College Football

NFL Draft 2017: Ranking draft success by conference

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:31 p.m. ET

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Apr 28, 2017; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns first round picks defensive lineman Myles Garrett and defensive back Jabrill Peppers and tight end David Njoku display their jerseys to the media at the Cleveland Browns training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL Draft was dominated once again by the Southeastern Conference, but how did other conferences do? Here we rank the draft by conferences.

The 2017 NFL Draft is always an unpredictable for a lot of the teams and players involved. In terms of conference supremacy from the FBS circuit, it's always interesting to take a look at breakdowns from that standpoint.

For example, the University of Oregon and University of South Carolina had zero players drafted, as did the University of Virginia. For Virginia, it was the first time since 1983 that they didn't have a player selected in the NFL Draft. Talk about hard times.

The SEC still holds the crown of the "best college football" conference as for the 11th straight year, they led all conferences in picks. The SEC saw 53 total players taken, which is more players combined than the bottom five of our rankings.

The first round of the NFL Draft was largely dominated by the SEC, as they set a new record with 12 first-rounders selected on Day 1. Here's a look at the NFL Draft ranked by Top 10 conferences.

Sep 17, 2016; Hattiesburg, MS, USA; Troy Trojans head coach Neal Brown high fives offensive lineman Antonio Garcia (53) in the first quarter against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at M.M. Roberts Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

10. Sun Belt

The Sun Belt Conference saw five players from its conference drafted in the 2017 NFL Draft. Five different schools from the Sun Belt each had a player taken in the draft.

South Alabama Jaguars tight end Gerald Everett was the highest pick taken, drafted in the second round as the 12th pick, 44th overall by the Los Angeles Rams. Everett was a highly rated tight end despite playing in the Sun Belt Conference.

The other schools with players drafted were the Troy Trojans, the Georgia State Panthers, the Georgia Southern Eagles and the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns.

Trojans offensive tackle Antonio Garcia was drafted 85th overall by the New England Patriots in the third round. The other three picks were made on Day 3 in the final rounds of the draft.

Georgia Southern linebacker Ukeme Eligwe went 183rd overall to the Kansas City Chiefs. Louisiana-Lafayette running back Elijah McGuire was taken 188th overall by the New York Jets. Georgia State wide receiver Robert Davis was taken 209th overall by the Washington Redskins.

Dec 17, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; San Diego State Aztecs running back Donnel Pumphrey (19) carries the ball on a 15-yard run in the fourth quarter to break the FBS career rushing record during the 25th Las Vegas Bowl against the Houston Cougars at Sam Boyd Stadium. Pumphrey finished with 115 yards, giving him 6,405 for his career. San Diego State defeated Houston 34-10. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

9. Mountain West Conference

The Mountain West Conference had eight players taken in the 2017 NFL Draft, four of those players were running backs. All the players from the MWC were taken on Day 3 in Rounds 4-7.

The defending conference champion San Diego State Aztecs led all teams in the MWC with three players selected. Former standout running back Donnell Pumphrey was drafted 132nd overall by the Philadelphia Eagles while former standout cornerback Damontae Kazee went 149th overall to the Atlanta Falcons.

Offensive guard Nico Siragusa was the final player drafted out of San Diego State. He was selected 122nd overall by the Baltimore Ravens, but is not related to Tony Siragusa, oddly enough.

The Wyoming Cowboys and Boise State Broncos had two players drafted each while the Utah State Aggies had just one player drafted. Former Wyoming standout running back Brian Hill went to the Atlanta Falcons as the 156th overall pick. Boise State running back Jeremy McNichols joins former Bronco Doug Martin with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the 162nd overall pick.

Sep 10, 2016; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Western Kentucky Hilltoppers offensive lineman Forrest Lamp (76) blocks Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Tim Williams (56) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

8. Conference USA

Conference USA had a good showing at the 2017 NFL Draft despite having just nine players taken. Six of those players were selected in Day 2 of the draft, while the rest went in the final day.

The Louisiana Tech Red Raiders led all teams in C-USA with three players selected. Former wide receiver Carlos Henderson was the highest pick as he was selected 82nd overall by the Denver Broncos.

