SEC Sets Single-Conference Record with 40 Players Drafted in 1st 3 Rounds

The SEC set a record Friday with 40 players drafted from the conference through the first three rounds of the 2020 NFL draft. That accounts for 37.7 percent of all the picks made so far.

ESPN Stats & Info provided a closer look at the dominance:

The SEC came flying out of the gates with six players chosen inside the Top 10, including first overall selection Joe Burrow of LSU going to the Cincinnati Bengals.

It's merely the latest sign the SEC has firmly established itself as the nation's premier football conference and the best pipeline to the NFL for high-end prospects.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said Friday on The Paul Finebaum Show (via ESPN's Tom VanHaaren) coaches from other conferences are trying to use that against SEC teams on the recruiting trail by saying the level of play is "too tough, too competitive and too physical":

"But that's not the way the NFL GM's are looking at it, and that's not the way the NFL coaches are looking at it. They want to take kids that want to compete at the highest level, that want to go play in those big-time matchups, and that's what the kids want. They want to go play in the biggest games in the biggest places, and that's what they aspire to do.

"So, for a coach in another conference to sell, 'Hey, it might be an easier path to come over here and go this way,' it just speaks volumes."

Smart added that outside of "two or three other programs," it's clear the SEC is king.

The conference's success in the draft should continue throughout Day 3.

Several of the top players available heading into Round 4 are from the SEC. It's a group that includes Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm, LSU offensive tackle Saahdiq Charles, Florida running back Lamical Perine and Missouri tight end Albert Okwuegbunam.