Indianapolis, IN
The 2017 NFL Scouting Combine begins on the final day of February, and, as always, the top talent from across the nation are all converging to the invitational camp to showcase their abilities.
The Power 5 is comprised of the most competitive conferences in NCAA Divison I football, namely the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the PAC-12, the Big 12, and the Big Ten. As such, the grand majority of student-athletes taking part in the NFL Scouting Combine attend schools within these conferences. So which schools from these five conferences had the most athletes invited to the camp?
Top Schools by Conference
The PAC-12: USC & Utah.
The University of the Southern California had eight student-athletes from their 2016 team invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, the group being highlighted by junior wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and junior cornerback Adoree' Jackson.
Smith-Schuster is a second-team All-American predicted to go as early as the first round, who caught nine touchdowns to go with his 781 yards in 2016. His close friend, Adoree' Jackson, was the 2016 PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Year.
The Trojans split the title for most 2017 Combine invitees with Utah. Eight Utes will be headed to Indianapolis, most notably tailback Joe Williams, who reportedly clocked a 4.35 40-yard-dash during an off-season drill conducted with Utah training staff, and offensive lineman Isaac Asiata, who was voted the best blocker in the PAC-12 by the conference's defensive linemen.
Washington was close behind the two schools, having seven players receive invitations to the combine, as well as UCLA with five.
The BIG 12: West Virginia University.
Despite the BIG 12 only having 18 athletes invited to the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine, West Virginia University takes the bragging rights for having the most invitees from within the conference- five Mountaineers received invitations, including center Tyler Orlosky.
Orlosky has been described with words like "nasty" and "warrior" by his peers, and is predicted to be one of the top centers in this year's NFL Draft.
WVU beats out Oklahoma and Oklahoma State for most invitees (three apiece).
The ACC: Clemson & Miami (FL).
The 2017 College Playoff National Champions have nine athletes participating in the combine, and likely none will leave as big of a hole as quarterback Deshaun Watson, who led the team to two consecutive title games, and finished as a runner-up in two separate Heisman races.
Along with Watson, Clemson wide receiver Artavis Scott received his invitation to the combine, having broken the school's record for most receptions in his junior season.
The Tigers will not be the only team within the ACC to lose their quarterback, as Miami (FL) sends QB Brad Kaaya to the combine. Although the Hurricanes did not end their season quite as glamorously as the Tigers did, they still earned a piece of the bragging rights that come with sending the most athletes to the scouting combine.
Miami (FL) and Clemson beat out Florida State (eight) and Louisville (seven) for most invitees from within the ACC.
The SEC: Alabama & LSU.
Out of all of the teams within the Southeastern Conference, LSU and Alabama managed to combine for 20 invitees to the scouting combine, with ten apiece.
The Crimson Tide saw their title hopes vanish before their eyes in the dying moments of the College Playoff National Championship against Clemson, and now must set to work replacing the amount of athletes going on to play in the NFL. According to CBS Sports, of Alabama's ten invitees, six are projected to be drafted within the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Up to four Tigers are projected to be drafted in the same round, and combined with the departure of tailback Leonard Fournette, this leaves gaps to be filled as we head into Ed Orgeron's first full season. LSU and Alabama are tied for second-most invitees in the country, and are trailed by Texas A&M (nine) and Florida (eight) for most invitations within the SEC.
The Big Ten: University of Michigan.
With 14 players headed to Indianapolis for the combine, the University of Michigan sent more players invited than any other school in the nation.
Headlining the class of invitees from Ann Arbor is Jabrill Pepers, a multifaceted player that was able to compete at a variety of positions throughout his tenure with the Wolverines. He is the only player from Michigan invited to the combine who is not in his senior year of eligibility.
Following a dramatic 33-32 loss at the hands of the Florida State Seminoles in the Orange Bowl, Jim Harbaugh and the rest of his Wolverines must look ahead to filling the voids left by the departure of this draft class.
Following the Wolverines, the most players from the Big Ten headed to the NFL Combine came from Ohio State (eight) and Wisconsin (six).
