NFL Draft: The SEC’s No. 1 No. 5
The 2023 NFL Draft starts Thursday night 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 16 SEC stars selected with the fifth pick in an NFL Draft have combined for 14 first-team All-Pro selections and 27 Pro Bowl invitations.
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LSU running back Steve Van Buren was the first of the SEC players picked at No. 5 in 1944, and he still has the most All-Pro selections with five.
In four of his eight NFL seasons, Van Buren led the league in rushing. In three consecutive seasons – 1947 through 1949 – “Supersonic Steve” won the rushing triple crown by leading the NFL in rushing attempts, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.
In two of those seasons – 1948 and 1949 – the Philadelphia Eagles won the NFL championship with Van Buren in their backfield. In 1947, the Eagles lost in the NFL Championship Game. Van Buren ran for 320 yards and two touchdowns in the three title contests.
Van Buren entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the Class of 1965.
The 16 SEC players drafted with the No. 5 pick include:
· LSU halfback Steve Van Buren, Philadelphia Eagles, 1944
· Alabama center Vaughn Mancha, Boston Yanks, 1948
· Kentucky defensive tackle Bob Gain, Green Bay Packers, 1951
· Mississippi State defensive back Art Davis, Pittsburgh Steelers, 1956
· Auburn end Red Phillips, Los Angeles Rams, 1958
· Vanderbilt halfback Tom Moore, Green Bay Packers Packers, 1960
· Alabama linebacker E.J. Junior, St. Louis Cardinals, 1981
· Alabama defensive end John Copeland, Cincinnati Bengals, 1993
· Tennessee running back Jamal Lewis, Baltimore Ravens, 2000
· Auburn running back Cadillac Williams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2005
· LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, Kansas City Chiefs, 2008
· Tennessee defensive back Eric Berry, Kansas City Chiefs, 2010
· LSU defensive back Patrick Peterson, Arizona Cardinals, 2011
· LSU linebacker Devin White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2019
· Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins, 2020
· LSU wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals, 2021
Gain made the Pro Bowl five times and played for two NFL championship teams during his 15 seasons.
Phillips went to the Pro Bowl three times and was a first-team All-Pro in 1961, when he led the NFL with 78 receptions.
A one-time Pro Bowler, Moore was a three-time NFL champ with the Packers.
During his 13 seasons, Junior went to two Pro Bowls and earned first-team All-Pro selection in 1984.
Lewis was the All-Pro running back in 2003, when he recorded the fifth 2,000-yard rushing season in NFL history and won the Pro Football Writers of America’s NFL MVP Award.
Williams was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Berry had five Pro Bowl and three first-team All-Pro selections.
Peterson also has been an All-Pro three times to go with eight Pro Bowl invitations.
White played for the Super Bowl winner in 2020, then was a Pro Bowler in 2021.
Chase was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and has been chosen for the Pro Bowl in both his seasons.
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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.