The grip held by the SEC and Big Ten on college football has grown more powerful in recent years, and now their collective reign of dominance also extends to the NFL Draft. Nearly 60 percent of the NFL’s 257 selections in seven rounds belonged to either the SEC (79) or Big Ten (71).

On Saturday, the 2025 NFL draft concluded with one of the game's biggest stars not hearing his name called, sparking spirited fan discussion of a possible 'cover curse.' Former five-star recruit, National Champion and three-time Big Ten Champion Donovan Edwards was not selected in Thursday-Saturday's seven round NFL draft.

The transfer portal has changed how college football teams operate, and the impacts of the portal have become increasingly apparent in the NFL Draft. The way talent flows through college football now means the kind of player that makes their way into the NFL early in the draft tends to find its way to the big programs in college football first.