Like Tax Day, it came and went.

OK, so technically that’s a bad reference because the NFL draft is 3 days and Tax Day is just, um, a day. But the point is, it’s something that has massive buildup every year and when it’s over, you don’t think about it for a very long time.

That is, unless you’re a draft nerd or someone who does your taxes way too early. Whoever you are, the reference still stands.

So what were the SEC takeaways from the NFL draft? I had a few:

Favorite fit — Roquan Smith, Chicago Bears LB

Disclaimer: I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, where I spent my childhood watching guys like Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. I saw how much the city embraced them, and how perfectly they fit into the tradition of the organization.

I full expect Smith to be that next guy. I mean, the ESPN broadcast team referenced Dick Butkus before the guy even stepped on the stage at the draft.

Did anything you saw from him in 2017 suggest that he wouldn’t be that guy? The guy was everywhere. He wasn’t just a sure-tackler. He was a playmaker. In a defense loaded with talent, it was Smith who looked like he was on a different level. He’s as pro-ready of a defensive player as there was in the draft.

Getting to play in Chicago and reunite with former Georgia teammate Leonard Floyd is obviously a big win for him. The former Dawgs seem pretty pumped about that, as they should be. The Bears added a pair of linebackers who are going to put pressure on quarterbacks for years to come. Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio specializes in maximizing the potential of linebackers.

Lord knows Smith isn’t lacking in that department. I expect Pro Bowls for years to come.

Oddest fit — Arden Key, Raiders EDGE

I scratched my head when I saw Key come off the board in the third round to the Raiders. Don’t get me wrong. The potential value of him was there at the No. 87 overall pick, which the Raiders traded back to get. Still, it was an odd move to wait that long on an edge rusher considering the Raiders were 24th in the NFL in sacks.

Here’s what else I don’t understand. Who’s the adult in that locker room who’s going to mentor Key? Is Khalil Mack going to be that guy? I wonder about if the soft-spoken 27-year-old is capable of being that. Key needs a mentor. He needs a group of veterans at that position group, which the Raiders aren’t loaded with. He needs to be surrounded by the right culture.

Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

And this might be looking ahead too far, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t cross my mind. The Raiders are expected to move to Las Vegas sometime in the next couple years. For a guy who has had some major questions off the field, I’m not sure the combination of giving him millions of dollars to get things figured out in Las Vegas makes a lot of sense.

Who knows? Maybe Key’s bizarre 2017 and he’s ready to be 100 percent committed to staying in shape and maximizing his scary potential. Given his history, though, it was a bit odd that an organization like the Raiders decided to roll the dice on him. I guess when you pay a coach $100 million, you let him take some risks. Key is a risk, alright.

At the very least, the guy is saying all the right things so far.

“There will be 31 other teams who will pay for it,” Key said via NFL.com. “Put that in all caps and double bold. It didn’t happen the way I thought it would, and I stayed positive about it. But now, there’s a gorilla-sized chip on my shoulder.”

Biggest surprise — Antonio Callaway, Browns WR

I wasn’t chewing any gum while I was watching the NFL draft, but if I was, it would’ve fallen out of my mouth. That’s how big of a stunner it was to see the Browns take Callaway in the beginning of the fourth round.

We made such a big deal about the rumors surrounding Derrius Guice — none of which have actually been confirmed — and he fell into the back end of the second round when he was considered a late-first round prospect. In case you forgot, here was Callaway’s college/NFL career so far:

  • 2 reported marijuana incidents at Florida
  • subject of sexual assault investigation (defense was he was too high to have sex with plaintiff)
  • suspended for 2017 because of involvement in credit card fraud scandal
  • dilute drug test at combine, admitted to smoking weeks before combine

That’s in college, where he was given chance after chance by Jim McElwain. Now, he’s going to have millions of dollars (not the fake money he had with the credit card fraud scandal). And a guy who has had repeated incidents with marijuana is going to work with who on an everyday basis? Josh Gordon!

Talk about a strange move. Besides, this is the Browns. The culture certainly contributed to a guy like Johnny Manziel following the path he did. I hope Callaway isn’t heading down a similar path.

