NFL Draft: The SEC’s No. 1 No. 22
The 2023 NFL Draft starts on April 27 with the first-round picks at Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri. The SEC has produced 395 first-round selections and another 108 choices among the top 32 picks who were not first-rounders. AL.com is counting down to the draft by highlighting the SEC players
Wide receiver Justin Jefferson has played in three NFL seasons. But has he done enough already to be considered the best player chosen from an SEC member with the 22nd choice in an NFL Draft?
Since being selected by the Minnesota Vikings from LSU in 2020, Jefferson has 324 receptions for 4,825 yards and 25 touchdowns. No other player in NFL history has had that many receptions or that many receiving yards at the end of his third season.
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In 2022, Jefferson led the NFL with 128 receptions for 1,809 yards as he earned Pro Bowl recognition for the third time and became a first-team All-Pro selection for the first time. His 2022 reception total ranks seventh on the NFL’s single-season list, and his receiving yardage total ranks sixth.
Those numbers earned Jefferson the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award last season.
Jefferson’s top competition for the title of the SEC’s best No. 22 pick played 15 NFL seasons and received two Pro Bowl invitations.
Jack “Hacksaw” Reynolds spent his career living up to his nickname as an NFL linebacker. After 11 years, including Pro Bowl campaigns in 1975 and 1980, for the Los Angeles Rams, Reynolds finished his career with the San Francisco 49ers, picking up two Super Bowl rings.
The 13 SEC players drafted in the first round with the No. 22 pick include:
· Tennessee linebacker Jack Reynolds, Los Angeles Rams, 1970
· LSU defensive back Mike Williams, San Diego Chargers, 1975
· Georgia defensive back Ben Smith, Philadelphia Eagles, 1990
· LSU tight end David LaFleur, Dallas Cowboys, 1997
· Florida quarterback Rex Grossman, Chicago Bears, 2003
· Arkansas running back Felix Jones, Dallas Cowboys, 2008
· Florida wide receiver Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings, 2009
· Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns, 2014
· Kentucky outside linebacker Bud Dupree, Pittsburgh Steelers, 2015
· Missouri outside linebacker Charles Harris, Miami Dolphins, 2017
· Alabama inside linebacker Rashaan Evans, Tennessee Titans, 2018
· LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings, 2020
· Georgia linebacker Quay Walker, Green Bay Packers, 2022
Each NFL Draft since 1967 has included at least 22 selections. The two SEC players drafted with the No. 22 pick who were not first-rounders include:
· LSU end Ken Kavanaugh, Chicago Bears, 1940
· Auburn tackle M.L. Brackett, Chicago Bears, 1956
Kavanaugh played on three NFL championship teams with the Bears and twice led the league in receiving touchdowns.
Harvin made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, when he averaged 27.5 yards per kickoff return and took two back all the way.
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(The list includes only players selected in the regular NFL draft. The drafts from other leagues are not included nor are any supplemental drafts that have been held by the NFL.)
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.