Six SEC running backs were selected in the 2016 NFL draft.

There were nine taken in 2015, five in 2014, seven in 2013 and four in 2012, including No. 3 pick Trent Richardson.

In the past two drafts, 10 of the 15 taken could have returned to the SEC. That includes Keith Marshall and Jonathan Williams, who were sometimes listed as seniors in 2015 but could have requested a medical redshirt and returned to play in 2016.

What will 2017 hold?

More of the same. Much more.

Five of the top eight rushers in the SEC last season were sophomores, and given draft trends and injury concerns, it would be an upset if any of those rising juniors became rising seniors. Elite senior running backs are becoming an endangered species in college football; just three of the SEC’s top 20 in yards gained last season were seniors, matching the 2014 season.

That list of five rising juniors, of course, doesn’t even include Nick Chubb, who was on pace to chase 2,000 yards before his knee injury ended his season after five games and one carry. He finished with 747 yards, averaging a high-school like 8.1 yards per touch.

Chubb and Leonard Fournette headline the SEC’s impressive list of rising juniors, which also includes 1,000-yard rushers Jalen Hurd, Sony Michel and Ralph Webb. Stanley “Boom” Williams certainly is a threat to get to 1,000 this coming season.

And would anybody be surprised if Alvin Kamara or Roc Thomas decide they’ve endured enough free hits and want to pursue a professional career after next season?

Fournette already is being listed as a potential top 5 pick next April. If Chubb shows he’s healthy, he could join Fournette in the first round. If Hurd has the kind of season most are anticipating, his combination of size and speed will draw considerable interest. Michel is smaller, but he’ll find a home in the league as well.

WalterFootball.com ranked all four among the top 10 running back prospects in the 2017 draft.

How good is this class?

The SEC hasn’t had two running backs selected in the same first round since 2008, when Arkansas teammates Darren McFadden and Felix Jones went No. 4 and No. 22, respectively.

The most impressive haul came three years earlier, when Auburn’s Ronnie Brown was taken No. 2 overall, and teammate Carnell Williams was selected three picks later.

That bit of history is unlikely to rewrite itself.

Only one running back was taken in the first round this past weekend, and Alabama’s Heisman winner, Derrick Henry, waited until midway through the second round, going No. 45 overall to the Tennessee Titans.

With all of the talent lined up, the SEC’s 2017 draft class is a threat to become the first since 1998 to put three running backs — all juniors — into the first round.

Catch them while you can. They’ll be gone soon enough.