The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft is in the books, and it was a huge night for some former college football stars. Many of those players came out of the Big Ten, including No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza, as the conference had a solid first night in Pittsburgh.
The Big Ten finished the first round with 10 total selections, and four of those hailed from Ohio State. The first Buckeye off the board was wide receiver Carnell Tate, who went to the Tennessee Titans at No. 4 overall, and he was joined by linebackers Arvell Reese (No. 5) and Sonny Styles (No. 7) in the top 10.
The SEC had a respectable showing with seven total selections, but it was less than half of the league’s 15-pick showing last year. The SEC also produced one of the night’s biggest surprises with Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson going No. 13 overall to the Los Angeles Rams.
This year saw a lot more conference diversity, with the SEC and Big Ten combined for 26 of the 32 first-round picks in 2025. The Big 12 and ACC tallied six and five picks, respectively, with Miami watching three of its stars walk across the stage. The American Conference and the Mountain West Conference also got on the board with one selection each. Notre Dame running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price represented the independent programs.
Here’s a full breakdown of the first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft by school and conference.Â
2026 NFL Draft picks by schools, conferences
Big Ten (10)
- Ohio State — 4
- Oregon — 2
- Indiana — 2
- Penn State — 1
- USC — 1
SEC (7)
- Alabama — 2
- LSU — 1
- Florida — 1
- Georgia — 1
- Texas A&M — 1
- Auburn — 1
ACC (6)
- Miami — 3
- Clemson — 2
- Georgia Tech — 1
Big 12 (5)
- Arizona State — 2
- Utah — 2
- Texas Tech — 1
American (1)
Mountain West (1)
Independents (2)
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