Former Western Kentucky offensive guard Forrest Lamp was the highest player drafted from C-USA. He was taken 38th overall by the Los Angeles Chargers. Former teammate Taywan Taylor was taken in the next round by the Tennessee Titans as the 72nd overall pick.

Former UNC Charlotte 49ers defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi was taken as the 65th overall pick by the Cleveland Browns. He became the first player ever out of UNC Charlotte to be selected in the NFL Draft.

Former Florida Atlantic Owls outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson was taken 103rd overall by the New Orleans Saints. Overall, players from six different schools were taken from C-USA.

Jan 2, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; Western Michigan Broncos wide receiver Corey Davis (84) reacts after catching a touchdown pass during the second half of the 2017 Cotton Bowl against the Wisconsin Badgers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

7. MAC

The Mid-American Conference had 12 players taken in the NFL Draft. This is a new record set by the MAC after seeing 11 players drafted back in 2005. The Western Michigan Broncos and Toledo Rockets tied with three players selected.

Former Western Michigan wide receiver Corey Davis was taken fifth overall by the Tennessee Titans. He ties for the conferences highest pick ever with former Buffalo Bull Khalil Mack (Oakland Raiders). Davis may have been picked ahead of schedule but he's a player who will make instant impact in Week One.

Davis' former teammate offensive guard Taylor Moton was taken in round 2 as the 64th overall pick. After Moton, however, the Broncos didn't have their final player taken until the final round of the draft.

Toledo Rockets running back Kareem Hunt was drafted the highest from his school as the 86th overall pick by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Ohio Bobcats defensive end Tarell Basham was taken 80th overall by the Indianapolis Colts but Davis was the only player taken in the first round.

Apr 28, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs number 10 pick Patrick Mahomes II (left) and CEO Clark Hunt pose for a photo during the press conference at Stram Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

6. Big 12

The Big 12 Conference has fallen on some hard times recently. They had 26 selections last season, but this season, things changed a lot.

In this year's NFL Draft, they had their lowest number of players drafted in conference history with 14. The Kansas Jayhawks went without a player taken in the draft. The Oklahoma Sooners led the conference with four players taken.

Former Texas Tech Raiders quarterback Patrick Mahomes was drafted the highest of any player in the Big 12. The Kansas City Chiefs took him with the 10th overall pick in the first round.

Former Oklahoma Sooners running back Joe Mixon was taken by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 48th overall pick in the second round despite off-the-field troubles that sidelined him in 2014.

Former Kansas State Wildcats defensive end Jordan Willis was also drafted by the Bengals with the 73rd pick in the third round.

Other Oklahoma Sooners players taken in the draft were former wide receiver Dede Westrbrook (110th, Jacksonville Jaguars) and running back Samaje Perine (114th overall, Washington Redskins).

Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Haason Reddick (Temple) is selected as the number 13 overall pick to the Arizona Cardinals in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

5. American Athletic Conference

The American Athletic Conference made its presence known at this year's NFL Draft with 15 players taken, a new record. The Temple Owls, Houston Cougars and South Florida Bulls each had three players taken in the draft. Six players were selected in the top 100 picks.

Former Temple linebacker Haason Reddick was taken 13th overall in the first round by the Arizona Cardinals. The Tennessee Titans took former East Carolina wide receiver Zay Jones in the second round with the 37th overall pick.

Former Houston Cougars linebacker Tyus Bower was the first player taken for his respective team. He was taken 47th overall by the Baltimore Ravens.

There was a variety of talent on display to be rewarded for the efforts on the collegiate football field. Even former Memphis Tigers kicker Jake Elliott was drafted. He was taken 153rd overall by the Cincinnati Bengals, one of three kickers taken in the whole draft.

Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Deshaun Watson (Clemson) poses with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell (right) as he is selected as the number 12 overall pick to the Houston Texans in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

4. ACC

The Atlantic Coast Conference had 43 players taken in the NFL Draft, but just four of those picks were first-rounders. The Miami Hurricanes led all schools with 8 picks. The North Carolina Tar Heels and Clemson Tigers weren't too far behind with six picks. While the Pittsburgh Panthers saw five former players drafted.

