NFL Draft: The SEC’s No. 1 No. 21
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
If Richie Petitbon is remembered by football fans today, it might be for his 12 seasons as the Washington Redskins’ defensive coordinator, including with three Super Bowl-winning teams.
But before that, Petitbon spent 14 seasons as an NFL safety after entering the NFL from Tulane as the 21st player picked in the 1959 draft.
A four-time Pro Bowler, Petitbon is the only one of the 14 SEC players picked at No. 21 who has been a first-team All-Pro. Petitbon earned that honor in 1963, when he intercepted eight passes in the regular season and another one in the NFL championship game as the Chicago Bears beat the New York Giants 14-10 to win the league title.
The nine SEC players drafted in the first round with the No. 21 pick include:
· Alabama defensive back Don McNeal, Miami Dolphins, 1980
· Tennessee wide receiver Tim McGee, Cincinnati Bengals, 1986
· LSU running back Harvey Williams, Kansas City Chiefs, 1991
· Florida linebacker Clifford Charlton, Cleveland Browns, 1988
· Arkansas wide receiver Matt Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars, 2005
· Florida defensive back Reggie Nelson, Jacksonville Jaguars, 2007
· Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Green Bay Packers, 2014
· Texas A&M tackle Cedric Ogbuehi, Cincinnati Bengals, 2015
· Florida linebacker Jarrad Davis, Detroit Lions, 2017
Every NFL Draft since 1967 has had at least 21 selections in the first round. The five SEC players drafted with the No. 21 pick who were not first-rounders include:
· Auburn back Rufus Deal, Washington Redskins, 1942
· Mississippi State guard Dub Garrett, Chicago Bears, 1948
· Georgia Tech center George Morris, San Francisco 49ers, 1953
· Tulane defensive back Richie Petitbon, Chicago Bears, 1959
· Georgia Tech tight end Bill Martin, Chicago Bears, 1964
Jones spent four seasons in the NFL as a wide receiver, but he had played quarterback at Arkansas.
Nelson played 12 NFL seasons, including Pro Bowl campaigns in 2015, when he led the NFL in interceptions, and 2016.
Clinton-Dix also earned Pro Bowl recognition in 2016.
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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.