In the spread era, we know the most important position on the field is under center, quarterbacks who produce wins — and championships — with help from teammates. It’s a bigger help if the passer is mobile, another wrinkle opposing defenses often find challenging to contain.

This makes the necessity of high-quality defensive ends so valuable in recruiting, arguably the second-most important position to stockpile talent at any program. Pass-rushing specialists can disrupt an offense’s rhythm, come up with momentum-shifting plays and become a nightmare to game plan against.

RELATED: How have five-star DEs panned out over last decade

Without consistent pressure on the quarterback, other weaknesses on defense are magnified. An inexperienced secondary can be shredded by an accurate passer with a pocket from which to work while linebackers are asked to cover for longer periods of time in space.

Ask any quarterback who has been driven to the ground in the first quarter and he’ll tell you his internal clock has been altered a bit knowing a speed rusher is heading his way to deliver another decisive blow after the snap.

There have been many standout defensive ends in the SEC in recent years, players who have directed their respective defenses to new highs. Jadeveon Clowney, perhaps the most sought-after recruit in the last decade, had an NFL skill set entering his freshman season at South Carolina in 2011, a defender with track-athlete speed and tremendous quickness.

After accumulating 21 sacks and 35.5 tackles-for-loss over his first two seasons including All-American status as a sophomore, Clowney became the center of headaches for offensive coordinators who began to scheme around his play-making abilities. Constant double-teams led to more opportunities for fellow teammates and a lingering sense of dread for quarterbacks.

Drafted first overall last season by the Houston Texans, Clowney was a cornerstone pass-rusher coming out of college that most scouts thought franchises could build around at the most important position on his side of the football.

Missouri’s Shane Ray, another menacing defensive end who terrorizes offenses, is another standout who led his team to greatness despite inconsistent play from the Tigers’ Maty Mauk-led offense and inexperience play around him at each level of the Mizzou defense.

He doesn’t have the natural athleticism or size of Clowney, but flexes a variety of moves in getting to the backfield and is agile off the edge.

Defensive end is the first line of defense against several spread offense-related plays including jet sweeps, speed options and zone read keepers. In what has now become a pass-heavy game, chances at big plays behind the line of scrimmage are common if you possess a freak of nature who is faster and more athletic than the left or right tackle he’s going up against.

According to CBS Sports’ 2015 prospect rankings, the SEC has three of the Top 5 draft-eligible defensive ends for April’s NFL Draft:

  • (4th overall) Randy Gregory, Nebraska (1st at DE)
  • (8th) Shane Ray, Mizzou (2)
  • (12th) Bud Dupree, Kentucky (3)
  • (30th) Nate Orchard, Utah (4)
  • (33rd) Danielle Hunter, LSU (5)

Mizzou’s Markus Golden, Trey Flowers from Arkansas and Mississippi State’s Preston Smith are all expected to be Top 100 picks at defensive end as well.

It’s a position where depth is often a concern since the talent drop-off is considerable from elite to average. There are many edge rushers who develop into reliable starters, but few are formidable stars that have to be accounted for each and every snap.

Finding those future All-SEC standouts has moved to the top of each coaching staff’s priority list during the recruiting season. The SEC has a couple elite performers at the position returning next season including Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett and Tennessee’s Derek Barnett who each reached double-digit sack totals as true freshman this fall.

Should those two blossom into every-down playmakers, both Garrett and Barnette will be early exits and potential first-round selections for NFL franchises looking to beef up their athleticism up front in 2017.

Two of the SEC’s top uncommitted remaining targets, Cece Jefferson and Byron Cowart, are five-stars at the position. Auburn’s Will Muschamp thinks the pair of Florida natives are essential pieces of the puzzle toward fixing the Tigers’ defense in 2015, as does LSU, Florida and Florida State’s staffs among several others.

While technique is obviously a large part of development as a speed rusher, defensive end is arguably the No. 1 position at which players can make an instant impact. Unleash your best athlete on defense at the snap and let him find the football with no regard for the player in front of him trying to protect his backfield.

Though raw, few complained about Clowney’s technique during his three-year stint with the Gamecocks, especially scouts at the next level.