NFL Draft: The SEC’s No. 1 No. 17
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.
Running back Emmitt Smith was a four-time All-Pro for the Dallas Cowboys, led the NFL in rushing four times, turned in 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and is the league’s all-time leader in rushing yards with 18,355 and rushing touchdowns with 164.
Smith also played for three Super Bowl winners and earned the NFL’s MVP Award for the 1993 season.
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Smith entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the Class of 2010 in his first year of eligibility.
And all that started as the 17th selection in the 1990 NFL Draft.
The 10 SEC players drafted in the first round with the No. 17 pick include:
· Tennessee wide receiver Clyde Duncan, St. Louis Cardinals, 1984
· Florida running back Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys, 1990
· Georgia linebacker David Pollack, Cincinnati Bengals, 2005
· Florida defensive end Jarvis Moss, Denver Broncos, 2007
· Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, Cincinnati Bengals 2012
· Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones, Pittsburgh Steelers, 2013
· Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley, Baltimore Ravens, 2014
· Florida defensive back Keanu Neal, Atlanta Falcons, 2016
· Alabama defensive end Jonathan Allen, Washington Redskins, 2017
· Alabama offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood, Las Vegas Raiders, 2021
Every NFL Draft since 1967 has had at least 17 selections in the first round. The four SEC players drafted with the No. 17 pick who were not first-rounders include:
· Tennessee back Bob Foxx, Chicago Cardinals, 1941
· Auburn back Monk Gafford, Philadelphia Eagles, 1943
· LSU back Red Knight, Washington Redskins, 1947
· Georgia quarterback Zeke Bratkowski, Chicago Bears, 1953
Bratkowski served as Bart Starr’s backup on three NFL championship teams and the first two Super Bowl winners.
Mosley has been a Pro Bowl selection five times, Allen has been picked twice and Neal chosen once so far in their careers. All three players were active in the 2022 season.
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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.