We’re fast approaching the end of the SEC’s spring practices.

Five teams held their annual spring games Saturday: Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State and Missouri.

While there’s plenty of time between now and September kickoffs, and more players will arrive this spring, there are a few important takeaways we were able to glean from the formalized scrimmages.

Here are our 10 biggest observations from Saturday’s games:

1. Dak Prescott will remain a joy to watch

The real takeaway is that he could — maybe even should — throw for more than 3,500 yards, but that doesn’t sound as good in the neon lights.

Much like Johnny Manziel improved his passing totals by a sizable margin between the 2012 and 2013 seasons, I expect Prescott to make a similar leap this fall.

First, he’s attempting to become attractive to an NFL team, and needs to get better at reading defenses and throwing receivers open to do so. Second, I expect his natural progression as a passer, coupled with what should be a receiving corps at least as good as last year’s, to shift a percentage of his production as a runner to (successful) pass attempts. Finally, Mississippi State’s offensive line may not be bad. But after replacing three very good starters, the Bulldogs may be a quarter-notch less nasty in the running game.

Back to that word again: Watching Prescott operate the offense Saturday was a joy. If the rest of the team can somehow surpass expectations and perform at a similar level as the ’14 team, he’ll be a clear Heisman Trophy contender.

2. LSU’s QBs will get more help from WRs, TEs

As the headline writer for Glenn Guilbeau’s piece in the Shreveport Times put so eloquently, “LSU QB race same as it ever was.”

Brandon Harris has the better arm, but needs to make better decisions, master the offense and learn how to quarterback his teammates. Anthony Jennings is better at calling plays and reading defenses, but his arm is weaker and he struggles with accuracy.

Not much has changed since last spring, at least from the outside.

“If you go back to the last spring game, I had a pit in my stomach that I just really needed to have our quarterbacks play positively,” coach Les Miles said, according to ESPN.com. “Now I’m sitting there looking at our corners and thinking, ‘Geez, let’s not torch that kid. Let’s not take advantage of him.’ It’s a completely different feeling for me.”

What Miles attributes to the quarterbacks, I’d attribute to the receivers and tight ends.

Travin Dural, one of the SEC’s better deep threats and the team’s No. 1 receiver most of last season, and Malachi Dupre, a five-star talent who roared to life late in his true freshman season, combined for eight catches, 239 yards and four touchdowns during Saturday’s spring game.

D.J. Chark, lauded as LSU’s most improved player at the position, made a terrific snag in double coverage on a 45-yard pitch-and-catch from Harris, while Dupre laid out for a 35-yard touchdown, also from Harris.

“Today was the best job we’ve done in making multiple contested catches where we had to extend,” offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said, according to the Shreveport Times. “Our quarterbacks are taught to get it to our guy away from their guy and give our guy a chance.”

The quarterbacks often faked handoffs to Leonard Fournette and found wide-open tight ends in the seam. The group caught five passes in the spring game. That’s a throw that whomever starts, Harris or Jennings, needs to find more in 2015.

If the pass-catchers can continue to make acrobatic plays like they did Saturday — they also burned some of the second-team defensive backs with speed or double moves — the quarterbacks won’t have to be great to look good.

3. Tide secondary will force more takeaways

Alabama hasn’t been able to develop its cornerback talent in recent years, and on top of that, the team’s top three safeties have moved on, including All-American Landon Collins.

The future looks bright, with a quartet of five-star cornerbacks in the two most recent recruiting classes. Tony Brown could start at corner as a true sophomore. Redshirt freshman Marlon Humphrey had arguably his best scrimmage with the Tide, including eight tackles (one for loss) and an interception. True freshman safety Ronnie Harrison backed up rave reviews from his teammates with his own interception Saturday. Laurence “Hootie” Jones is angling for a starting spot as a true sophomore, or at least consistent playing time.

But the Tide shouldn’t have to wait until next season. Geno Smith and Cyrus Jones make a solid veteran corner-safety tandem in pass coverage. The defensive backs collected six interceptions Saturday, half of those against main quarterback contenders Jake Coker and David Cornwell. That’s not a new phenomenon, as the defensive backs picked off a number of passes throughout spring practice.

Being paired with one of the better front sevens on defense in the country doesn’t hurt. Expect a big improvement on the 11-interception total in 2014.

4. Jeremy Johnson could be an All-SEC QB

Despite a slow start and a few missed connections with No. 1 receiver D’haquille Williams, Johnson averaged 11.5 yards per attempt during Saturday’s A-Day game. That’s right in line with his career numbers (78 passes, 11.0 yards per attempt at Auburn).

More importantly, coach Gus Malzahn hasn’t named Johnson the starter, but he looked more than prepared to run the team. In 2014, between Sammie Coates’ hands and Nick Marshall’s passing skills, both Auburn and the opposing defense got nervous when the Tigers threw deep. This year, offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee already has stated the team wants to take at least eight deep shots, and the conversion rate figures to improve.

We didn’t see any running from Johnson on Saturday, despite his recent bragging about his 4.51-second 40 time and his self-comparison to Cam Newton. If Johnson can generate even three-quarters of Newton’s production on the ground, he’s got the makings of an All-SEC season in front of him.

5. Mizzou faces several unanswered questions on offense

Outside of Evan Boehm at center and Russell Hansbrough at running back, from where (and from whom) will the production come?

