The NFL draft begins Thursday in Chicago, with all 32 teams looking for the next great pro talent to emerge from the SEC.

We’ve been taking a position-by-position look at the SEC’s draft prospects in the days leading up to the event, continuing with defensive tackles.

In many ways it’s held up as a position of differentiation, as it seems like the best prep interior defensive lineman make a beeline for the SEC footprint each February on National Signing Day. And although it isn’t a deep group, there are quite a few headliners in this class, all of them candidates to fly off the board in the first 31 picks.

So what is the current buzz on the SEC defensive tackles?

THE SURE BET

Jarran Reed, Alabama: Arguably the least-heralded of Alabama’s superstar defensive line in 2015, Reed finished as the most effective of the bunch, according to analytics websites like Pro Football Focus. He’s not the sexiest option in the draft — many teams covet three-down players who can pass rush as well as run, even from the defensive interior — but he’s probably the best run stuffer. He isn’t a typical space-eater, however, in that he’s capable of more than occupying a blocker or two. Reed is excellent at shedding those to meet running backs at or behind the line of scrimmage, and that sure-thing skill may make him the first SEC defensive lineman taken this year.

THE MAN-CHILD

A’Shawn Robinson, Alabama: If Reed represents polish, Robinson is potential. The 6-foot-4, 307-pound lineman is one of the most athletic in this draft class. And it’s not as if he’s all kinetic energy, no football skills — we’re talking about an Outland Trophy finalist and consensus All-American. He’s got grown man strength fit for the NFL and has looked about 40 years old ever since he arrived in Tuscaloosa, though his birth date was March 21, 1995. That’s right, this man just turned 21. Combine that with his length and decent pass rush ability and he’s got Pro Bowl potential if he can improve on some technique things (pad level, more pass rush moves, wider base).

THE STEALTH BOMBER

Chris Jones, Mississippi State: He may have arrived in Starkville, Miss., as a five-star talent. But he started just three games his in first two seasons combined, slumping as a sophomore after a promising first go. A prototypical athlete for an NFL defensive lineman, Jones can get off the ball as fast as most any defensive line prospect in this draft, and he’s also strong enough to dominate the point of attack. His versatility is perfect for today’s game, as he can play within a number of schemes and spots.

THE ENIGMA

Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss: Is there any first-round prospect this year with more personality quirks? Nkemdiche wants to buy a pet panther, fell from a fourth-story hotel room window, plays the jazz saxophone and is writing a science-fiction book “about a meeting of the thoughts of the human mind and the conscious,” according to ESPN. And that’s just for starters. On the field, his otherworldly athleticism has pegged him as a potential first-round pick since he arrived in Oxford, Miss., as one of the gems of that seminal 2013 signing class. But his effort has been inconsistent, and although he produced like a top 20 defensive lineman in 2015, he never became one of the most dominant players in the country. His potential and athleticism remain vivid; which NFL team will bite first?

THE SPACE-EATER

Gerald Dixon Jr., South Carolina: At 6-foot-2, 325 pounds, Dixon Jr. possesses the size and strength NFL teams covet in a space-eating 3-4 nose guard. He’s got better quickness than you’d expect for a likely undrafted free agent, but his main skill is occupying blockers. He wasn’t a consistent, every-down player for the Gamecocks, so he must prove he’s willing to work all-out if he wants to make an NFL roster or practice squad.

THE GIANT

Chris Mayes, Georgia: The former Bulldogs lineman is even bigger than Dixon Jr. at 6-foot-3 and 338 pounds. At the college level, once Mayes got his hands on you as a ball-carrier, that was it. You don’t break tackles against him. But he turns 25 in September. He’s an average athlete with next to no pass-rush ability. And he doesn’t anchor well enough for a 3-4 nose tackle prospect. Still, his body should get him a shot in an NFL camp.

NON-SEC PLAYERS TO WORRY ABOUT

  • Sheldon Rankins, Louisville
  • Andrew Billings, Baylor
  • Vernon Butler, Louisiana Tech

THREE BIGGEST QUESTIONS

  1. Will Robert Nkemdiche remain a first-round pick?
  2. Can the SEC claim four first-round defensive tackles?
  3. Will the conference produce any draft picks at the position after the four headliners?

THREE TO WATCH FOR 2017

  • Montravius Adams, Auburn
  • Dalvin Tomlinson, Alabama
  • Caleb Brantley, Florida