By: JJ Lanier

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

I put about as much stock in mock drafts as I do in preseason rankings. They’re great to talk about and they do happen to give you at least a sense of what may take place on draft night, but there are way too many variables that could alter the outcome.

You can’t predict with any certainty what trades will take place, and there is so much misinformation being spewed by organizations this time of season you might as well be watching The Real Housewives of Atlanta.

That being said, there should be a pretty heavy SEC flare to this year’s NFL Draft; particularly within the first ten picks.

Regardless of who will be drafting, and in what positions they will be drafting from, you will probably hear at least five, if not six, SEC players drafted in the top 10.

There are only a few scenarios I can see playing out where Myles Garrett does not go number one overall. Those scenarios are so farfetched that I almost wish they would happen, just so I could bear witness to the mad scramble that would ultimately ensue. That being said there’s almost no way Garrett doesn’t go first.

After Garrett there are three more from the SEC that should be locks for the top 10, no matter what teams are making the picks; Jamal Adams, Leonard Fournette, and Jonathan Allen.

Adams’ ceiling isn’t as high as a lot of other players in the draft, but his floor isn’t nearly as low either. With the safety position being at a premium in today’s NFL, Adams may be the safest bet in football’s yearly game of Russian Roulette.

Even with the devaluation of running backs in recent years, Fournette is way too enticing for anyone with a need at that position to pass up. With all due respect to Christian McCaffrey, there is no way he goes before the LSU star, and no way the former Tiger falls below 10th.

There’s been some question around Allen’s shoulder in recent weeks, as well as his athletic ability on the professional level. However, teams love them some defensive ends, and he has been as productive as any in this draft.

OJ Howard is the other SEC player who I think will hear his name early on, but I gotta admit I’m a little more on the fence with him than the others. Most GM’s will take as many talented secondary players and pass rushers as they can, but I’ve never heard anyone say “You can never have enough good tight ends around!”

Currently, there are a few teams in the top 10 that would be more than happy to take Howard; but as I mentioned earlier, there’s no telling if they’ll still be in that spot and who else may be available.

Reuben Foster was the sixth SEC player I thought we might see taken within the first ten picks, but after his failed drug test at the combine you’re more likely to tune into the fictional The Real Housewives of Des Moines starting in August.

I will say this though, Foster is my favorite defensive player in the draft. I know it won’t happen (greater needs at other position; reluctance to draft players with character issues), but I would love to see him in a Panthers jersey.

So, here’s to the NFL Draft and all it’s excitement and unpredictability; and here’s to the Browns taking Mitchell Trubisky with the number one overall pick. You know it’s going to happen.