We learned Saturday that the team tentatively plans to start Connor McGovern at left tackle when he recovers from a sprained knee, which is interesting because he didn’t play great last season at right tackle and switched back to guard after just a few games.

Three other offensive line spots are wide open.

Projected No. 1 receiver Nate Brown and starting tight end Sean Culkin missed the majority of the spring, but no player emerged as a consistent playmaker in the passing game. Maty Mauk struggled to move the ball with any consistency all spring, but did manage a nice touchdown drive against the second-team defense late in the second quarter Saturday.

A fresh crop of receivers, and junior college transfer running back Chase Abbington, arrive this summer trying to carve out their own niche, while Morgan Steward, another promising tailback, continues to rehab his hip.

Mizzou’s offense got dominated most of the spring. It isn’t necessarily destined to be ineffective in the fall, but there are a lot of questions that remain unanswered for the defending SEC East champs.

6. Alabama’s QB will throw to capable pass-catchers

No Amari Cooper, DeAndrew White and Christion Jones? Cam Sims tore his ACL?

After watching the Crimson Tide spring game Saturday, it shouldn’t be a huge problem.

I don’t expect ArDarius Stewart, Robert Foster or anyone else to challenge the single-season school receiving records Cooper set in 2014. But, collectively, Bama’s receiving corps showed it can make its share of plays.

Stewart and Foster combined for 14 catches, 243 yards and two touchdowns during A-Day. They sure looked capable of performing as 1a and 1b during the regular season, running some crisp routes and making a few athletic catches in traffic.

Alabama doesn’t need tight end O.J. Howard to be an All-American. The Tide should be in a great spot if it can just improve his still-raw 6-foot-6, 240-pound body to the point where he’s one of the better pass-catching tight ends in the SEC. If a third receiver — Chris Black, perhaps? — can provide consistent help, we could witness a rare balanced distribution in a Lane Kiffin-run passing game.

7. Expect some surprise stars at Auburn in 2015

Unheralded redshirt freshman receiver Myron Burton caught seven passes for 124 yards and one touchdown.

Tray Matthews, a Georgia transfer, forced a fumble and intercepted a pass in the end zone while earning spring game MVP honors.

Auburn’s H-backs, which caught seven passes all of last season, combined for four receptions Saturday. Roc Thomas, not Jovon Robinson, starred out of the backfield. Gimel President, part of a rotation of bodies at defensive end, made two sacks.

With such heavy turnover at the skill positions, and a new-look defense with coordinator Will Muschamp, expect some surprise names to emerge as standouts on this 2015 Auburn team in the fall. Of those players, Burton (the offensive MVP) and Matthews have the best chance to impact the team’s performance.

8. Missouri’s defense isn’t going anywhere

Goodbye, likely Top 15 pick Shane Ray. Ditto, sack master Markus Golden. The team’s best defensive back, Braylon Webb? Gone. Coordinator Dave Steckel? Bye, Felicia.

Mizzou’s defense as a Top 25 unit nationally? Not going anywhere.

Charles Harris and Marcus Loud are ready to emerge from the incubator as an effective pair of defensive ends. Harold Brantley could introduce himself to football junkies across the country as one of the better defensive tackles in the country. Michael Scherer and Kentrell Brothers lead an underrated group of linebackers. And Kenya Dennis and Aarion Penton should be one of the better starting cornerback tandems in the SEC this season.

Oh, and the man now running the defense, Barry Odom, is considered one of the best young coordinators in the country. Expect Mizzou to play with a bit more aggression and complexity this season, especially up front.

9. LSU’s Kevin Toliver II is going to be tremendous, but won’t be all-conference Day 1

The five-star cornerback is too good to keep off the field in 2015, but don’t be surprised if Ed Paris holds him off as the starter opposite Tre’Davious White.

Already a playmaker, Toliver II made a nice interception on a pass from Brandon Harris during the Blue-Gold game, his second of the spring.

Despite enrolling early in an attempt to compete for a starting job, Toliver II sometimes looked like — well, a talented kid who should still be in high school based on his age.

For now, LSU is making the right decision by starting Paris ahead of Toliver II, who needs to play with greater consistency. That’s not to say that Toliver II can’t unseat the sophomore by the fall, or even at some point during the season.

But, much like Leonard Fournette last fall, it may take some patience — and another season or two — before Toliver II taps into a large percentage of his potential.

10. A.J. Jefferson could challenge Chris Jones as alpha dog of Mississippi State’s DL

Tired of hearing the quarterbacks bark at the defense while wearing “no-contact” green jerseys, and listening to Dak Prescott argue that the team never touched him down, Bulldogs defensive lineman A.J. Jefferson lined up redshirt freshman quarterback Nick Fitzgerald in his crosshairs.

Though Jefferson didn’t follow through, he cracked Fitzgerald hard enough to send him to the ground in a whirling ball of limbs.

“We gotta let them know, they’re still on the football team too,” Jefferson said after the game. “We gotta let them know they’re still playing football every now and then.”

Then Jefferson smashed a would-be blocker (Darrion Hutcherson) into the ball-carrier (Deddrick Thomas) and took them both to the ground in my favorite play of the day.

Chris Jones has yet to live up to his five-star status as a member of the 2013 class, but he’s shown signs of emerging this spring. The Bulldogs need that to happen after losing defensive standouts like Preston Smith, Kaleb Eulls and Benardrick McKinney.

But after watching the spring game and keeping up with the team’s other practices, Jefferson very well could challenge Jones as the new alpha of the Mississippi State defensive line.