They could have taken Mayfield at #4. They could have traded back and taken Mayfield at #10-12.
Facts are facts: 2018 NFL Draft leaves no doubt about SEC's superiority
I’m a peaceful man.
Though by no means a pacifist, I am steadfast in the belief that most conflicts can be resolved through discussion.
But sometimes a discussion can deteriorate into a verbal beatdown. Such an occasion occurred this weekend when I released my inner Ivan Drago and verbally battered an old friend as if he was Apollo Creed.
Longhorn John, as he’s known, has a penchant for living in the past. As I’ve mentioned before, he has a dog named Major, a cat named Earl and an ex-wife who looked like Nobis. He’s really not a bad guy. That is, unless the topic of discussion is college football. Then, he becomes a know-it-all who has to have the last word.
Lately, he’s expanded his allegiance to include the entire Big 12, which he frequently compares to the Southeastern Conference. That’s like comparing a catfish to a great white shark, but he’s relentless. My cell phone rang and John’s named simultaneously appeared.
Hello John.
“How’d you know it’s me?” he said.
Uh… caller ID. What’s up? “What’s up?” he chortled. “The Big 12. That’s what.”
Then, he started talking about the NFL draft.
“Did you see that the first player taken in the draft was from the Big 12 and not your glorious SEC?”
Yeah, so what’s your point?
“That just shows how good the Big 12 is. The first player in the entire draft was Baker Mayfield. When was the last time an SEC player was taken first?
Last year. “Who?”
Myles Garrett. “Well, defensive ends don’t count.”
Why not?
“Because quarterback is the most important position on the field. It all starts at quarterback. And the Big 12 produces great quarterbacks. Sam Bradford was also a first overall pick. Hell, has the SEC ever had a quarterback picked first?”
Does the name Manning mean anything to you? Or Newton? Or Stafford?
“Those guys were so long ago.”
I guess. Except that Matthew Stafford was taken just one year before Bradford. And Cam Newton was taken one year after.”
He ignored me. Annoyed, I asked him how many other Big 12 players were taken in the first round.
Silence. So, I answered the question.
Baker Mayfield was the only Big 12 player taken in the first round. Ten SEC players were taken in the first round.
“In fact, that’s more first round picks than the Big 12 has had in the last five drafts combined.”
I pointed out that in that five-year span the Big 12 has had nine first round picks. The SEC had 48 first-round picks in that same time period.
“That’s because the Big 12 only has 10 teams. The SEC has 14, so you should have more.”
That’s a valid point. But the Big 12 has still averaged 1.8 first round picks in that period. By comparison, the SEC has averaged 9.6. Divide first round draft picks by teams and the SEC still averages 3.4 to 0.9 for the Big 12.
“We’re talking football, not math,” he argued. “You can make statistics say anything you want.”
These are just facts. And having only 10 teams isn’t an excuse. Central Florida desperately wanted to join the Big 12. Houston did, too.
“They weren’t good enough to be in the Big 12,” he scoffed.
Maybe not. But in the last three years Central Florida has had two first round draft picks — cornerback Mike Hughes and receiver Breshad Perriman. Houston has also had two — defensive backs William Jackson and D.J. Hayden.
He dismissed that stat. “Two… big deal,” he scoffed
Well, it is a big deal for the Big 12. Only two Big 12 teams have had two first round picks in the last five years. That’s TCU and West Virginia. Hell, Texas A&M had more than that in 2014. That fact hurt him. It hurt him bad.
Like Drago, I went in for the kill.
A&M has had six first round picks in the last five drafts. That’s three times as many as any Big 12 team. If A&M was still in the Big 12 the Aggies would account for 40 percent of your first round picks. Admit how much you miss A&M.
Clearly, the Big 12 needed the Aggies much more than the Aggies needed the Big 12.
“Yeah, well, how many championships has the Aggies won since they left the Big 12,” he whined.
The same amount Texas has won since the Aggies left. His frustrated and anger was building. I could sense it. But I also knew he wouldn’t give up that easily.
“Spout off your numbers and ‘facts’ all you want,” he said. “But here’s a fact for you. No matter what you say the first player drafted was from the Big 12. That cannot be denied.
You’re right. I cannot deny that. But can I ask one last question?
“Sure,” he said. “What.”
Has it gotten so bad for you Longhorn fans that you’re now touting the accomplishments of Oklahoma?”
He hung up. He didn’t even try to get the last word.