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If I had to bet, I’d take the “over” on 10 SEC players being selected in the 1st Round of the 2025 NFL Draft. History suggests those odds would be in my favor.
The year-by-year breakdown of the last 10 years shows that:
- 2015 — 7
- 2016 — 8
- 2017 — 12
- 2018 — 10
- 2019 — 9
- 2020 — 15
- 2021 — 12
- 2022 — 12
- 2023 — 9
- 2024 — 11
That’s an average of 10.5 SEC players selected in Round 1. Mind you, that was when the conference only had 14 teams. With Texas and Oklahoma, one would think there won’t be too many years in which that number dips below 10.
I say that because as much as the NFL Draft can confuse the college-focused crowd at times, there seem to at least be some consensus opinions that we can point to as it relates to who comes off the board on Night 1. Our Adam Spencer broke down the SEC’s top 10 NFL Draft prospects, so today, we’ll piggyback off of that.
In no particular order, these are the 10 SEC players that appear to be Round-1 locks in the 2025 NFL Draft:
Will Campbell, LSU OT
Campbell is currently tied for 6th in the DraftKings odds to be the No. 1 overall pick. The question isn’t whether he’ll come off the board in Round 1; it’s whether he’ll be selected as a top-5 pick. There appears to be a fairly decent chance of that with New England currently set to pick at No. 4 with an obvious need at tackle. Campbell was a 3-year left tackle starter who allowed 4 sacks on 1,594 career pass-blocking snaps. He’s as proven and as pro-ready as any offensive lineman in the class.
Jalon Walker, Georgia Edge
If you just watched Walker dominate that respected Texas offensive line (twice), you’d wonder why he’s not being projected as the No. 1 overall pick. But unlike fellow former Georgia edge-rusher Travon Walker, who was selected No. 1 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, Jalon Walker isn’t quite as physically freakish. He’s still going to have a 1st-Round market because he showed the ability to take over games, which is often the ultimate question for projecting edge rushers.
Armand Membou, Mizzou OT
The 20-year-old tackle was a successful starter throughout his 3 seasons in Columbia — he didn’t allow a sack or a quarterback hit on 411 pass-blocking snaps — but his NFL traits are why he’s in this group. Bruce Feldman had him on his annual “Freaks List” for his 32-inch vertical and 1.63-second 10-yard split at 320 pounds. Membou is explosive as a Day 1 right tackle and proven at a position of tremendous value, which will make him an intriguing option in the first half of Round 1.
Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas OT
Drink every time that you see Banks mocked to the Bears at No. 10 overall. Just kidding. Don’t do that to your liver. Instead, just understand that there’s a high likelihood that the durable 3-year Texas starter is off the board in the front half of Round 1. The 2024 Outland Trophy winner allowed just 1 sack and 2 quarterback hits on 538 pass-blocking snaps. Even though the first Georgia game didn’t do him any favors, he’s an immediate starter at tackle for a team that needs help protecting a young quarterback … like the Bears.
Mykel Williams, Georgia Edge
Williams might not have been as healthy as many hoped he’d be during his pre-Draft season, but there’s still a clear Round-1 market for him as a promising edge-rusher. Much like teammate Jalon Walker, Williams put together his best performances against that respected Texas offensive front. The 20-year-old didn’t put up eye-popping numbers — he had 15 pressures, 6 quarterback hits and 5 sacks — but at 6-5, 265 pounds, Williams is a prime candidate to tear up the NFL Combine and leave no doubt about his 1st-Round Draft stock.
Tyler Booker, Alabama G
Make no mistake that Booker, even as an interior offensive lineman, is coming off the board on Night 1. Why? It’s not just the off-the-charts leadership qualities that he portrayed dating back to his time as an underclassman at Alabama. He allowed 2 sacks and 7 QB hits on 1,035 career pass-blocking snaps, and while he’s not considered an elite run-blocker yet, his 6-5, 325-pound frame projects well for the next level. There’s a fairly decent chance that Booker won’t come off the board until the latter half of Round 1, but plenty of teams have an immediate need on the interior of the offensive line. Booker will check that box.
Jahdae Barron, Texas CB
People forget that Barron — not Travis Hunter — took home the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in college football. Barron was an essential piece to an elite Texas secondary, and if he were 2 inches taller, he’d be a top-10 lock. Unfortunately for Barron, he’s only 5-11. Fortunately for Barron, he gets every ounce out of his frame and after Cooper DeJean’s prowess as a rookie nickel corner, that market is working in his favor. In 16 games, the versatile senior allowed 284 yards and 0 touchdowns in coverage while intercepting 5 passes and breaking up 9 as a primary outside corner (he still played 122 snaps in the slot in his pre-Draft season). His floor is tremendously high.
Luther Burden III, Mizzou WR
While I thought we’d see more outside receiver snaps from Burden in his pre-Draft season — his slot snaps percentage actually increased from 81.7% to 85.3% — he’s too good of a talent to fall past those first 32 picks. Burden is devastating in space, and he can’t be defended like a prototypical slot receiver because of how explosive he is downfield. Even in a disappointing season, he still forced 30 missed tackles, which was the most of any FBS receiver. There’s a chance that Burden won’t hear his name called until the final 10 picks of Round 1, but in a time when teams are realizing you need to invest in several elite receivers, there’s no reason he can’t be an ideal complement for a Playoff-ready team.
Walter Nolen, Ole Miss DT
I was the person who argued that Nolen was being overvalued entering his pre-Draft season, which included a transfer from Texas A&M to Ole Miss. But after he put a full season together that was even better than who he was in the first half of his sophomore season in 2023 (before he got hurt at Tennessee), Nolen clearly belongs in these conversations. It’s hard to find interior defensive linemen who can be as disruptive as Nolen was, both as a pass-rusher (he had 6 sacks and 35 pressures) and as a run defender (PFF graded Nolen the No. 2 against the run among interior DL). The former 5-star recruit has an incredibly high ceiling that’ll make him a mid-Round 1 guy.
James Pearce Jr., Tennessee Edge
Wait, what about the drop-off in Pearce’s sack numbers? That’s not nothing, but it’s worth noting that Pearce was still plenty effective in 2024. He had 43 hurries (that was tied with Abdul Carter for No. 3 among FBS edge-rushers), along with a 23% win rate (No. 7 among FBS edge-rushers). There are going to be questions about his size at 243 pounds and whether he’s too undersized to be an every-down player, but he can still build on that 6-5 frame. With his unteachable first step, Pearce is still a solid bet to be Tennessee’s first defensive player off the board on Round 1 since Derek Barnett in 2017.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Down South. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.
