NFL Draft: The SEC’s No. 1 No. 15
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 chosen in the first 32 picks.
The 17 SEC players who entered the NFL as the 15th pick in a draft have included seven Pro Bowlers and three first-team All-Pros. They’ve combined for 23 Pro Bowl invitations and six All-Pro selections and counting, since three of the players will be on the field in the 2023 season.
Five of those Pro Bowl invitations and one of the All-Pro selections belong to fullback Jim Taylor.
· PATRIOTS BACKUP QB SAYS HE’S READY FOR HIS CHANCE TO PLAY
· ALABAMA ROOTS: WHO GOT HOW MUCH IN FREE AGENCY
· JOHN METCHIE ATTACKING HIS COMEBACK FROM CANCER ‘WITH A SMILE’
Taylor produced five consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons for the Green Bay Packers. In the middle one, he led the NFL with 272 carries for 1,474 yards and 19 touchdowns and won the league’s MVP Award for the 1962 season.
Taylor played for four NFL championship teams and the first Super Bowl winner in his nine seasons with Green Bay before the former LSU star went back to Louisiana for a final season that was the first season for the New Orleans Saints.
The 14 SEC players drafted in the first round with the No. 15 pick include:
· Kentucky tackle Sam Ball, Baltimore Colts, 1966
· Auburn center Forrest Blue, San Francisco 49ers, 1968
· Florida fullback John Williams, Seattle Seahawks, 1986
· Tennessee wide receiver Anthony Miller, San Diego Chargers, 1988
· Florida linebacker Huey Richardson, Pittsburgh Steelers, 1991
· Auburn tackle Wayne Gandy, Los Angeles Rams, 1994
· Florida defensive tackle Ellis Johnson, Indianapolis Colts, 1995
· LSU defensive tackle Anthony McFarland, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1999
· Tennessee defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, Tennessee Titans, 2002
· LSU wide receiver Michael Clayton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2004
· Florida guard Mike Pouncey, Miami Dolphins, 2011
· Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos, 2020
· Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, New England Patriots, 2021
· Texas A&M guard Kenyon Green, Houston Texans, 2022
Every NFL Draft since 1966 has included at least 16 selections in the first round. The three SEC players drafted with the No. 15 pick who were not first-rounders include:
· Alabama back Eddie Salem, Washington Redskins, 1951
· LSU fullback Jim Taylor, Green Bay Packers, 1958
· LSU quarterback Warren Rabb, Detroit Lions, 1960
Blue was a four-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro, and Haynesworth was a two-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro.
Miller had five Pro Bowl seasons, Pouncey four and Williams two. Jones was a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie.
Miller had four 1,000-yard receiving seasons, and Clayton had 1,193 receiving yards as a rookie.
Ball and McFarland played on Super Bowl winners.
Gandy made 205 starts in 15 seasons.
RELATED:
(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.)
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 Twitter @AMarkG1.