By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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Overall, nine players from the SEC West were taken in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

The SEC West is clearly college football’s best collection of programs, a division that has been represented in either the College Football Playoff or BCS National Championship Game eight years running and nine of the last ten. That stretch of dominance continued Thursday night as, without Alabama, three of the top six selections in the 2017 NFL Draft came from SEC West schools: Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett and LSU teammates running back Leonard Fournette and safety Jamal Adams.

Garrett was the night’s number one overall selection by the Cleveland Browns, breaking through a ceiling of five Aggies, including current All-Pro Von Miller, who had been taken second, to become the program’s first-ever top pick. In three seasons at Texas A&M, Garrett compiled 32.5 sacks, 30 more quarterback hurries, 48.5 tackles for loss and seven forced fumbles. He becomes just the second defensive player to go first in the draft dating back to 2006, joining former South Carolina stud Jadeveon Clowney.

“He is very deserving and worthy of this honor and has earned being the first Aggie to ever be drafted No. 1 overall in the NFL draft,” Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin explained. “He is an outstanding football player, a terrific teammate and an even better person. We are very proud of Myles.”

The first skill position player off the board, Fournette was taken fourth by Jacksonville. After 3,840 rushing yards and 40 rushing touchdowns for the Tigers, he tied Ezekiel Elliott, fresh off an incredible rookie run for Dallas, as the highest running back chosen since former Crimson Tide star Trent Richardson went third in 2012. Fournette has long been talked about as the prototype feature back at the next level.

Some have regarded Adams, who went sixth to the New York Jets, as the “surest thing” in this year’s draft class. At 6’0” 214 pounds, he is an enforcer with ball skills. Adams recorded 7.5 tackles for loss last season, four interceptions two years ago and helped LSU give up the fewest touchdowns in all of college football in 2016.

Overall, nine players from the SEC West were taken in the first round; for point of reference, the Big XII had one and the ACC had four.

After cornerback Marlon Humphrey was picked 16th by Baltimore, a run on Alabama players began as defensive lineman Jonathan Allen went 17th to Washington, tight end O.J. Howard went 19th to Tampa Bay and linebacker Reuben Foster went 31st to San Francisco. The Crimson Tide have now had a first-rounder in nine straight drafts, tied for the second-longest streak all-time.

Also late in the first round, Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram was selected 23rd by the New York Giants and cornerback Tre’Davious White became the Tigers’ third day one pick at 27 to Buffalo.

In terms of championship contention and top talent, the SEC West is the best in the game, a stance just validated, yet again, by the NFL Draft.