The Chicago Bears took an early risk on former Tar Heel quarterback Mitchell Trubisky with the second overall pick. Deshaun Watson was the third quarterback off the board but second ACC player taken with the 12th overall pick to the Houston Texans.

Watson's former teammate, wide receiver Mike Williams, was picked seventh by the Los Angeles Chargers. Former Hurricane tight end David Njoku was the fourth player from the ACC taken in the first round. He was the 29th pick to the Cleveland Browns.

Former Florida State Seminoles running back Dalvin Cook fell out of the first round due to some character issues. He should be a good fit, however, with the Minnesota Vikings, who took him with the 41st pick in the second round.

Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; John Ross (Washington) is selected as the number 9 overall pick to the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

3. Pac-12

The Pac-12 Conference had a good showing despite two schools going without a pick. The Arizona Wildcats and Oregon Ducks came up with zero players drafted but the Pac-12 still cracks the Top 5.

The Utah Utes were the leader surprisingly with eight players taken. Behind Utah, the USC Trojans, Washington Huskies and UCLA Bruins all tied with five picks apiece. The conference had six first-rounders and 36 total players drafted.

The first Pac-12 player taken first was former Stanford Cardinal defensive end Solomon Thomas. Thomas was taken third overall by the San Francisco 49ers. Former teammate running back Christian McCaffrey was taken a few picks later by the Carolina Panthers at the eighth spot.

Former Washington wide receiver John Ross was taken with the ninth overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite their strong presence on defense, offense was the first choice taken off the board for the Huskies.

Utah's first pick was selected until the second round. Former safety Marcus Williams was taken by the New Orleans Saints with the 42nd overall pick.

Apr 28, 2017; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns first round pick defensive back Jabrill Peppers talks to the media at the Cleveland Browns training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

2. Big Ten

The Big Ten Conference saw 35 players taken in the 2017 NFL Draft. They didn't come close to last year's draft total of 47 players, but had a good number of defensive player picked across the board. The conference didn't have more picks than the Pac-12 or the ACC but they did have seven first-rounders selected in the NFL Draft.

The Michigan Wolverines had the most players (11) taken in the whole draft, although only two of them were first-rounders. The Ohio State Buckeyes had seven total players taken, three of them were first-rounders.

Cornerback Malik Hooker fell out of the Top 10 despite his talent, but the New Orleans will be happy to have him with the 11th pick. Former Michigan safety Jabrill Peppers fell to the Cleveland Browns with the 25th pick. T.J. Watt, brother of J.J. and Derek, was taken by Pittsburgh Steelers with the 30th overall pick in the first round.

Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Myles Garrett (Texas A&M), not pictured) is announced as the number 1 overall pick to the Cleveland Browns in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

1. SEC

The Southeastern Conference took the crown for most picks in the NFL Draft for the 11th straight year with 53 picks taken. The SEC set a new record with 12 first-rounders taken in the opening day. The conference also saw nine players drafted in the second round, which set a new record for most picks taken in the first two rounds.

The Alabama Crimson Tide led all SEC teams with 10 players selected. The LSU Tigers and Florida Gators weren't too far behind with eight picks taken each. The Tennessee Volunteers had six players chosen, while the Texas A&M Aggies saw five players hear their name called.

Former Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Myles Garrett was the first SEC player as the first overall pick to the Cleveland Browns. After Garrett, the LSU Tigers saw former running back Leonard Fournette go to the Jacksonville Jaguars with the fourth pick then former safety Jamal Adams to the New York Jets with the sixth pick.

The Crimson Tide didn't have a player selected until the Baltimore Ravens took cornerback Marlon Humphrey with the 16th pick. Then after him, defensive end Jonathan Allen (17th overall pick, Washington Redskins), tight end O.J. Howard (19th overall pick, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and linebacker Reuben Foster (31st overall pick, San Francisco 49ers) flew off the board in the first round.