NFL Draft: The SEC’s No. 1 No. 6
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.
NFL teams have hardly gone wrong when spending the sixth pick in the draft on an SEC player.
Even the most recent No. 6 selection from the conference — Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle by the Miami Dolphins in 2021 – has upheld the brand. Waddle produced an NFL rookie record for receptions in 2021, then led the league in yards per reception on his way to 1,356 receiving yards in 2022.
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The 19 SEC players picked in this spot have combined for 38 Pro Bowl invitations and 12 first-team All-Pro honors. Nine of the No. 6 picks have played at least 10 NFL seasons.
The sixth selection of the 1948 draft, quarterback Y.A. Tittle from LSU has two major honors that the rest of Pick Six’s illustrious lineup don’t. In addition to being a seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro in 17 NFL seasons, Tittle is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1963.
Tittle also was drafted in the first round twice.
In 1948, the Detroit Lions chose the quarterback at No. 6. Tittle instead signed with the Baltimore Colts of the All-American Football Conference. After two seasons, the Colts joined the NFL as the established league absorbed the rival league’s Baltimore, Cleveland and San Francisco franchises.
In 1950, Tittle led the NFL in completions, but Baltimore folded at the end of the season. Instead of holding a dispersal draft or turning the Colts players into free agents, the NFL made them eligible for its 1951 draft. The San Francisco 49ers got Tittle with the third pick.
In 1962, Tittle became the NFL’s career leader in passing yards on his way to becoming the first player with 30,000. He broke the record of Bobby Layne, who had been drafted from Texas three picks ahead of Tittle in 1948.
The 19 SEC players drafted with the No. 6 pick include:
· LSU quarterback Y.A. Tittle, Detroit Lions, 1948
· Alabama linebacker Lee Roy Jordan, Dallas Cowboys, 1963
· Tennessee defensive end Steve DeLong, Chicago Bears, 1965
· Alabama quarterback Richard Todd, New York Jets, 1976
· Kentucky tackle Warren Bryant, Atlanta Falcons, 1977
· Alabama linebacker Barry Krauss, Baltimore Colts, 1979
· Florida tackle Lomas Brown, Detroit Lions, 1985
· Alabama defensive end Eric Curry, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1993
· Florida defensive end Kevin Carter, St. Louis Rams, 1995
· Georgia defensive end Richard Seymour, New England Patriots, 2001
· Georgia defensive tackle Johnathan Sullivan, New Orleans Saints, 2003
· LSU defensive back LaRon Landry, Washington Redskins, 2007
· Alabama offensive tackle Andre Smith, Cincinnati Bengals, 2009
· Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons, 2011
· LSU defensive back Morris Claiborne, Dallas Cowboys, 2012
· LSU linebacker Barkevious Mingo, Cleveland Browns, 2013
· Texas A&M tackle Jake Matthews, Atlanta Falcons, 2014
· LSU safety Jamal Adams, New York Jets, 2017
· Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins, 2021
Jordan was a Pro Bowler five times and All-Pro once in 14 seasons.
Brown was a Pro Bowler seven times and All-Pro once in 18 seasons.
Seymour was a Pro Bowler five times and All-Pro three times in 11 seasons.
Jones has seven Pro Bowl invitations and two All-Pro selections in 12 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.