SEC, Big Ten Dominate 2025 NFL Draft;
“Power Four” Leagues Near 90% Of Picks
By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
(last updated April 27, 2025)
The Southeastern Conference and Big Ten Conference dominated the 2025 National Football League draft, and college football’s “Power Four” leagues (plus Notre Dame) collectively accounted for almost 90 percent of all selections.
The Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big 12 Conference finished third and fourth, respectively, in total draft picks this year. Both leagues finished well behind the SEC and Big Ten, but they also finished well ahead of the other five major conferences competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
2025 Picks—Leading Conferences
79—Southeastern Conference (SEC)
71—Big Ten Conference
42—Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
31—Big 12 Conference
(6—Notre Dame, independent)
There were 257 selections in this year’s NFL draft, and the Power Four leagues (plus Notre Dame) collectively accounted for 229 of them, meaning that only 11 percent of all picks came from all other sources combined.
The only other conferences that had even two picks in the seven-round draft this year were the American Athletic Conference (six), the Mountain West Conference (six), the Mid-American Conference (four), the Big Sky Conference (three) and the Missouri Valley Conference (two). Big Sky and MVC members play in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
Within North Carolina, Duke, NC State, UNC and Wake Forest compete in the ACC. Charlotte and East Carolina play in the AAC. The state’s only other FBS program, Appalachian State, is a member of the 14-team Sun Belt Conference, which produced only one NFL pick this year.
Big Ten and SEC schools also dominated the team rankings this year. Miami represented the ACC in the top 10, with seven selections, but the Hurricanes were the only team from outside the top two conferences to manage that feat.
The four schools that produced the most 2025 NFL draft picks all participated in the 2024-25 College Football Playoff, with national champion Ohio State at the top of the heap, with 14 overall selections.
2025 Picks—Leading Universities
14—Ohio State, Big Ten (2024 national champion)
13—Georgia, SEC (2024 CFP participant)
12—Texas, SEC (2024 CFP participant)
10—Oregon, Big Ten (2024 CFP participant)
8—Ole Miss, SEC
7—Alabama, SEC
7—Florida, SEC
7—LSU, SEC
7—Miami, ACC
7—Michigan, Big Ten
Besides Miami, the only ACC schools that produced four or more draft picks this year were Virginia Tech (five), California (four) and Syracuse (four).
The only North Carolina-based schools that produced even a single selection from their 2024 teams were East Carolina (one), NC State (one) and UNC (one). App State, Charlotte, Duke and North Carolina A&T also had one or more of their former players selected, although in each case the draftee completed his college career at a different school.
Many other ACC and North Carolina-based products signed contracts as undrafted free agents and/or received NFL rookie minicamp invitations in the days following this year’s draft.
ACC/NC Selections In 2025 NFL Draft
Overall Pick, Name, Position, School, NFL Team (Previous Colleges)
First Round
1-Miami QB Cameron Ward, Tennessee Titans (Incarnate Word/FCS, Washington State)
22-North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton, Los Angeles Chargers
Second Round
40-Louisville QB Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints (Oregon, Texas Tech)
44-Boston College DE Donovan Ezeiruaku, Dallas Cowboys
50-Miami TE Elijah Arroyo, Seattle Seahawks
54-NC State OT Anthony Belton, Green Bay Packers (Georgia Military/JC)
56-Boston College OT Ozzy Trapilo, Chicago Bears
Third Round
66-Louisville DE Ashton Gillotte, Kansas City Chiefs
73-Florida State CB Azareye’h Thomas, New York Jets
85-California CB Nohl Williams, Kansas City Chiefs (UNLV)
93-Virginia S Jonas Sanker, New Orleans Saints
Fourth Round
104-Virginia Tech RB Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars (North Carolina A&T/FCS)
106-California S Craig Woodson, New England Patriots
119-Clemson LB Barrett Carter, Cincinnati Bengals
128-Virginia Tech WR Jaylin Lane, Washington Commanders (Middle Tennessee State)
129-California LB Teddye Buchanan, Baltimore Ravens (Cal-Davis/FCS)
131-Louisville CB Quincy Riley, New Orleans Saints (Middle Tennessee State)
136-Stanford WR Elic Ayomanor, Tennessee Titans
137-Florida State DT Joshua Farmer, New England Patriots
Fifth Round
153-Miami G Jalen Rivers, Cincinnati Bengals
157-SMU DE Elijah Roberts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Miami)
162-Miami LB Francisco Mauigoa, New York Jets (Washington State)
165-Syracuse TE Oronde Gadsen II, Los Angeles Chargers
168-Boston College C Drew Kendall, Philadelphia Eagles
173-Georgia Tech TE Jackson Hawes, Buffalo Bills (Yale)
176-Miami DE Tyler Baron, New York Jets (Tennessee)
Sixth Round
177-Virginia Tech CB Dorian Strong, Buffalo Bills
181-Syracuse QB Kyle McCord, Philadelphia Eagles (Ohio State)
182-Miami K Andres Borregales, New England Patriots
183-California CB Marcus Harris, Tennessee Titans (Oregon State/Idaho)
199-Pitt OT Branson Taylor, Los Angeles Chargers
202-Pitt TE Gavin Bartholomew, Minnesota Vikings
209-Virginia Tech DE Antwaun Powell-Ryland, Philadelphia Eagles (Florida)
210-Virginia Tech DT Aeneas Peebles, Baltimore Ravens (Duke)
214-Clemson S R.J. Mickens, Los Angeles Chargers
Seventh Round
223-Miami RB Damien Martinez, Seattle Seahawks (Oregon State)
228-SMU RB Brashard Smith, Kansas City Chiefs (Miami)
236-Syracuse RB LeQuint Allen, Jacksonville Jaguars
239-Clemson RB Phil Mafah, Dallas Cowboys
242-Pitt WR Konata Mumpfield, Los Angeles Rams (Akron)
253-Georgia Tech DT Zeek Biggers, Miami Dolphins
254-Syracuse DE Fadil Diggs, New Orleans Saints (Texas A&M)
Also (Others Connected to ACC/NC Colleges)
49-South Carolina LB Demetrius Knight, Cincinnati Bengals (Georgia Tech/Charlotte)
52-UCLA DE Oluwafemi Oladejo, Tennessee Titans (California)
59-Marshall LB Mike Green, Baltimore Ravens (Virginia)
60-UCF RB RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos (Virginia)
64-Texas S Andrew Mukuba, Philadelphia Eagles (Clemson)
76-East Carolina CB Shavon Revel, Dallas Cowboys
125-South Carolina LB Kyle Kennard, Los Angeles Chargers (Georgia Tech)
138-Ole Miss WR Jordan Watkins, San Francisco 49ers (Louisville)
189-Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard, Indianapolis Colts (Duke)
191-Michigan OT Myles Hinton, Philadelphia Eagles (Stanford)
194-Auburn LB Jalen McLeod, Jacksonville Jaguars (Appalachian State)
220-Missouri OT Marcus Bryant, New England Patriots (SMU)
