The thought is simple: the NFL doesn't value its draft picks equally -- that's the entire point of the exercise, after all -- so we shouldn't either.
And so in 2021, FootballScoop debuted the Selection Points formula, which is really nothing more than kindergarten arithmetic. The first pick in the draft is worth 250 points; the second is worth 249, the third worth 248, and on and on it goes until the 250th pick and beyond are worth one point. Rather than judge college performance by simply counting draft picks and pretending Pick No. 3 counts the same as Pick No. 243, this allows us to value talent as the NFL does. Furthermore, it allows us to break ties among teams that produced the same number of picks, and we start right at the top.
Ohio State went on the self-proclaimed best run of all-time, tearing through Tennessee (681 selection points, 14th), Oregon (1,414, 10th), Texas (1,740, 3rd), and Notre Dame (756, 6th) en route to its first national championship since 2014, and over the weekend the Buckeyes also held off Georgia for the draft national title. Ohio State's 14 picks totaled 2,255 selection points to Georgia's 1,781. Even though two Bulldogs (Mykel Williams and Jalon Walker at 11 and 15) went off the board before the first Buckeye (Emeka Egbuka, 19th), Ohio State won because its draft produced seven picks in the first 45 while Georgia boasted "only" three. Furthermore, Georgia had three players taken after the 14th Buckeye, Will Howard at pick No. 185.
Elsewhere, Texas boasted a second consecutive strong showing, rattling off 12 picks and 1,740 selection points, which would've been enough to win the 2024 draft. After being shutout in 2022, Texas registered 599 points with a 5-player draft in 2023, 1,567 points via 11 players in '24, and then this year's third-place showing.
In all, the SEC claimed six of the top 10 spots, eight of the top 15 and 11 of the top 25. The league produced the most picks for the 19th consecutive draft and shattered its own record with 79 selections. The Big Ten claimed six of the top 25 spots. Miami led the ACC with 712 points (12th nationally), and Iowa State paced the Big 12 with 696 points (13th).
1. Ohio State -- 2,255 selection points (14 total draft picks)
2. Georgia -- 1,781 (13)
3. Texas -- 1,740 (12)
4. Oregon -- 1,414 (10)
5. Ole Miss -- 1,284 (8)
6. Michigan -- 1,213 (7)
7. Alabama -- 993 (7)
8. LSU -- 957 (7)
9. South Carolina -- 869 (5)
10. Penn State -- 768 (5)
11. Notre Dame -- 756 (6)
12. Miami -- 712 (6)
13. Iowa State -- 696 (4)
14. Tennessee -- 681 (4)
15. Texas A&M -- 623 (3)
16. Arizona -- 528 (4)
17. Louisville -- 516 (3)
18. Cal -- 501 (4)
19. UCLA -- 500 (5)
20. Maryland -- 487 (6)
21. Missouri -- 456 (2)
22. Colorado -- 447 (4)
23. Florida -- 403 (5)
24. Kentucky -- 363 (2)
25. Arkansas -- 360 (2)
Ohio State's haul ranks fourth in FootballScoop's Selection Points annals, which dates back to 2001, while Georgia and Texas also cracked the top 15. While 2022 Georgia still holds the finger-counting record with 15 picks, LSU's 2020 draft remains the gold standard in the Selection Points formula. Those Tigers produced the top pick, five first-rounders, 10 of the top 97, and 13 of the top 185 picks. Ohio State's 2016 haul is memorable for tallying two of the top four, five of the top 20, and 13 of the top 102.
1. 2020 LSU -- 2,383 (14)
2. 2016 Ohio State -- 2,351 (12)
3. 2022 Georgia -- 2,304 (15)
4. 2025 Ohio State -- 2,255 (14)
5. 2017 Alabama -- 2,020 (10)
6. 2004 Ohio State -- 1,999 (14)
7. 2021 Alabama -- 1,939 (10)
8. 2020 Alabama -- 1,903 (9)
9. 2025 Georgia -- 1,781 (13)
10. 2006 USC -- 1,755 (11)
11. 2025 Texas -- 1,740 (12)
12. 2002 Miami -- 1,734 (12)
13. 2023 Alabama -- 1,727 (10)
14. 2015 Florida State -- 1,714 (11)
15. 2010 Florida -- 1,693 (9)