SEC Hauls in Solid First Round Draft Picks

2019 NFL Draft

The SEC was one of the most represented conferences in college football last night when there were nine first-round draft picks by NFL teams.

For the fourth year in a row, the Southeastern Conference added up the most first-round picks in the NFL Draft. Producing nine picks in Thursday’s draft, the SEC showed again that the south reigns supreme over football.

Alabama and Mississippi State took the silver and gold of the draft, with both schools producing three and four picks respectively.

Georgia, Kentuck, and LSU all got a piece of the action, however, contributing to the SEC yield.

 SEC Picks

New York Jets: Quinnen Williams DT – Alabama 

Williams is a dominant player on the field and it showed in every game he played at Alabama. He has 25 tackles for loss and nine sacks in 29 games. The Jets lucked out and might have gotten the best player available for them in the draft.

How fast is Quinnen Williams? Just listen to this commentary: pic.twitter.com/K5McfxqHv1

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) March 3, 2019

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Devin White LB – LSU

The Buccaneers have found the edge their defense so desperately was looking for. The 6-foot, 237-pound linebacker chalked up 286 tackles, 8.5 sacks, four fumbles, and four fumble recoveries. He was named to the SEC’s All-Freshman team in 2016 and had his breakout year in 2017 as team captain. Numbers don’t do this guy justice.

Fair warning though, White loves his horses, all seven of them. As he makes his new home in Tampa Bay, three of his horses, Daisy Mae, Overdrive and Taylor Mae will be accompanying him.

https://twitter.com/DevinWhite__40/status/1114933524715454466

Jacksonville Jaguars: Josh Allen DE/LB – Kentucky

The Jaguars were expected to expand upon their pass rush at some point during the draft, especially if one of the better defenders slipped away. J0sh Allen was rated as one of the best defenders in the SEC last season. He’s a dual-threat player, able to keep the pressure on the offense as an edge rusher on the ground while scanning the field as a linebacker.

#Sacksonville is ready for you, @JoshAllen41_@UKFootball | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/CAwsTD7ye4

— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) April 26, 2019

Cincinnati Bengals: Jonah Williams OT – Alabama

A new era for the Cincinnati Bengals has started after their pick of Alabama Crimson Tide O-lineman, Jonah Williams. The offensive line for the Bengals has desperately needed work for the past few seasons. Ending up with Williams wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for the Bengals either, as he is being added to a young roster. He can improve the offense by plugging a major hole in the Bengal’s O-line.

https://twitter.com/nfl/status/1101520105916137474?lang=en

Tennessee Titans: Jeffery Simmons DT – Mississippi State

 Unfortunately, Tennessee opened itself up to much criticism when they drafted Jeffery Simmons with the No. 19 overall pick. Simmons was captured on video hitting a woman in 2016, according to ESPN. Now, the Titans plan to support Simmons after he acknowledged the assault via conference call on Thursday. After racking up 157 tackles, seven sacks, and four fumbles, Simmons is excited about showing the Titans what he’s made of.

https://twitter.com/HailStateFB/status/1121603612227059712

Oakland Raiders: Josh Jacobs RB – Alabama

The NFL is going to continue to evolve and teams will become more creative in their playcalling. Because of this, offensive draft prospects who are well-rounded are looking more valuable. As the third Alabama draft pick this year, Josh Jacobs is looking to be one of the most effective offensive players on the field.

Jacobs acted as the Crimson Tide’s siege cannon, blasting through defenders for the extra yard when it’s needed. Jacobs is exactly what the Bengals needed in a running back.

Washington Redskins: Montez Sweat DE – Mississippi State

The Washington Redskins drafted the Mississippi State edge rusher as the 26th overall pick. Viewers were hoping for a more valuable pick after Sweat’s draft stock fell following a misdiagnosis of a heart condition. It wasn’t until meeting with a team doctor was he told that his heart condition was a misdiagnosis. Now, he’s in the top half of the first round and is expected to dominate in the league. He ran a dizzying 4.41 40-yard dash at the combine at 260 pounds.

The Redskins have traded back in to the first and grabbed Montez Sweat.

Follow all the madness here: https://t.co/OIKtyfSZzP pic.twitter.com/n3IMd2C2iM

— NBC Sports Commanders (@NBCSCommanders) April 26, 2019

Oakland Raiders: Johnathan Abram S – Mississippi State

Mississippi State tallied up another first-round draft pick with safety Johnathan Abram. The draft was heavy on the defensive side. The Raiders addressed their defensive woes by selecting Clelin Ferrell from Clemson at No. 4 overall. The Raiders rounded out their roster with Abram, who is an aggressive player with 107 tackles, five sacks and two interceptions in 33 games.

https://twitter.com/nflnetwork/status/1121615182348861441

New York Giants:  Deandre Baker CB – Georgia

As the 30th pick of the draft, the New York Giants chose Georgia cornerback Deandre Baker. Baker was the recipient of the Jim Thorpe Award in 2018, given every year to the nation’s top defensive player. The NFL.com scouting report on Baker reads,

“Consistency and competitiveness are his hallmarks. No touchdowns allowed with five interceptions since 2017. Confident in press coverage. Crowds release-acceleration to slow route-timing. Has quick trigger to turn and sprint when needed. Foot quickness to stay tied to early phase of routes. Dials into opponents’ route speed and stays in-phase. Good feel for timing of route breaks for effective matching.”

Giants move up to No. 30 to select CB Deandre Baker pic.twitter.com/kImYRA7SKS

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) April 26, 2019