Saban vs. Meyer: The battle for NFL draft, recruiting supremacy
Nothing helps a coach's recruiting efforts more than a track record of sending players to the NFL and helping them land millions in guaranteed money before ever playing a professional down.
Alabama's Nick Saban and Ohio State's Urban Meyer have become the masters at churning out NFL draft picks, and their prevalence in the first round has been particularly astonishing. The battle for supremacy at the draft, and in turn along the recruiting trail, waged on Thursday night, with both coaches attaching themselves to another loaded class of first-rounders.
2017 NFL Draft first-round picks:
| Coach (Team) | Selections |
|---|---|
| Saban (Alabama) | 4 |
| Meyer (Ohio State) | 3 |
Since the 2013 NFL Draft - Meyer's first draft at Ohio State - the two have combined for 21 first-round picks, with Saban's 11 comparing to Meyer's 10.
However, it's worth noting Meyer inherited a Buckeyes program full of players he didn't recruit, whereas Saban had already been established at Alabama for several years. Perhaps, then, we should look at how Saban and Meyer stack up against one another on a level playing field.
Since inheriting their respective programs
Now that we're accounting for the time it took Saban to get started at Alabama, let's examine the data.
First-round picks per year:
| Coach (Team) | Years | Selections |
|---|---|---|
| Saban (Alabama) | 10 | 2.2 |
| Meyer (Ohio State) | 5 | 2 |
Including the 2017 NFL Draft, Saban has had 22 players picked in the first round over 10 years, while Meyer has had 10 picks over five years. Neither coach had a player taken in Round 1 after Year 1 in their new stomping grounds, but they've clearly had no trouble making up for lost time.
Draft picks per year - all rounds (excluding 2017):
| Coach (Team) | Selections |
|---|---|
| Saban (Alabama) | 6.1 |
| Meyer (Ohio State) | 6.5 |
Saban produced 55 picks over his first nine drafts. He added four selections to the books Thursday night, and presumably has more coming over the next two days.
Meyer produced 26 picks over his first four drafts. He locked down three Thursday night, and also presumably has more on the way over the next two days.
Draft high points:
Saban produced four first-rounders in 2011 and 2012, and again in 2017. He had a nine-member draft class in 2013, which represents his highest total with the Crimson Tide.
Meyer produced five first-rounders in 2016, three of which went in the top 10, and had a draft-record 10 players go in the first three rounds. His 12-member class last year came close to the single-draft record of 14.
So how's that recruiting trail treatin' ya, gentlemen?