The SEC is primed to send a great package of running backs, defensive ends and safeties to the NFL. What’s new, right?

The conference sent 26 players to this year’s NFL Draft who still had college eligibility, and there’s a good chance the conference will top that total in next year’s draft.

RELATED: Revisiting the SEC’s early draft entries in ’16

At this point last season, Alabama had several players who were staring at the eventual dilemma of staying in Tuscaloosa or going to the NFL, but the Crimson Tide came out golden.

Here are a few players who could at least consider entering the NFL draft following the 2016 season as we see things right now.

QUARTERBACK

  • Brandon Harris, LSU

The SEC only had two quarterbacks taken in this year’s draft (Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott in the fourth round, Arkansas’ Brandon Allen in the sixth round), and the SEC may struggle to send more than that in 2017. Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly could be the top-rated signal-caller, and Tennessee’s Josh Dobbs could be among the top five at the position. As far as early entries go, LSU’s Brandon Harris is the only one who could go that has significant starting experience, which the NFL values at this position more than any other. He would need an impressive 2016, and other quarterbacks who have a chance to start this season like Alabama’s Cooper Bateman, Auburn’s John Franklin III and Florida’s Luke Del Rio would need even bigger seasons.

RUNNING BACK

  • Leonard Fournette, LSU
  • Nick Chubb, Georgia
  • Jalen Hurd, Tennessee
  • Ralph Webb, Vanderbilt
  • Sony Michel, Georgia
  • Stanley “Boom” Williams, Kentucky
  • Alvin Kamara, Tennessee

A staggering seven SEC running backs left early after the 2015 season, and there’s a chance the league could match that after the ’16 season. All the players in this group have a strong chance of declaring if they play to their potential for one more season. Five of the seven have recorded 1,000-yard seasons, while a sixth in Boom Williams put up 855 last season. If Kamara builds on his explosiveness in 2015 (led all qualifying RBs with 7.0 yards per play), he could also declare.

RECEIVER

  • Malachi Dupre, LSU
  • Damore’ea Stringfellow, Ole Miss
  • Garrett Johnson, Kentucky
  • Dorian Baker, Kentucky
  • Trent Sherfield, Vanderbilt
  • ArDarius Stewart, Alabama
  • Ricky Seals-Jones, Texas A&M

Five SEC receivers declared early for this year’s draft, and I’d expect about the same next year. Looking ahead to 2018, the SEC could have a special group of receivers to declare early with Alabama’s Calvin Ridley, Florida’s Antonio Callaway and Texas A&M’s Christian Kirk. As for 2017, these wideouts have the chance to break out. Damore’ea Stringfellow, Garrett Johnson, Dorian Baker and Ricky Seals-Jones should get plenty of opportunities to do so in pass-happy offenses while Trent Sherfield will be a focal point of the Commodores’ offense. ArDarius Stewart posted 700 yards and 4 TDs last season while Malachi Dupre was two yards shy of that with 6 TDs.

TIGHT END

  • Ethan Wolf, Tennessee
  • DeAndre Goolsby, Florida

Arkansas’ Hunter Henry was the first tight end off the board in this year’s draft as an early entree, but he already had two productive seasons under his belt. There’s no tight end in the conference who’s in that position this season. In two seasons, Ethan Wolf has started 23 of 25 games played for the Vols. Last season, he was tied for 3rd on the team with 23 catches and was 4th with 301 yards. He may face the decision if he becomes a significant part of Tennessee’s offense, but it’s unlikely with the weapons the team has in the running game. DeAndre Goolsby flashed potential by going for 17 catches for 277 yards, and he’ll get a chance to shine alongside C’yontai Lewis as the Gators will pass out of double tight end sets often. It’s still a long shot for Goolsby to declare that quickly, though.

