About two dozen SEC players will enter the NFL draft in 2017 despite holding college eligibility. That’s what recent history tells us.

So, whether we like it or not, this is probably the last season for several of the brightest and best from the class of 2014 (and a few redshirts from the class of 2013).

There are always a few surprise early entries, often at running back. Players like Texas A&M’s Trey Williams and Auburn’s Peyton Barber.

But at least a handful of 2017 early entrants will be strong candidates to get selected in the first round. As spring practice gets going, here are the current SEC players most likely beginning their final college cycle.

1. Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M

Chance he stays in 2017: 2 percent

ESPN’s Todd McShay recently said that if Garrett had been eligible to enter the NFL draft this year, he would’ve ranked the Aggies pass rusher at No. 1 or No. 2 on his big board.

Without knowing which team will hold the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft, it’s premature to label Garrett as the early favorite to be the top selection. But with 24 career sacks in just two years, he should enter the fall as the country’s most dynamic pass rusher. Don’t be surprised if he collects 15 sacks this season.

2. Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU

Chance he stays in 2017: 3 percent

Let’s be real: It makes less sense for Fournette to be playing college football in 2017 than it does for any SEC player with eligibility. There have even been gratuitous media discussions about whether Fournette should forego the ’16 season entirely to preserve his body for the NFL.

The only reason we’re giving him an extra 1 percent chance of returning is because Fournette himself has alluded to playing two more seasons. (No, we don’t believe him.)

If Fournette didn’t have to face Alabama’s defense in 2015, he very well could have won the Heisman Trophy. He drew comparisons to Adrian Peterson out of high school, and though it took him about 3/4 of a season to adjust to the college game, he’s now every bit as good as any running back that’s come out of college in the last decade.

3. Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama

Chance he stays in 2017: 5 percent

Draft analysts penciled him into their early 2017 mocks as a top 10 pick after he started at left tackle as a true freshman in 2014.

Robinson fits the physical profile of an early first-round pick at left tackle given his size and athleticism. But he did not play his best as a sophomore. At times he looked bored, as if he was biding his time for the NFL.

We still think he’ll be a first-round pick after next season. And there’s not much he’ll have to prove in college after three consecutive seasons as Alabama’s starting left tackle. But there’s at least some intrigue with his draft stock.

4. Carl Lawson, DE, Auburn

Chance he stays in 2017: 5 percent

Some were surprised when Lawson, a redshirt sophomore in ’15, decided to return to Auburn this year. When he’s been healthy, he’s looked like a potential first-round pass rusher. Re-watch this year’s first half against Louisville and it’s clear that at his best he affects the other team’s running game as well.

But Lawson missed all of ’14 due to a knee injury and then missed about half of the ’15 season due to injury as well. His health and how it affects his development is a major question mark this year. If he answers with a resounding performance — and the doctors like what they see in Indianapolis next year — he could become a first-round pick.

5. Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia

Chance he stays in 2017: 5 percent

Speaking of knee injuries, Georgia fans are paying close attention to Chubb’s aggressive rehab. In two partial seasons, he’s had stretches of ball when he was been better than Derrick Henry and Leonard Fournette.

A decade earlier, Chubb would be a sure-thing first-round lock. Now it’s very difficult to crack the first round as a running back. That space usually is reserved for one player a year. His draft status will depend entirely on how well he recovers from injury. If he’s the same player, he’ll have a real shot at the first round.

6. Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee

Chance he stays in 2017: 7.5 percent

Perhaps Vols fans saw it coming, but Barnett was one of the pleasant surprises of the 2014 season, rivaling Garrett as the best young defensive end in the conference.

Barnett is not going to be a superb quick-twitch NFL pass rusher like his Aggies counterpart, but he’s better against the run. His power game should translate into solid status as a draft prospect — perhaps somewhere in between Alabama’s Jarran Reed this year and Arkansas’ Trey Flowers last year.

7. Jalen Tabor, CB, Florida

Chance he stays in 2017: 7.5 percent

The dude outplayed Vernon Hargreaves III in 2015 after finally solidifying himself as a sure-thing starter in Florida’s outstanding secondary. This year the Gators will count on him to be the alpha player in the defensive backfield.

If Tabor can approximate his outstanding ’15 season this fall, he’ll have every opportunity to follow VHIII as a first-round pick.

8. Jamal Adams, S, LSU

Chance he stays in 2017: 7.5 percent

Adams made four interceptions and five tackles for loss in 2015, demonstrating his versatility in coverage and against the run.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 211 pounds, he’s one of those move-them-all-over chess pieces at the NFL level that every coach covets, especially if he can add just a touch more bulk without sacrificing his speed.

The transition to coordinator Dave Aranda means he could leave college having played for three coordinators in three seasons. That should also help showcase his adaptability at the NFL level.

Others to consider:

  • Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
  • Malachi Dupre, WR, LSU
  • Damore’ea Stringfellow, WR, Ole Miss
  • Marquis Haynes, DE/OLB, Ole Miss
  • Da’Shawn Hand, DE, Alabama
  • Jalen Hurd, RB, Tennessee
  • Davon Godchaux, DT, LSU