The first round of the 2025 NFL Draft was dominated by power conference schools, as the SEC and Big Ten were ubiquitous during Thursday night’s action with 26 of the first 32 picks coming from the two most powerful conferences in the sport.
That trend continued for the entirety of draft weekend as more than half of the players that heard their names called in the seven rounds of picks came from the two biggest conferences in college football. While not a surprise, it’s a reminder of the direction college football is trending as the transfer portal and the opportunity to cash in on NIL deals has made it far less likely that an NFL talent will make it through their junior year at a smaller program.
In total, 150 of the 257 players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft finished their collegiate careers at SEC or Big Ten schools. Including players from the ACC and Big 12, the four power conferences made up 223 of the 257 picks in the draft, and the staggering 86.7 percent figure demonstrates how talent now rises through the collegiate ranks before making its way to the NFL. The Mountain West and AAC tied for the most picks of any Group of Five conference with six each. Eight players went from the FCS level to the NFL.
The schools that led the way in draft picks also shouldn’t be a surprise, as national champion Ohio State Buckeyes topped the list with 14 players drafted, falling just one shy of the seven-round record. Georgia, the seven-round record holder with 15 players taken in 2022, was just behind with 13 players drafted, while Texas had 12 — its most since 1987 — and Oregon had 10. The top school from outside the Big Ten and SEC was Miami (FL) with seven picks, while Notre Dame sent six players to the NFL.
Here’s the 2025 NFL Draft broken down by school and conference.
2025 NFL Draft picks by schools, conferences
SEC (79)
Big Ten (71)
ACC (42)
Big 12 (31)
Independent (7)
- Notre Dame – 6
- UConn – 1
Mountain West (6)
American (6)
MAC (4)
Big Sky (3)
Missouri Valley (2)
United Athletic (1)
SWAC (1)
CAA (1)
C-USA (1)
Pac-2 (1)
Sun Belt (1)
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