NFL Draft: Three Pac-12 Players Taken in First Round

Just three Pac-12 players were selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft on Thursday.

Only three were taken in the opening round last year.

And Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert, who was the sixth overall selection this year, is the only Pac-12 player taken among the first 17 picks in either the 2019 or 2020 NFL drafts.

That's a pretty good indication why no Pac-12 team has been part of the four-team College Football Playoff since 2016.

It is also reflected in the rankings. Oregon, which wound up No. 5, was the only Pac-12 team ranked in the top 15 of the final 2019 AP poll, and no squad from the conference finished ranked among the top nine in either 2018 or 2017.

By contrast, the Southeastern Conference had 15 players taken in the first round Thursday, a record for a single conference, and nine of the first 14 picks were from the the SEC. That included the No. 1 selection Joe Burrow of LSU, who went to Cincinnati. That's a pretty good indication why an SEC representative has won 10 of the past 14 national championships, including the 2019 title.

Alabama and LSU each had four first-round picks Thursday, more than all 12 members of the Pac-12 combined.

OK, let's pump the brakes on the Pac-12's shortcomings, because it was not alone in the first-round shortage Thursday. The Big 12 and Big Ten were only slightly better, with five first-round picks apiece, and the Atlantic Coast Conference, which is essentially a one-team league, had the same number of first-round picks as the Pac-12--three.

But over the past two drafts, the numbers are less forgiving. The Pac-12 has had six players taken in the first round in 2019 and 2020 combined. The Big 12 had the next fewest among Power Five conferences with eight. The ACC had 10, the Big Ten 12 and the SEC 24.

It was different just a few years ago. In the 2015 draft, the Pac-12 had nine players taken in the first round, including four that were among the first 13 picks. That followed a 2014 season in which Oregon got to the national championship game and was one of five Pac-12 teams ranked among the top 21 teams in the final AP poll.

Certainly, the number of first-round picks does not directly correlate to a team's or a conference's strength, but it does seem to offer some hints.

All three Pac-12 players taken in the first round on Thursday played on teams that beat Cal in 2019.

The first Pac-12 player selected was Herbert, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers with the sixth pick.

Cal did pretty well against Herbert, who was 20-for-33 for a rather modest (for him) 214 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The Bears, playing without Chase Garbers, led the Ducks 7-0 at halftime, but Oregon won 17-7 in Eugene.

In the videos below, Cal head coach Justin Wilcox and Bears defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter talk about facing the Oregon offense and quarterback Justin Herbert in the days leading up to last fall's game against Oregon.

A second Pac-12 player was not taken until the 18th selection Thursday, when the Maimi Dolphins took USC offensive tackle Austin Jackson, who is also famous for being a bone marrow donor for his sister.

***USC offensive lineman Austin Jackson

Jackson was part of the Trojans' offensive line that gave USC quarterback Kedon Slovis ample time to carve up the Cal defense to the tune of a 41-17 victory in Berkeley.

The third and final first-round selection from the Pac-12 was Arizona State wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who was taken by the San Francisco 49ers with the 25th pick. He did little against Cal, catching just two passes for 31 yards, returning three punts for 30 yards and returning two kickoffs for 59 yards. Nonetheless, the Sun Devils handed Cal its first loss of the season, 24-17. Garbers got hurt late in the first half and sat out the rest of the game as the Bears fell to 4-1.

***Brandon Aiyuk (2) v. Cal last season

Cal is expected to have two players drafted, possibly three. (See our draft preview.) Safety Ashtyn Davis is likely to be selected on Friday in either the second or third round, while linebacker Evan Weaver will probably have to wait until Saturday to hear his name called. Cal safety Jaylinn Hawkins also has an outside shot at being drafted.