Ohio State had four players selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, leading all colleges. The Big Ten conference topped the draft with 10 players, edging out the SEC and ACC, which each had seven picks.
NFL Draft picks by college tracker 2026: Ohio State leads first round, Big Ten edges SEC for most picks originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Ohio State led all schools with four players selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft -- though the order was a little different than expected.
The Tennessee Titans drafted receiver Carnell Tate with the No. 4 pick. Edge rusher Arvell Reese went with the next pick to the New York Giants, and linebacker Sonny Styles went two picks later at No. 7 to the Washington Commanders. The Dallas Cowboys selected Caleb Downs with the No. 11 pick.
Miami had three players selected in the first round. The Giants took tackle Francis Mauigoa (No. 10), Tampa Bay drafted edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. (No. 15), and the Los Angeles Chargers took Akheem Mesidor (No. 22).
The Big Ten led all conferences with 10 players selected in the first round. The SEC and ACC had seven players apiece drafted.
Ohio State had the most NFL Draft picks in 2026, with four players selected in the first round.
The Big Ten had 10 players drafted in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, Washington Commanders, and Dallas Cowboys drafted players from Ohio State in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Miami had three players selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Timberwolves overpower Nuggets 113-96 in Game 3, lead series 2-1
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.
Here’s a closer look at the NFL Draft by college and by conference.
2026 NFL DRAFT HQ:Live tracker | Pick-by-pick grades | Best players still available
Sporting News will track the NFL Draft selections by college here for the 2026 NFL Draft:
| SCHOOL | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | TOTAL |
| Ohio State | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Miami | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Indiana | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Notre Dame | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Arizona State | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Utah | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Alabama | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Oregon | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Clemson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Texas Tech | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| LSU | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Penn State | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Florida | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Georgia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| USC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| UCF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Texas A&M | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Georgia Tech | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| San Diego State | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Auburn | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Sporting News will track the NFL Draft by conference here. The SEC led all conferences with 80 players drafted in 2025.
| CONFERENCE | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | TOTAL |
| Big Ten | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| SEC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| ACC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Big 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Independent | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| MWC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| American | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C-USA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FCS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MAC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pac-12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Division II | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Division III | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sun Belt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
MORE NFL DRAFT NEWS: