Three quarterbacks were drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft last week, but none were from the SEC. No quarterbacks went in the second round, but when two more went in the third round, still none were from the SEC.

It wasn’t until very late in the fourth round when the Dallas Cowboys selected Mississippi State legend Dak Prescott with the 135th overall pick that an SEC quarterback got drafted. Arkansas QB Brandon Allen went in the sixth round, 201st overall to Jacksonville, but that was it.

None in the top half of the draft. None at all in 2015. For the best league in the country, that’s kind of sad. Producing quarterbacks hasn’t exactly been eye-popping lately. Even the one first-round pick in the last five drafts – Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel at No. 22 to Cleveland in 2014 – has been an abject embarrassment to his school and his league, but mostly himself, of course.

So what about 2017? Can we look for something different? Will there be a “buzzy” quarterback or two out there for the draft geeks to go crazy over?

Of course there will. Here’s the buzz ratio – and there’s going to be a lot of it – around the SEC’s quarterbacks for next year’s cycle:

Major buzz: Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly

Chad Kelly burst on the scene in a big way last year, throwing for 4,042 yards and 31 touchdowns in the Rebels’ big season that included a win over Alabama and a Sugar Bowl win. Kelly pondered turning pro this year but decided to come back and if all goes well, he’ll be a high first-round pick.

Kelly has all the tools to succeed in the NFL. He has good field vision, a strong arm and, most importantly, the swagger to be a star at the position. He’s part of a trio that will have NFL teams salivating all fall, along with Miami’s Brad Kaaya and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson.

Kelly lost his best weapon in Laquon Treadwell, but he still has plenty of targets and the Ole Miss offense should hum right along all year. Provided he stays healthy, he could post some big numbers and make himself some serious cash.

Steady buzz: Tennessee QB Joshua Dobbs and Texas A&M QB Trevor Knight

These two guys may not have all the intangibles that the NFL likes in its quarterbacks, but they will have one thing working in their favor next April, and that’s a proven track record.

Dobbs has won a ton of games already at Tennessee, and the Vols have high hopes for a huge season in 2016. He’s the smartest QB in America and knows how to absorb an offense. Dobbs still hasn’t been great throwing the ball downfield though, and to impress NFL scouts this year he’s going to have to have some big 300-yard games and, more importantly, some big wins against quality competition.

Knight is in the same boat. He had some huge games at Oklahoma and has plenty of great film. But he also struggled at times in Norman and lost his starting job to Baker Mayfield. Now that he’s transferred to Texas A&M, he’s inheriting the league’s deepest and most talented receiving corps. He’s in position to post big numbers all year, and he could turn some heads. NFL scouts wish he were taller of course – he’s only 6-foot-1 – but he’s a proven winner.

Very little buzz: A bunch of long shots

Georgia’s Greyson Lambert and Florida’s Austin Appleby, a graduate transfer from Purdue, are seniors but it’s likely that they may not even win the starting jobs on campus competing against highly touted recruits for the starting job.

Missouri’s Maty Mauk, who at least has plenty of good film to show, will have to talk through a lot of character issues after multiple suspensions and an eventual dismissal.

And then there’s the curious case of Auburn’s Jeremy Johnson, who has the body but hasn’t produced any results yet, even though much was expected of him. They’ll all get looks but will need to do some convincing to get a shot in the NFL.