SEC, Big Ten Dominate 2026 NFL Draft;
“Power Four” Now Exceed 92% Of Picks
By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
(last updated April 26, 2026)
The Southeastern Conference and Big Ten Conference dominated the 2026 National Football League draft, and — in what is believed to be a first, dating to the draft’s creation in 1936 — college football’s “Power Four” leagues (plus Notre Dame) collectively accounted for more than 92 percent of all selections.
The Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big 12 Conference tied for third 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 (FBS).
2026 Picks—Leading Conferences
87—Southeastern Conference (SEC)
68—Big Ten Conference
38—Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
38—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 237 (92.2 percent) of them, meaning that only 7.8 percent of all picks came from all other sources combined.
The only other conferences that had even three picks in the seven-round draft this year were the American Conference (four), the Mid-American Conference (four) and the Mountain West Conference (three), which also compete at the FBS level.
Within North Carolina, Duke, NC State, UNC and Wake Forest compete in the ACC. Charlotte and East Carolina play in the American. The state’s only other FBS program, Appalachian State, is a member of the 14-team Sun Belt Conference, which produced only two NFL picks this year.
Big Ten and SEC schools also dominated the team rankings. Clemson and Miami represented the ACC in the top five (see below), with nine selections each, but no other league member produced more than four picks.
Six of the nine schools that produced the most 2026 NFL draft picks participated in the 2025-26 College Football Playoff, which included 12 teams.
2026 Picks—Leading Universities
11—Ohio State, Big Ten (2025 CFP quarterfinalist)
10—Alabama, SEC (#9 CFB final ranking)
10—Texas A&M, SEC (2025 CFP participant)
9—Clemson, ACC
9—Miami, ACC (2025 CFP runner-up)
8—Georgia, SEC (2025 CFP quarterfinalist)
8—Indiana, Big Ten (2025 CFP champion)
8—Penn State, Big Ten
8—Texas Tech, Big 12 (2025 CFP quarterfinalist)
Besides Clemson (under 18th-year coach Dabo Swinney) and Miami (under fourth-year coach Mario Cristobal), the only ACC schools that produced three or more draft picks this year were Boston College (four) and league champion Duke (three).
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 2026 NFL Draft
Overall Pick, Name, Position, School, NFL Team (Previous Colleges)
First Round
10-Miami OT Francis Mauigoa, New York Giants
15-Miami DE Rueben Bain Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers
17-Clemson OT Blake Miller, Detroit Lions
22-Miami EDGE Akheem Mesidor, Los Angeles Chargers
26-Georgia Tech OG Keylan Rutledge, Houston Texans
29-Clemson DT Peter Woods, Kansas City Chiefs
Second Round
35-Clemson DE TJ Parker, Buffalo Bills
48-Clemson CB Avieon Terrell, Atlanta Falcons
Third Round
65-Miami QB Carson Beck, Arizona Cardinals
68-Miami OT Markel Bell, Philadelphia Eagles
69-Stanford TE Sam Roush, Chicago Bears
71-Clemson WR Antonio Williams, Washington Commanders
94-Louisville WR Chris Bell, Miami Dolphins
98-Miami S Jakobe Thomas, Minnesota Vikings
Fourth Round
102-Boston College OT Jude Bowry, Buffalo Bills
103-Florida State DT Darrell Jackson Jr., New York Jets
110-Clemson QB Cade Klubnik, New York Jets
116-Miami CB Keionte Scott, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
119-Duke DE Wesley Williams, Jacksonville Jaguars
123-Clemson LB Wade Woodaz, Houston Texans
133-SMU TE Matthew Hibner, Baltimore Ravens
138-Pitt LB Kyle Louis, Miami Dolphins
Fifth Round
152-NC State TE Justin Joly, Denver Broncos
155-Clemson DT DeMonte Capehart, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
162-Duke CB Chandler Rivers, Baltimore Ravens
171-Wake Forest CB Karon Prunty, New England Patriots
174-Clemson RB Adam Randall, Baltimore Ravens
175-Cal CB Hezekiah Masses, Las Vegas Raiders
Sixth Round
188-Miami OG Anez Cooper, New York Jets
189-Duke OC Brian Parker II, Cincinnati Bengals
197-Miami WR CJ Daniels, Los Angeles Rams
198-Wake Forest RB Demond Claiborne, Minnesota Vikings
202-Boston College OG Logan Taylor, Los Angeles Chargers
203-Stanford WR CJ Williams, Jacksonville Jaguars
204-Boston College WR Lewis Bond, Houston Texans
213-Georgia Tech DT Jordan van den Berg, Chicago Bears
Seventh Round
218-East Carolina WR Anthony Smith, Dallas Cowboys
229-NC State DT Brandon Cleveland, Las Vegas Raiders
247-Boston College DE Quintayvious Hutchins, New England Patriots
Also (Others Connected to ACC/NC Colleges)
1-Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders (ex-Cal)
2-Texas Tech LB David Bailey, New York Jets (ex-Stanford)
6-LSU CB Mansoor Delane, Kansas City Chiefs (ex-Virginia Tech)
18-Florida DE Caleb Banks, Minnesota Vikings (ex-Louisville)
24-Texas A&M WR KC Concepcion, Cleveland Browns (ex-NC State)
43-Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez, Miami Dolphins (ex-Virginia)
52-South Carolina CB Brandon Cisse, Green Bay Packers (ex-NC State)
70-Texas Tech LB Romello Height, San Francisco 49ers (ex-Georgia Tech)
74-Notre Dame WR Malachi Fields, New York Giants (ex-Virginia)
93-Missouri OT Keagan Trost, Los Angeles Rams (ex-Wake Forest)
117-Memphis OT Travis Burke, Los Angeles Chargers (ex-Gardner-Webb)
126-TCU LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Buffalo Bills (ex-Cal)
140-Georgia WR Colbie Young, Cincinnati Bengals (ex-Miami)
171-Wake Forest CB Karon Prunty, New England Patriots (ex-NC A&T)
177-Missouri WR Kevin Coleman Jr., Miami Dolphins (ex-Louisville)
179-Kansas OT Enrique Cruz Jr., San Francisco 49ers (ex-Syracuse)
195-Oregon WR Malik Benson, Las Vegas Raiders (ex-Florida State)
202-Boston College OG Logan Taylor, Los Angeles Chargers (ex-Virginia)
209-Michigan State OC Matt Gulbin, Washington Commanders (ex-Wake Forest)
218-East Carolina WR Anthony Smith, Dallas Cowboys (ex-NC State)
220-Missouri CB Toriano Pride Jr., Buffalo Bills (ex-Clemson)
221-Texas TE Jack Endries, Cincinnati Bengals (ex-Cal)
