SEC, Big Ten were nearly even in NFL draft picks if USC is included
The USC Trojans are joining Washington, Oregon and UCLA in the Big Ten later this year. As the 2024 NFL draft recedes into memory, it’s worth asking how the NFL draft leaderboard stacked up if we account for the shifts in conference membership this year. The Big Ten didn’t eclipse the SEC, but it came very, very close.
In terms of comparing the current conferences at the 2024 NFL draft, the SEC had 17 more draft picks than the Big Ten, 59-42. With no teams leaving these conferences and multiple teams entering them, we can compare the new (future) versions of these conferences and how many draft picks they pulled in.
Texas and Oklahoma, the two new SEC members, combined for 14 new draft picks. The four new Big Ten teams coming over from the Pac-12 — USC, Oregon, Washington, and UCLA — combined for 27 picks. That’s a plus-13 figure for the new 18-member Big Ten. With the SEC being plus-17 before the new additions are counted, the final score for the 18-team Big Ten is 69 picks. The final score for the new 16-team SEC is 73 picks. The SEC won, but only slightly.
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