2012 NFL Draft: SEC Expected to Dominate First Round

The Southeastern Conference has dominated college football over the last few years, and it will be well represented in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft on Thursday night.

Bookmaker sports book has established a total of 11 for the amount of players from the conference getting selected in the first 32 picks.

To put that number in perspective, the Pac-12 Conference is second in the betting market with a total of seven players to be taken within that window.

Let's take a closer look at this proposition offering from a betting perspective, while also evaluating past drafts to provide some assistance.

2012 NFL Mock Draft

Alabama Crimson Tide running back Trent Richardson played for the No. 1 team in the country last year, but in Matt Miller's final mock draft, he'll be the second Southeastern Conference player taken in Thursday night's NFL draft. 

LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne is projected to be the first of 12 players selected from the nation's top college football conference.

That number would go just "over" the total of 11 that's currently being offered at Bookmaker, which is also the underdog choice (+140) in the betting market.

2011 NFL Draft

The 2011 NFL draft had Auburn Tigers quarterback Cam Newton leading a group of 10 Southeastern Conference players being selected in the first round, including five of the first six picks.

This number would fall just short of the number being offered in this year's draft, providing us with little edge, but giving us confidence that a double-digit number could be reached.

2010 NFL Draft

Tennessee Volunteers safety Eric Berry led the charge in getting selected by the Kansas City Chiefs with the fifth overall pick of the 2010 NFL draft, but only seven players from the SEC were selected in the first round.

The Big 12 Conference was the story of this draft, with three Oklahoma Sooners players getting selected within the first four picks.

We can't move on without mentioning that Tim Tebow was selected by the Denver Broncos with the 25th pick out of Florida.

2009 NFL Draft

The Southeastern Conference landed in the top spot in the 2009 NFL draft with the Detroit Lions taking Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Matthew Stafford.

A trend has definitely developed that supports the "under" in this proposition offering, with seven other players from the conference joining Stafford among the top 32 picks.

2008 NFL Draft

The Oakland Raiders selected Arkansas Razorbacks running back Darren McFadden with the No. 4 pick in the 2008 NFL draft, leading a group of six Southeastern Conference players to be taken in the first round.

I'm beginning to think that the oddsmakers may be trying to trap people into playing the "under" at this point, as the last four drafts have had 31 players taken from the conference, which averages out to 7.7 per year.

Prediction

I definitely can't suggest playing the "over" in this offering due to the top two picks likely reserved for quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, who played their college ball in the Pac-12 and Big 12 Conferences, respectively.

The SEC was definitely the dominant force in college football last year with the Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers playing for the national title, but they will not have 12 players taken with the final 30 picks of the first round.

I have no problem pushing if the amount of players taken lands directly on this number.

Pick: Under 11