The New Orleans Saints selected
Auburn
The team selected defensive lineman Frank Warren as their first choice in the third round of the 1981 NFL Draft — six picks following their selection of eventual Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Rickey Jackson.
Warren was also a solid choice. Only three players drafted in 1981 appeared in more NFL regular-season games than him: Jackson, offensive tackle Tim Irwin, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, who was a standout defensive back.
At Phillips High School in Birmingham, where he was a notable athlete, Warren played in 189 regular-season matches and three postseason contests during his career with the Saints. Over these 13 years, he managed to achieve an impressive total of 56 sacks along with recovering 11 fumbles.
Even though Warren had a successful career, New Orleans hasn’t selected an Auburn player since then, whereas every other NFL team has done so.
Since the Saints drafted Warren, Auburn has seen 171 of its players picked in the NFL Draft. This makes their current draught the longest ongoing one among Southeastern Conference programs for a single NFL team based on the number of selections.
A conference member has experienced a prolonged period without selecting players for the NFL, though this did not include any SEC athletes. Texas commenced its inaugural season as part of the league in 2024 and is now set to haveSEC players moving to the NFL for the first time this week.
Since the New York Jets selected a player in 1980, a total of 187 athletes from Texas have joined an NFL franchise through the draft. The Jets initially chose wide receiver Lam Jones from the University of Texas with their second overall pick in the 1980 draft. However, they haven’t picked another Texan in any of the subsequent 44 drafts. Meanwhile, all other teams in the league have continued to select players hailing from Texas during this period.
The longest draft drought in terms of years involving an SEC program and an NFL team involves Vanderbilt and the Detroit Lions. Detroit made its most recent selection from the Commodores in 1959, when the Lions took center Ben Donnell. Since then, the other NFL teams have chosen 80 players from Vanderbilt in the draft.
The longest droughts (as measured by the number of drafted players) in the NFL Draft for each SEC team include:
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Alabama
:
Since the Kansas City Chiefs last selected a player from Alabama in 2013 withLB Nico Johnson, a total of 104 Crimson Tide athletes have been drafted.
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Arkansas:
Since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last selected a player from Arkansas — running back Jerry Eckwood in 1979 — 124 Razorbacks have been drafted.
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Auburn:
Since the New Orleans Saints last selected an Auburn player, which was defensive lineman Frank Warren in 1981, they have not chosen another Tiger in 171 drafts.
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Florida:
Since the Tennessee Titans last selected a player from Florida – DB Ryan Smith in 2007 – 93 Gators have gone on to be drafted.
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Georgia:
Since the Dallas Cowboys last selected a player from Georgia – running back Shaun Chapas – in 2011, ninety Bulldogs have been drafted.
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Kentucky:
Since the Miami Dolphins selected running back Larry Seiple from Kentucky in 1967 for their most recent draft choice at that time, 132 wildcats have been picked overall.
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LSU:
Since the Indianapolis Colts last selected an athlete from Louisiana State University – defensive tackle Drake Nevis – in 2011, a total of 95 Tigers have been drafted.
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Mississippi State:
Since the Los Angeles Chargers last selected a player from Mississippi State — WR Sammy Milner in 1971 — 133 bulldogs have been drafted.
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Missouri:
Since the New York Giants last selected a player from Missouri, which was tackle Conrad Goode in 1984, a total of 84 tigers have been drafted.
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Oklahoma:
Since the Houston Texans entered the NFL draft in 2002, they have passed over players from Oklahoma, despite seeing 117 Sooners get picked overall during this period.
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Ole Miss:
Since the Cleveland Browns selected linebacker Curtis Weathers from Ole Miss in 1979 as their last draft choice, 107 rebels have been picked subsequently.
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South Carolina:
123 Gamecocks have been drafted since the Pittsburgh Steelers made their most recent pick from South Carolina – G Steve Courson in 1977.
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Tennessee:
81 Volunteers have been drafted since the Jacksonville Jaguars made their most recent pick from Tennessee – DT John Henderson in 2002.
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Texas:
Since the New York Jets last selected a player from Texas – wide receiver Lam Jones in 1980 – 187 Longhorns have gone on to be drafted.
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Texas A&M:
Since the Tennessee Titans (formerly known as the Houston Oilers) last selected a player from Texas A&M with their most recent draft choice in 1995, when they picked running back Rodney Thomas, a total of 101 Aggie players have joined the NFL through the draft.
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Vanderbilt:
Since the Detroit Lions last selected a player from Vanderbilt University — center Ben Donnell in 1959 — eighty Commodores have been drafted.
The drafting streaks for Arkansas, Missouri, South Carolina, and Texas A&M began prior to them joining the SEC. As Oklahoma and Texas entered their inaugural SEC season in 2024, this week’s draft marks their first participation as part of the conference.
The opening segment of the 90th NFL Draft kicks off at 7 p.m. Central Daylight Time on Thursday in Green Bay, Wisconsin. On Friday, coverage continues at 6 p.m. with the second and third rounds. The final four rounds start at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Broadcasting partners for this event include ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and NFL Network.
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Mark Inabinett serves as a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. You can follow him on Twitter @X.
@AMarkG1
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