There was one sure thing everyone could count on during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft Thursday night: Alabama would have multiple players selected early, while Auburn would have none.
When former Alabama standouts Tyler Booker and Jihaad Campbell were taken in the first round, it extended Alabama’s streak to 17 straight drafts with at least one first-round pick. However, this wasn’t a new record; Alabama had already surpassed Miami’s previous record of 14 consecutive drafts a few years ago.
This historic streak for Alabama began under Nick Saban when Andre Smith was drafted in the first round back in 2009. Saban played a major role in developing Booker and Campbell, though Kalen DeBoer, who coached them during their final college seasons, can now add their success to his résumé.
Across college football, only 10 head coaches have produced 20 or more first-round picks. Currently, the only active coach on that list is Georgia’s Kirby Smart, who has 20. Nick Saban, having coached at Michigan State, LSU, and Alabama, leads everyone with 52 first-rounders. Behind him is Joe Paterno with 33, while Bear Bryant had 19 across his tenures at Kentucky, Texas A&M, and Alabama.
Meanwhile, Auburn’s drought of first-round picks continued. As Kevin Scarbinsky pointed out, Auburn’s streak without a first-rounder is now five drafts long, with only Vanderbilt enduring a longer drought in the SEC (no first-rounders since 2008). While describing Alabama’s 17-year streak as a “plus-17” and Auburn’s five-year drought as a “minus-5” may not be exact opposites, it’s not far off.
Despite Auburn’s struggles, some players still seem to believe they can break through, buying into the narrative that Hugh Freeze is a transformational coach. Yet, the numbers tell a different story: Kalen DeBoer, with only five seasons as an FBS head coach, already has five first-round picks to his credit between Washington and Alabama. Hugh Freeze, across 12 seasons, has produced just four—all during his time at Ole Miss.
Auburn fans might argue things are different now that Nick Saban has retired, but it’ll take several more drafts to prove that claim. So far, DeBoer is outperforming Freeze when it comes to developing NFL talent.
As noted by Fly War Eagle, Auburn’s night was summed up candidly: “Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze watched an embarrassing streak for the Tigers get even worse during night one of the 2025 NFL Draft.”
In total, Alabama saw seven players drafted in 2025, while Auburn had three. Alabama’s two first-rounders set the pace, while Auburn’s highest pick, Jarquez Hunter, wasn’t taken until No. 117 overall in the fourth round. Auburn’s two other draftees went in the fifth and sixth rounds.
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