NFL Draft 2026: 15 SEC players projected in Round 1 of PFF’s way-too-early mock

The 2025 NFL Draft wrapped up on Saturday in Green Bay. Now, we wait until April of 2026 when the NFL Draft moves to Pittsburgh.

The SEC just tied its own record by having 15 players selected in Round 1 of this past draft. Can the league repeat its first-round success this time next year?

Pro Football Focus writers Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman put together their way-too-early 2026 NFL Mock Draft, and they think 15 more SEC football players will hear their names called in Round 1.

As you can see below, the SEC accounts for the top 2 overall picks and 4 of the top 10 selections:

• No. 1 — Kadyn Proctor, OL, Alabama — New York Giants
• No. 2 — Arch Manning, QB, Texas — Cleveland Browns
• No. 5 — Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU — New Orleans Saints
• No. 6 — Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas — Carolina Panthers
• No. 15 — Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee — Miami Dolphins
• No. 19 — Eric Singleton Jr., WR, Auburn — Denver Broncos
• No. 20 — Jake Slaughter, OL, Florida — Houston Texans
• No. 21 — Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn — Green Bay Packers
• No. 22 — Deontae Lawson, LB, Alabama — Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• No. 23 — Malik Muhammad, CB, Texas — Los Angeles Chargers
• No. 24 — LT Overton, Edge, Alabama — Washington Commanders
• No. 25 — Ar’maj Reed-Adams, OL, Texas A&M — Cincinnati Bengals
• No. 26 — LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina — Los Angeles Rams
• No. 28 — Tyreak Sapp, Edge, Florida — Kansas City Chiefs
• No. 32 — Taurean York, LB, Texas A&M — Buffalo Bills

A total of 8 different SEC schools produce the 15 players mentioned above. Texas and Alabama lead the way with 3 selections each. Auburn, Texas A&M and Florida each produce 2 picks in the above mock. And LSU, Tennessee and South Carolina produce 1 pick apiece.

Will these projections prove accurate? A lot will change between now and next April, so we’ll see!

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.