SEC, LSU Football Have Record-Setting First Round Night at the 2020 NFL Draft

The first round of the 2020 draft was the start of probably the most publicized NFL draft in history considering the times we’re living in. Sports fans have been craving any kind of sporting event for over a month and Thursday night certainly delivered.

Sure there weren’t as many trades at the top as we’ve become accustomed to in recent drafts, but records were broken and history was made nonetheless. The SEC dominated the first round like no other conference has dominated before.

In total, 15 players from the SEC were taken in the first round, breaking the record set by, you guessed it, the SEC. Six of the top-10 picks were from the SEC with LSU's Joe Burrow drafted No. 1 overall to kick off the evening. Nine of the 15 players that were selected came from LSU and Alabama.

Speaking of Burrow and the Tigers, they broke yet another program record with five players selected in the first round. Not only did the five first-round picks break the LSU record, it also broke an SEC record, moving past the 2007 Tigers as well as the 2017 and 2018 Alabama teams.

After Burrow was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals with the No. 1 pick, it took a few hours for the next Tiger to come off the board.

But once edge rusher K'Lavon Chaisson was snatched up at No. 20 by the Jacksonville Jaguars, the LSU prospects started dropping like flies. Receiver Justin Jefferson was taken No. 22 overall by the Minnesota Vikings, linebacker Patrick Queen was selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the No. 28 overall pick and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire was drafted No. 32 by the Kansas City Chiefs.

The five first-round selections were the most by a single college program in 2020 and just one short of tying the all-time record of six set by Miami in the 2004 draft. Instead, the 2020 Tigers joined the 2016 and 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes, 2002 Miami Hurricanes and USC in 1968.

Coach Ed Orgeron said in a teleconference Tuesday ahead of the draft that he thought the purple and gold would be well represented, acknowledging how great it would look for the program.

"It means a lot," Orgeron said. "It means development. It means recruiting great character kids. It means a lot in recruiting. The reason you come to school at LSU is because you want to win the national championship, you want to graduate, and you want to get drafted.

"I'm so excited for all of our football players, whoever gets any of these Tigers will be getting a champion and will be happy to have them," Orgeron said on "Off the Bench" Tuesday. "Every time one of our guys gets drafted we're going to celebrate with them."