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The NFL Combine is upon us, as about 331 of the country’s best outgoing college football players have congregated in Indianapolis.
On-field drills start Thursday. Here’s a look at how many players got invitations from each conference, and which schools got the most invites.
| Conference | Invites | Top School |
|---|---|---|
| SEC | 74 | Alabama (9) |
| Big Ten | 57 | Ohio St. (14) |
| Pac-12 | 50 | UCLA (9) |
| ACC | 45 | Clemson (8) |
| Big 12 | 34 | Oklahoma (7) |
Here’s a chart breaking down the Combine invites from each power conference by position.
| Conference | QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | LB | DB | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEC | 2 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 16 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 1 |
| Big Ten | 5 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 16 | 5 | 9 | 2 |
| Pac-12 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 2 |
| ACC | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 4 | 13 | 3 |
| Big 12 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 3 |
| Independent | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| AAC | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| MWC | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| C-USA | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MAC | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Non-FBS | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| Totals | 18 | 29 | 43 | 16 | 53 | 63 | 39 | 59 | 13 |
Not surprisingly, the SEC produced 10 of the 29 running backs invited, by far more than any other conference.
The SEC also produced the most receivers (9), offensive linemen (16) and linebackers (13).
The conference sent just two quarterbacks in Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott and Arkansas’ Brandon Allen, the same number as C-USA (including former Florida QB Jeff Driskel).
The Big Ten produced a very high number of quarterbacks (5) and defensive linemen (16), leading the country in both categories. The Pac-12 sent a lot of tight ends (4), while the Big 12 and ACC tied for the lead in specialists (3). The ACC also produced the most defensive backs (13).
If you’re interested in how this draft class compares, NFL.com offers a look at the number of Combine invitations by position every year from 2005 to 2014.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
