The first-round of the 2020 NFL draft has come and gone, the nation's first live sporting event of major importance since the Super Bowl. Drawing sweeping conclusions based on a single round of a single draft is always risky given you're subject to the whims and needs of NFL teams -- and doubly so this year, given the pre-draft process was so wonky.
Still, we've got to play the hand we were dealt, so here's a breakdown of the first 32 picks by college, conference and state.
Breaking down by school will lead to zero surprises among the top three schools. The defending champions did not break Miami's 2004 record of six first-round selections, but are well on their way to breaking Ohio State's 2004 record of 14 players taken in one seven-round draft.
Fittingly, the first round began and ended with Tigahs: Joe Burrow went first to the Bengals, and running back Clyde Edwards-Heliare went 32nd to the Chiefs.
By school:
5: LSU
4: Alabama
3: Ohio State
2: Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Oklahoma, TCU
On a conference level, the SEC smashed its own record of 12 first-round picks, first set in 2013 and equaled in 2017. The ESS EEE CEE had six of the first 10, broke its own record by pick 29, then added two more after that.
By conference:
15: SEC
5: Big Ten, Big 12
3: ACC, Pac-12
1: Mountain West
On a per capita basis, the Big 12 held its own, thanks to defensive selections from Oklahoma (LB Kenneth Murray, Chargers), Texas Tech (LB Jordyn Brooks, Seahawks) and TCU (DB Jeff Gladney, Vikings).
Conference per capita:
1. SEC: 1.07
2. Big 12: 0.5
3. Big Ten: 0.36
4. Pac-12: 0.25
5. ACC: 0.21
Removing college affiliation, Texas had the best year with seven selections. The Lone Star State looks especially good compared to California, who only got on the board thanks to the Green Bay Packers' surprising selection of Utah State's Jordan Love. Of the five multi-selection states, four are deep within SEC country.
The number of Texas' seven first-rounders that played for UT or A&M? Zero.
By state:
7: Texas
3: Florida, Georgia, Louisiana
2: Alabama
1: Arizona, California, Hawai'i, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia
Breaking it down by metro area and you'll find something that's not-exactly earth shattering: Sun Belt cities in the south and eastern portion of the country produce the lion's share of elite talent.
By metro area:
4: Houston
3: Atlanta, Miami
2: Dallas-Fort Worth
Oh, and by the way, 26 of the 32 first-round picks were rated 4- or 5-stars by at least one of the major recruiting services.