While playing college football in the SEC for four years, I got to play against some of the best athletes in the country. I also played alongside some of the best.

There are some guys that were on the opposite side of the ball that I definitely remember and have gone on to be ballers at the next level.

I would have to say that the best defensive player that I ever played against was actually on my team. Jadeveon Clowney. Let me just say this, the guy would dominate practice so bad that Coach Spurrier held him out during scrimmages so we could actually get some work done. I was very fortunate to be on that guy’s team.

Now, for the best I’ve ever played against, I can’t really just pick one. Eric Berry, Mark Barron, Joe Haden, Brandon Spikes and Rolando McClain are some names that come to mind immediately. It really is difficult to just say one specific player was the best, because all those guys were pretty damn good. Not only did those guys have very successful collegiate careers at their respective universities, but they have translated that into major success in the NFL.

When it came down to game-planning and “drawing up ball plays,” we never would point out a guy specifically and stay away from him. Our offense was our offense and we had the confidence that it didn’t matter who was on the other side of the ball, we would move it and score. Obviously, we watch a ton of film throughout the week and we could see the guys that I mentioned earlier. We could see how good they were and how big of an impact they made. However, that never deterred us or scared us from doing what we wanted to do offensively.

Having said all that, I think the most disruptive guys I played against were linebackers. Rolando McClain and Brandon Spikes. I just can’t decide which one was better when we played against them. I’m leaning towards McClain, but I only played against him once, and he dominated us in Tuscaloosa back in ’09. He was a little bit more athletic and faster than Spikes was, in my opinion. I actually played in the Rivals High School All-American game with McClain. He was a pretty cool guy and you could tell he was going to be a moose at Alabama.

I can assure you one thing, no matter how small (Joe Haden) or big (Brandon Spikes), those guys will try and knock your head off every time they hit you. I was fortunate enough to not get hurt at all during my college career, but there were several instances where I easily could have.

I still have to say that Jadeveon Clowney is still the best defensive player that I’ve ever seen. Call me a homer or whatever you want, but that damn kid was an unreal talent.