Debate: 10 years from now, which 2017 NFL Draft pick will be biggest star?

NFL Draft analysts think Alabama could have six players taken in the first round. Some are projecting as many as 14 SEC players will hear their name called Thursday night.

Last year, the SEC produced eight first-rounders, but it was a fourth-rounder, Dak Prescott, who outplayed everybody from every conference.

How will history look back on the SEC’s 2017 draft class?

We hopped ahead 10 years and debated which SEC star will have the best NFL career.

Answer: This one is almost too easy for me: former LSU safety Jamal Adams. The hype continues to build around Adams, but I’m convinced he might be the No. 1 prospect in the draft. Perhaps his ceiling isn’t as high as Myles Garrett’s freakish ability, but the ability to have success in the NFL also depends on the players around you. Garrett could get lost in Cleveland for a few years with little help, but Adams will make an instant splash right away.

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At 6-0, 215 pounds, Adams has the perfect size, speed and athletic ability to have a huge NFL career. Plus, he’s one of the best tacklers in the entire NFL Draft. He attacks receivers and ball carriers with a vengeance, and he plays a physical throw-back type of ball near the line of scrimmage. Adams reminds me of a cross between Troy Polamalu and Darren Woodson.

Everyone at LSU has raved about his intangibles, too, saying he’s a complete leader and one of the best in recent history.

My second choice was former Florida linebacker Jarrad Davis.

— SDS director of operations Jon Cooper (@JonCooperMedia)

Answer: I’ll say Alabama defensive end Jonathan Allen, and not because he has the highest ceiling, but because he has the highest floor.

I’ve actually advocated for the Cleveland Browns to take Allen with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, not Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett. Even if Garrett’s physical freakishness gives him more upside, I also see more bust potential.

I’ll be nothing short of shocked if Allen doesn’t at least develop into a quality starter at the next level, and he’ll probably be a Pro Bowl selection sooner rather than later. While Garrett is a little bit of aquired taste personality-wise — not that there’s anything wrong with that, necessarily — Allen is all football, all the time.

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The Browns are in the position they’re in largely because of wasted first-rounders, continually swinging and missing trying to hit home runs. It’s time for Cleveland to take a sure thing and be happy with a clean double.

Allen can be effective in a three- or four-man front, defending the run or pass. And unlike Garrett, nobody’s ever accused him of taking plays off.

— Senior writer John Crist (@SaturdayJC)

Answer: I was initially tempted by two of the players I’m most familiar with from the Florida beat, Quincy Wilson and Jarrad Davis, but I’m going to disappoint some Gators fans who like to claim “DBU,” and say LSU safety Jamal Adams will have the most impressive career from this class when we look back in 2027.

For me, it’s Adams’ talent plus the potential for longevity at his position. At many positions, it’s hard to hold onto your starting spot when every draft produces younger, faster and more agile options. Since safeties don’t have the same coverage responsibilities of an outside cornerback like Wilson (who I believe will have an excellent career as well), I think Adams, whose combine speed was decent, will be able to cover slot receivers when necessary. It’s his abilities as a hard-hitter stuffing the run that will make him a potential Pro Bowler.

Adams is one of the most exciting safeties to come out of the SEC since Eric Berry, who recently became the NFL’s highest-paid safety, and I see him having a similarly stellar career.

— Andrew Olson, Florida beat reporter (@ByAndrewOlson)

Answer: Derek Barnett. When Barnett became the first true freshman defensive lineman to start the season opener for Tennessee in the program’s 119-year history, I assumed it was solely because the Volunteers were lacking talent at the position. I was way wrong on that one. Barnett started because he was the arguably the best defender on the team that year and has remained that way his entire career.

He isn’t going to flash the burst or possess the impressive measurables of Myles Garrett, but what Barnett will provide his future NFL team is consistent performances without ever missing a beat. Aside from his massive production, Barnett logged more time on the Tennessee defensive line than any other player during his college.

— Michael Wayne Bratton, news editor (@MichaelWBratton)

Answer: Rob Gronkowski wasn’t even a first-rounder in 2010, but he’d be a top 10 lock if a do-over draft were held tomorrow. Just seven players from his 2010 NFL Draft class have appeared in more Pro Bowls than Gronkowski, who was well on his way to a fifth appearance before suffering a season-ending injury. In fact, the only two years Gronk missed the Pro Bowl were the two he was hurt.

Which leads us to O.J. Howard, the NFL’s next great tight end.

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The timing is perfect, too. Ever-evolving NFL passing games are all about maximizing mismatches, and Howard poses the biggest mismatch possibilities of any pass-catcher in this draft, wide receiver or tight end.

Howard is 6-6, 251 and ran a 4.51 40 at the NFL Combine. That’s faster than all but one linebacker at the Combine. That’s faster than a lot of NFL receivers.

He’s too big, too fast and his hands are too good. Why Alabama didn’t use him more is one of college football’s great mysteries. But there’s little suspense about his pro potential.

He’s going to be a nightmare for 10-plus seasons.

— Chris Wright, executive editor (@FilmRoomEditor)