebels have been drafted since the Cleveland Browns made their most recent pick from Ole Miss – LB Curtis Weathers in 1979.

· South Carolina: 123 Gamecocks have been drafted since the Pittsburgh Steelers made their most recent pick from South Carolina – G Steve Courson in 1977.

· Tennessee: 81 Volunteers have been drafted since the Jacksonville Jaguars made their most recent pick from Tennessee – DT John Henderson in 2002.

· Texas: 187 Longhorns have been drafted since the New York Jets made their most recent pick from Texas – WR Lam Jones in 1980.

· Texas A&M: 101 Aggies have been drafted since the Tennessee Titans (as the Houston Oilers) made their most recent pick from Texas A&M – RB Rodney Thomas in 1995.

· Vanderbilt: 80 Commodores have been drafted since the Detroit Lions made their most recent pick from Vanderbilt — C Ben Donnell in 1959.

The draft streaks for Arkansas, Missouri, South Carolina and Texas A&M extend to before they became SEC members. Oklahoma and Texas played their first SEC seasons in 2024, so this week’s draft will be their first as conference members.

The first round of the 90th NFL Draft begins at 7 p.m. CDT Thursday in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The draft resumes at 6 p.m. Friday with the second and third rounds. The four concluding rounds begin at 11 a.m. Saturday. ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and NFL Network will televise the event.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE SEC, GO TO OUR SEC PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.