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The NFL Draft closed out on Saturday afternoon with the completion of Round 7.
And once again, the SEC is king. The league had 51 players selected over the three-day draft, which was four more than the 47 drafted from the Big Ten.
Vanderbilt became the 13th SEC team to have a player drafted when outside linebacker Stephen Weatherly came off the board early in the seventh round. That left the Tennessee Volunteers as the only SEC program without a player drafted in 2016.
A pair of LSU players that were expected to be taken much earlier in the draft final went off the board, with Jalen Mills landing with the Eagles and Vadal Alexander with the Raiders.
The Eagles came back for seconds on SEC talent in the last round, adding Florida’s Alex McAlister seven picks after taking Mills.
Oft-injured Georgia RB Keith Marshall was simply too fast and talented for the NFL to pass up, and the Washington Redskins may have scooped a bargain late in the seventh round if he’s able to stay healthy.
SEC PLAYERS SELECTED IN ROUND 7
- No. 227: Stephen Weatherly, outside linebacker, Vanderbilt (Minnesota Vikings)
- No. 233: Jalen Mills, safety, LSU (Philadelphia Eagles)
- No. 234: Vadal Alexander, offensive line, LSU (Oakland Raiders)
- No. 240: Alex McAlister, defensive end, Florida (Philadelphia Eagles)
- No. 242: Keith Marshall, running back, Georgia (Washington Redskins)
SEC VS. THE WORLD: FINAL TOTALS
SEC: 51
Big Ten: 47
Pac-12: 32
Big 12: 26
ACC: 26
FCS: 21
AAC: 10
C-USA: 10
MWC: 9
Independent: 8
MAC: 6
Sun Belt: 3
Division II: 2
Germany: 1
Canada: 1
ROUND 7 SEC PICKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Welcome to the #Vikings, Stephen Weatherly @TDHAthlete)! pic.twitter.com/y6a1nGhcm6
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) April 30, 2016
Congratulations @vikings! You got a good one in @TDHathlete #AnchorDownhttps://t.co/vY8LMR2sK8
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) April 30, 2016
#CommodoreNation, help us congratulate Weatherly on getting drafted by the @Vikings! #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/MSTmF4L53n
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) April 30, 2016
Congrats @Mills_Island! Jalen is the newest member of the @Eagles. #NFLSU pic.twitter.com/8TRt3F1oEL
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) April 30, 2016
Welcome to Philadelphia, Jalen Mills!#EaglesDraft | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/TbD8szJoX4
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) April 30, 2016
Congrats @v_alex74! Vadal is the newest member of the @RAIDERS. #NFLSU pic.twitter.com/omTMPgxOFt
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) April 30, 2016
Welcome to Philadelphia, Alex McCalister!#EaglesDraft | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/GvFXhUep6c
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) April 30, 2016
#WelcomeToDC, Keith!#SkinsDraft Central | https://t.co/jxhisctwgJ pic.twitter.com/NyyuNoCgWp
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) April 30, 2016
Congratulations, Keith! Can't wait to see you #GATA in our nation's capital!#NFLDraft#DawgsInTheNFL#CommitToTheG pic.twitter.com/BKOm0ttSce
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) April 30, 2016
"There's no substitute for speed, & he's fast. …He overcame the injuries & ran a very fast time." -Gruden on RB Keith Marshall #Redskins
— Master (@MasterTes) April 30, 2016
Nick Cole is a former print journalist with several years of experience covering the SEC. Born and raised in SEC country, he has taken in the game-day experience at all 14 stadiums.
