🏈 Who's the top player at his position in the SEC?

[BAMANEWSBOT]

The returns are in for the 69th annual AL.com/Birmingham News SEC Football Preview Report. You've seen which teams the league's 14 football information directors have selected to win the East and West and in the Overall Power Poll. You might have even noticed who they picked to be on the Preseason All-SEC team. Here is how their voting went for the Best of the SEC, a list of the top players at their position:

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Dak Prescott, QB, Miss. State
Runner-up: Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia


TOP HEISMAN CANDIDATE
Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia
Runner-up: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU


MOST UNDERRATED
Kenyan Drake, RB, Alabama
Runner-up: Antonio Morrison, LB, Florida


BEST ATHLETE
D'haquille Williams, WR, Auburn
Runner-up: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU


BEST LINEBACKER
Reggie Ragland, Alabama
Runner-up: Kentrell Brothers, Missouri


BEST CORNERBACK
Vernon Hargreaves III, Florida
Runner-up: Jonathan Jones, Auburn


BEST SAFETY
Tony Conner, Ole Miss
Runner-up: Jalen Mills, LSU


BEST DEFENSIVE LINEMAN
Derek Barnett, Tennessee
Runner-up: Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss


BEST OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
Laremy Tunsil, Ole Miss
Runner-up: Cam Robinson, Alabama


BEST RECEIVER
Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina
Runner-up: D'haquille Williams, Auburn


BEST BLOCKING BACK
Nick Chubb, Georgia
Runner-up: Ashton Shumpert, Miss. State


BEST PASSER
Dak Prescott, Miss. State
Runner-up: Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee


BEST KICK RETURNER
Leonard Fournette, LSU
Runner-up: Marcus Davis, Auburn


BEST PLACE-KICKER
Austin MacGinnis, Kentucky
Runner-up: Elliott Fry, South Carolina


BEST PUNTER
JK Scott, Alabama
Runner-up: Landon Foster, Kentucky

Continue reading...

 

[TerryP]

BEST OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
Laremy Tunsil, Ole Miss
Runner-up: Cam Robinson, Alabama

While he'll likely be drafted as a guard, Vadal Alexander (OT-LSU) is a better offensive lineman now than Cam.

 

[BamaFan334]

Am I crazy to think Tunsil and Nkemdechie are overrated and haven't lived up to their lofty rankings? I'm tired of hearing about Nkemdechie, the "once in a generation recruit". We have guys that outperform him. I'm from Georgia and live Georgia recruits, but he has not lived up to the hype to be considered a top one or two lineman in the SEC, psh, please.

 

[TerryP]

Am I crazy to think Tunsil and Nkemdechie are overrated and haven't lived up to their lofty rankings?

I'd love to have Tunsil's talent on our offensive line. As to Nkemdechie...ranking based on what is perceived to be potential. Last season he didn't rank (nationally) in total tackles, tackles for loss, or sacks.

 

[BamaFan334]

I'd love to have Tunsil's talent on our offensive line. As to Nkemdechie...ranking based on what is perceived to be potential. Last season he didn't rank (nationally) in total tackles, tackles for loss, or sacks.

Well I'm not saying Tunsil is awful, but he's not #1 pick material in my book at the moment like people are saying. He's got talent, and I agree with that, just doesn't come off the page at me like it does to a lot of other folks. I'll take Cam Robinson over him. I'm not an offensive line coach or even much of an observer, but I'll take Cam Robinson based off what I have noticed.

 

[bamaraider]

How the hell is an Auburn CB mentioned in this? I've never seen any spectacular about what they do or any shutdown capabilities in Jones. Playing 10 yards off the LOS and consistently getting beat on the inside isn't all coaching.

Anyways, Prescott is dubbed the best QB because of experience and the good numbers he put up when he had a senior laden team. Jeremy Johnson could surpass him. Coker would be on the list probably if it included servicable. Ragland hands down is the best MLB, and Reed+Ashawn in the middle automatically makes Alabama's front 7 the best. Also I think LSU's CB should be #1. He did well against Cooper last year and against others. I think Tony Brown will make his name known though

 

[TerryP]

Well I'm not saying Tunsil is awful, but he's not #1 pick material in my book at the moment like people are saying. He's got talent, and I agree with that, just doesn't come off the page at me like it does to a lot of other folks. I'll take Cam Robinson over him. I'm not an offensive line coach or even much of an observer, but I'll take Cam Robinson based off what I have noticed.

The age/experience factor with Tunsil versus Cam is where my choice is made. Tunsil's been starting since day one on campus at Oxford and with him a lot of his ranking is also based on perceived potential.

Ya know, he's made All-SEC both years he's played which is very uncommon.

Hypothetical: If this agent thing actually turned out to make him ineligible that's an extra two losses you can put on the Black Bears this fall.

 

[BamaFan334]

The age/experience factor with Tunsil versus Cam is where my choice is made. Tunsil's been starting since day one on campus at Oxford and with him a lot of his ranking is also based on perceived potential.

Ya know, he's made All-SEC both years he's played which is very uncommon.

Hypothetical: If this agent thing actually turned out to make him ineligible that's an extra two losses you can put on the Black Bears this fall.

Big Cam has started since Day 1 as well and has stayed healthy enough to play with respect to his (knee?) last year. Maybe with Arie beside him it made it look easier to him, but Tunsil is not any better to me. I feel as if the All-SEC teMs are more popularity contests rather than actual performance. Not all cases, but most. Clowney was a beast, but his junior year was a joke, yet he made it.

So does Bo Wallace being gone and if Tunsil is busted, does that cancel out? Ha ha. Without Wallace you win two more, without Tunsil you lose two more?

 

[TerryP]

Big Cam has started since Day 1 as well and has stayed healthy enough to play with respect to his (knee?) last year. Maybe with Arie beside him it made it look easier to him, but Tunsil is not any better to me. I feel as if the All-SEC teMs are more popularity contests rather than actual performance. Not all cases, but most. Clowney was a beast, but his junior year was a joke, yet he made it.

Performance, you say? Tunsil allowed one sack his freshman year as a left tackle. Now, he only started nine of the twelve games he played in as I recall. What stuck out to me wasn't him being named Freshman All-American, but his second team All-SEC selection was only the second one ever at Ole Miss.

When the pre-season hype started on Clowney (following that hit against Michigan) @planomateo and I were banging real hard on him being over-blown. My biggest gripe was the lack of attention paid to the DT and DE that weren't with him his Jr. year. Without those two his sophomore season would have been unremarkable.

So does Bo Wallace being gone and if Tunsil is busted, does that cancel out? Ha ha. Without Wallace you win two more, without Tunsil you lose two more?

:clap:

 

[psychojoe]

On the DL side I would take Ashawn Robinson over the two ranked above him in a heartbeat. He was perhaps under-recognized because there are several ver strong players along our DL.

 

[TerryP]

On the DL side I would take Ashawn Robinson over the two ranked above him in a heartbeat.

Barnett was a top ten guy last season in tackles for loss...it seems like he had 10 sacks on the season (top twenty guy there.)