Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
By Chris Marler
It was one of the quickest and least dramatic first rounds we’ve seen in years on Thursday. The 32 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft took just over three hours, and for the most part there were no huge surprises. Here’s a recap of day one’s biggest SEC storylines. ‘
Streak snapped
The SEC had the most first round picks in every NFL Draft but one for the last 20 years. That was in 2015 when the ACC and Pac 12 each had nine to lead all conferences. This year the Big Ten saw its run of dominance continue over the SEC and lead all conferences for most first rounders with ten. The SEC was second with just seven, its fewest in 20 years.
What stood out more than not having the most picks was not how far they were from being No. 1, it was how close they were from being last. The SEC finished with seven picks, and the Big 12 and ACC each had six. If it weren’t for Keldric Faulk’s name being announced by Tennessee at No. 29 they would have been tied with two conferences that are inferior to the league. How the times have changed.
Total 1st Round Picks by Conference
The SEC’s Streak of most first rounders is snapped by the Big Ten. #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/W4V83NsxVq
— Chris Marler (@Vern_Funquist) April 24, 2026
Ty Simpson’s awkward new home
I said repeatedly in the lead up to the draft that Ty Simpson’s name would be called in round one. Outside of him being a skilled enough quarterback to deserve first round status, it was also just unfathomable to think of an entire first round concluding with just one quarterback being selected in the first 32 picks. For months the conversation around Ty Simpson was that the Rams and Cardinals were the most interested in selecting him. So, when he was drafted at No. 13 by Los Angeles it wasn’t a huge surprise.
Ty Simpson says he’s never talked to Sean McVay. Meanwhile — McVay just conducted a strangely unexcited presser after taking a QB of the future.
No shot McVay made that pick. pic.twitter.com/8aKlmQXOC8
— Grant Paulsen (@GrantPaulsen) April 24, 2026
What was a surprise was the reaction from Rams coach Sean McVay. When asked about going to LA, Simpson told SiriusXM that he had never talked to McVay until after he was drafted. If that didn’t seem odd enough, McVay’s response sure was.
“Let’s make one thing clear, this is Matthew’s team. You get a chance to be able to address the backup quarterback. We’ve got Stetson. We’ve talked about the importance of Jimmy [Garoppolo]. To be able to add somebody that you can evaluate a body of work where he was asked to play the position and a lot of things that do translate in terms of concepts, reading with his feet, some of the different things in the drop back in the play action game and the movement game.”
I don’t want to speculate, but that doesn’t sound like McVay was super onboard with the pick.
Sean McVay kept it short when talking about Rams’ new quarterback Ty Simpson 👀
(via @RamsNFL) pic.twitter.com/2bx3l7ScjQ
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 24, 2026
DBU and DBWho?
The best corner in the draft was hands down Mansoor Delane. The distance between No. 2 and No. 1 was a pretty steep drop off. For months Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy was projected as the No. 2 CB off the board. Health issues however, caused him to drop out of the first round entirely. The rumors after McCoy were that his teammate Colton Hood could possibly slide up to be the second CB taken over McCoy. South Carolina’s Brandon Cisse was also projected in several late first round mock drafts.
All three fell out of the first entirely. Instead, a corner from San Diego State was taken as the second corner overall. The assumption that NFL front offices would do what they tend to always do and default to taking an SEC player or a player from a bigger program at the very least, was false. Again, how the times have changed.
Highest drafted G5 player of the 2026 Draft:
San Diego State’s Chris Johnson 👀 pic.twitter.com/r73ByhswvC
— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) April 24, 2026
Biggest surprise: Caleb Banks
Florida defensive lineman Caleb Banks was +220 to be drafted in the first round going into draft day. His jumping up to No. 18 overall for the Minnesota Vikings was the surprise of the first round.
🚨🚨INSANE🚨🚨
Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks just ran a 5.05u 40-yard dash at 6-foot-6 and 327 pounds at the #NFL combine.
😱😱😱
The big man was MOVING.
pic.twitter.com/PGiwoI9MYm— MLFootball (@MLFootball) February 26, 2026
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