I just question why Cleveland decided that early in the fourth round, a guy with Callaway’s long list of issues was worth the risk. I came into the day thinking he wouldn’t get drafted after his combine drug test was made public. Instead, the organization with the most question marks decided to draft the guy with the most question marks in the beginning of the fourth round.

Only Cleveland.

HONORABLE MENTION — Danny Etling, Patriots QB

How big of a surprise was Etling’s selection by the Patriots? The ESPN broadcast crew was so flustered that it questioned if Bill Belichick took Etling to move him to slot receiver, a la Julian Edelman. It was especially awkward to hear them talk about Etling after they referenced LSU’s passing game struggles the past couple days when talking about Derrius Guice, D.J. Chark and Russell Gage. But hey, maybe the Patriots know something that we don’t. Like, that Etling has an NFL arm.

The obvious correlation — Alabama, Georgia not surprisingly have huge drafts

You. Need. NFL. Players. To. Compete. For. National. Titles. Period.

Anyone who suggests otherwise doesn’t know what they’re talking about. It wasn’t surprising to see Alabama and Georgia have such a presence in the draft, especially early on. They had a combined 7 players in the first round (22 percent) and 10 players in the first 3 rounds.

Look at how many players from national title teams were picked in the following draft the last 5 years:

  • 2016 Alabama — 10
  • 2016 Clemson — 6
  • 2015 Alabama — 7
  • 2015 Clemson — 8
  • 2014 Ohio State — 5
  • 2014 Oregon — 5
  • 2013 Florida State — 7
  • 2013 Auburn — 4
  • 2012 Alabama — 9
  • 2012 Notre Dame — 6

That’s an average of 7 draft picks per year. And what it’s worth, that 2014 Ohio State team actually had 12 guys drafted in 2016, many of whom played key roles on that 2014 national championship season.

If you’re going to win 14 games and beat several top-10 teams in the process — that’s what it takes to win a national title — you can’t just hope that scheming will get you there. You need talent. Next-level talent. Alabama has more of that than anyone in America on a consistent basis, and the results show. Soon, Georgia could be that yearly lock, too.

You want to compete for national titles? Get NFL talent.

Even UCF had 3 players drafted in the first 3 rounds. Maybe that explains why they won a national championship.

HEEL, ALABAMA FANS. I’M JOKING.

All the feels — Shaquem Griffin’s draft moment

Put your UCF national title feelings aside and appreciate how awesome it was to watch Griffin get drafted. The moment he realized he was reuniting with his twin brother in Seattle was incredible:

In my opinion, that was the moment of the draft. The story is Hollywood stuff. A kid with one hand — no one-handed player has ever been drafted in the NFL — went from a non-starter at a Group of 5 school to one of the best defensive players in America. Then he doesn’t get invited to the combine initially and then he does, only to show up and set the record for the fastest 40-yard dash EVER for a linebacker (he also put up 20 bench press reps with a prosthetic hand).

It’s the stuff of legend. And it’s not just a great story. Griffin is where he is because of how good of a player he turned himself into. He has a legitimate chance to have a long NFL career because of how big of a playmaker he is in space.

Still, though, what an inspiration to everyone who has ever been doubted or told that they couldn’t do something. Say what you want about the spectacle that is the NFL draft, but that’s what it’s all about.

As Mel Kiper Jr. said, if you aren’t inspired by Griffin, you don’t have a pulse.

It’s still the SEC’s world and we’re all just living in it

OK, now that you had a break from the SEC, let’s get back to the conference that once again, won the draft. For the 12th straight year, nobody had more draft picks than the SEC.

Here’s a fun stat for you to show the SEC’s dominance. The MAC, MVFC, Sun Belt, CAA, MEAC, Southland, Big Sky, Ivy, OVC and Patriot conferences all had 3 players or less selected in the first 5 rounds. The SEC had 3 specialists selected in the fifth round ALONE.

Here’s another one. There were 13 SEC teams who had a player selected in the first 4 rounds (Kentucky was the lone one who didn’t). That’s insane.

Despite what Danny Kanell and others tried to argue leading up to the draft, nobody cranks out more NFL talent than the SEC. Period. That’s been the case ever since Nick Saban arrived in 2007, and despite the conference as a whole (outside of the elite programs) having a somewhat down year, it didn’t show in the NFL draft.

Maybe it just does mean more.