🏈 SEC position rankings: Defensive line (Tide ranked at the top)

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Some around the SEC suggested that the defensive line talent in the league might have been down last season.

Only five SEC defensive linemen went in the top four rounds of the 2014 NFL draft, and only two of those were tackles.

But as we look ahead to the 2014 season, there’s a promising crop of young defensive linemen in the SEC, particularly the sophomore class.

Today, we kick off our defensive position rankings with the defensive line. We’ll come back later in the day and rank the top 10 tackles in the league and the top 10 ends.

Here goes:

1. Alabama: The defensive line should be the strength of an Alabama defense that will again be rock-solid. The Crimson Tide are big, physical and deep with some talented players joining the mix. Sophomore A'Shawn Robinson is an absolute beast. Jonathan Allen played in every game last season as true freshman, and D.J. Pettway is back at end after a year at junior college. Brandon Ivory and Darren Lake return at nose guard, and look for Dalvin Tomlinson and Dee Liner to make big impacts as well along with incoming five-star freshman end Da'Shawn Hand. There’s no such thing as being too deep in the defensive line.


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Jarren Reed is also a nice addition at DT. He's a pretty athletic for a d-lineman, but really strong. You throw in A'Shawn who was a monster last year as a freshman, has only improved, then Allen is looking to break out. If the d-line can cause havoc up front, collapse the pocket, and make the QB feel uncomfortable, it can mess with their head and also be great for a young secondary. On paper though, they look outstanding, but you gotta prove it on the field.

 

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We ranked the top defensive line units in the SEC earlier on Monday. We take it a step further now and rank the top 10 tackles or interior linemen in the league heading into the 2014 season. Notice a trend with the top four?

1. A'Shawn Robinson, So., Alabama: The 6-foot-4, 320-pound Robinson led Alabama with 5.5 sacks last season as a true freshman and has barely scratched the surface of how good he can be. An end in the Tide's base 3-4 defense, he moves inside to tackle when they go to four down linemen.

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It's Defensive Line Day on the SEC blog. We ranked the top defensive line groups earlier today along with the top 10 tackles in the league. Now, we rank the top 10 ends in the SEC heading into the 2014 season. 1. Dante Fowler, Jr., Florida: Technically he plays the "buck" position in the Gators' defense, which is part end and part outside linebacker. He's versatile enough that he's a force against the run and also a dynamic pass-rusher. Florida has produced its share of big-play performers on defense.

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