OFFENSIVE TACKLES

  • Cam Robinson, Alabama
  • Isaiah Wynn, Georgia
  • Avery Gennesy, Texas A&M

Five offensive tackles declared for the 2016 draft, and another handful could also go in 2017. Cam Robinson is a potential top 10 pick. Last season, Robinson was named First-Team All-SEC as a sophomore. Before that, he was the first true freshman to start at left tackle at Alabama since Andre Smith in 2006.

INTERIOR OL

None.

DEFENSIVE END

  • Myles Garrett, Texas A&M
  • Carl Lawson, Auburn
  • Charles Harris, Missouri
  • Derek Barnett, Tennessee
  • Da’Shawn Hand, Alabama
  • Marquis Haynes, Ole Miss

How about this crop of pass-rushers? There’s a good chance NFL teams will have plenty of SEC defensive ends to choose from in next year’s draft to help terrorize opposing quarterbacks.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

  • Davon Godchaux, LSU
  • Caleb Brantley, Florida

We’ll be hearing Davon Godchaux’s name a lot as next year’s draft comes around. Weighing in at 293 pounds but quick on his feet, Godchaux had 41 tackles, 9 tackles for loss and 6 sacks in 2015. He’ll be alongside Christian LaCouture to form one of the nastiest tandems at defensive tackle in the country next season. Caleb Brantley will be key to the Gators’ front after recording 6.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks last season.

INSIDE LINEBACKER

  • Zach Cunningham, Vanderbilt

There may be others, but it’s a safe bet that Cunningham will declare if he can duplicate what he did last season. Despite not starting until Week 3, he racked up 103 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks as he was named First-Team All-SEC. He had double-digit tackles for Vandy in seven of the team’s final nine games. His 16.5 tackles behind the line were tied for 4th in the SEC.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS

  • Lorenzo Carter, Georgia
  • Tre’ Williams, Auburn

Lorenzo Carter suffered a bit of a sophomore slump last season. After impressing with 41 tackles, 7 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks as a freshman, Carter didn’t record a tackle for loss or sack in 2015. Georgia coaches have challenged him to be more physical this spring, and he apparently responded. He has a chance to shine with the Bulldogs losing two of their top pass-rushers to this year’s draft. Tre’ Williams may also have to weigh the decision if he improves on a sophomore campaign in which he had 55 tackles and 4 tackles for loss. He had his two finest games against LSU (10 tackles) and Alabama (8 tackles, 7 solo).

CORNERBACK

  • Jalen Tabor, Florida
  • Marlon Humphrey, Alabama
  • Donovan Wilson, Texas A&M

Jalen Tabor may follow in the footsteps of Vernon Hargreaves III and be an early first-round pick in next year’s draft. Tabor was right alongside Hargreaves as First-Team All-SEC after last season, where he tied for the SEC lead in passes defended (18) to go with 4 INTs (two of them taken back for touchdowns), 4 tackles for loss and a sack. Marlon Humphrey had 45 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 3 INTs, 8 pass breakups and 2 forced fumbles last season. He’ll be a redshirt sophomore this season. Wilson was 3rd in the SEC with 5 INTs last season. He also had 63 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and 3 forced fumbles.

SAFETY

  • Jamal Adams, LSU
  • Armani Watts, Texas A&M
  • Dominick Sanders, Georgia
  • Evan Berry, Tennessee
  • Oren Burks, Vanderbilt

The SEC could have an early batch of talented safeties in next year’s draft. Jamal Adams is stout against the pass and run. Last season, he led LSU with 4 INTs and 10 passes defended. Meanwhile, he was 3rd on the team with 67 tackles on the way to Second-Team All-SEC honors a year after earning Freshman All-America honors in 2014. Armani Watts was 2nd in the SEC in tackles with 126, the most by an Aggies DB in over a decade. He added 6 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles and a pick. Dominick Sanders led the SEC in interceptions with 6 as part of the top pass defense in the FBS last season. Evan Berry will likely need to play a bigger role in the secondary to consider entering early, but he has plenty of talent to do that. After all, he put the exclamation mark on Tennessee’s 45-6 win over Northwestern in the Outback Bowl with a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown.