NFL Draft: The SEC’s No. 1 No. 18
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.
Center Maurkice Pouncey could be the former SEC player who has had the best NFL career after entering the league as the 18th selection in a draft. But the former Florida standout won’t be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for another three years, and that’s an accolade that Bruiser Kinard already has received.
The 18th choice in the third NFL Draft, Kinard became an immediate star as a two-way player in the line of a team that doesn’t exist today – the Brooklyn Dodgers.
A three-time first-team All-Pro at tackle in seven seasons for the Dodgers, Kinard was legendary for his unwillingness to come off the field.
World War II did take Kinard off the field. When he came back, he signed with the New York Yankees of the All-American Football Conference and became the first player to have All-NFL and All-AAFC on his record.
Kinard joined the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 1971.
The 14 SEC players drafted in the first round with the No. 18 pick include:
· Alabama guard Bob Cryder, New England Patriots, 1978
· Tennessee wide receiver Willie Gault, Chicago Bears, 1983
· Ole Miss defensive end Freddie Joe Nunn, St. Louis Cardinals, 1985
· Ole Miss defensive end Tony Bennett, Green Bay Packers, 1990
· South Carolina tackle Ernest Dye, Phoenix Cardinals, 1993
· LSU wide receiver Eddie Kennison, St. Louis Rams, 1996
· Georgia running back Robert Edwards, New England Patriots, 1998
· Georgia guard Matt Stinchcomb, Oakland Raiders, 1999
· Tennessee defensive end Robert Ayers, Denver Broncos, 2009
· Florida center Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh Steelers, 2010
· South Carolina defensive end Melvin Ingram, San Diego Chargers, 2012
· LSU defensive back Eric Reid, San Francisco 49ers, 2013
· Alabama center Ryan Kelly, Indianapolis Colts, 2016
· Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks, Tennessee Titans, 2022
The NFL Draft has included at least 18 selections in the first round annually since 1967. The six SEC players drafted with the No. 18 pick who were not first-rounders include:
· LSU center Marv Stewart, Chicago Bears, 1937
· Ole Miss tackle Bruiser Kinard, Brooklyn Dodgers, 1938
· Kentucky quarterback Ermal Allen, Chicago Cardinals, 1947
· Tulane defensive end Don Joyce, Chicago Cardinals, 1951
· LSU defensive end George Tarasovic, Pittsburgh Steelers, 1952
· Florida fullback Rick Casares, Chicago Bears, 1954
Joyce went to one Pro Bowl in his 12 NFL seasons and played on NFL championship teams with the Baltimore Colts in 1958 and 1959.
Casares earned Pro Bowl recognition his first five seasons and was a first-team All-Pro pick in 1956, when he led NFL with 234 rushing attempts for 1,126 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games.
Gault helped the Chicago Bears win Super Bowl XX 46-10 over the New England Patriots on Jan. 26, 1986, with four receptions for 129 yards.
Kennison had two 1,000-yard receiving seasons during his 13 years in the NFL.
Edwards ran for 1,115 yards as a rookie in 1998, but he didn’t play again until 2002. Edwards sustained a knee injury in the rookie flag-football game in association with the Pro Bowl.
During his 11 seasons, Pouncey was selected for nine Pro Bowls and made first-team All-Pro twice.
After completing his 11th season in 2022, Ingram 11 has three Pro Bowl selections.
Reid was Pro Bowler as a rookie.
Kelly has been a Pro Bowl pick three times.
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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.