For Alabama Football and Ohio State, the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft went about as expected. The biggest surprise came from Ty Simpson going at No. 13 to the Los Angeles Rams. Purportedly. Rams head coach Sean McVay never spoke to Simpson during the draft evaluation process. However, Simpson is a good fit for the Rams offense. Alabama football fans can point fingers at the many so-called NFL Draft experts who had Simpson slotted as a second-round selection.
For the first time since the 2015 Draft, the SEC did not lead with the most first-round picks. Fueled by Ohio State's haul, the Big Ten was the first-round big dog on Thursday night with 10 first-round selections. The SEC had 15 last year.
Ohio State is the all-time leader with 95 first-round picks. Alabama at 84 is third, behind the Buckeyes and USC. The Crimson Tide holds the record for consecutive years with a first-round selection at 18. Ohio State is next at 10, followed by Georgia at eight years. Since 2000, the Buckeyes have had 181 players drafted. Alabama is No. 2 at 171.
Ryan Day and Nick Saban Joke
On Thursday night, sitting next to Nick Saban, Ryan Day joked that Caleb Downs was a mess coming from Alabama as a transfer to the Buckeyes. Even Nick Saban laughed. Both coaches spoke about Downs as one of the most NFL-ready freshman football players ever.
Day's joke was clever, but it might also suggest a bit of discomfort about being measured against college football's all-time greatest coach. Day is a one-time national championship head coach. He had a shot at another one in 2021, but Nick Saban and the 2020 Alabama Crimson Tide ran the Buckeyes out of Miami Gardens in a 52-24 blowout. Day has an outstanding 87.2% winning percentage over eight seasons. Day likely has many seasons to chase Nick Saban. Even optimistic Ohio State fans must realize the probability that Day will ever come close to Saban's seven national championships is remote.
Has the Big Ten surpassed the SEC with the 2026 NFL Draft being a tipping point? The answer is no. One Draft could be the start of a trend, but it could also be just a blip.
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