Before the season, it looked like running back may be the most loaded position in the SEC, with 2013 standouts like Todd Gurley, T.J. Yeldon and Mike Davis returning and young standouts like Derrick Henry and Leonard Fournette set to develop.

Instead, by most accounts, defensive line is the position that flourished. Take a look as the SDS staff debates the biggest concentration of talent in the SEC.

WHICH FOOTBALL POSITION FEATURES THE GREATEST COLLECTION OF TALENT IN 2014?

Brad Crawford (@BCrawfordSDS): DL

The league boasts several future NFL talents like Shane Ray, Trey Flowers and Dante Fowler. Even the younger guys — Leonard Floyd, Derek Barnett and Myles Garrett — showed promise as underclassmen at a position rich with speed and explosiveness. Part of the reason SEC quarterbacks were ineffective as a unit this season is due to the strength up front defensively.

Jordan Cox (@Jordan_Cox): RB

Well, considering we at SDS dubbed 2014 “The Year of the Running Back” prior to the start of the season, I’m going to go with that. Gurley, Chubb, Yeldon, Henry, Artis-Payne, Williams, Collins, Fournette. Need I go on? We saw a lot of running backs have great years for their teams, highlighted by the breakout season Nick Chubb had for Georgia during Todd Gurley’s absence. Six SEC teams ranked in the top 40 nationally in rushing offense, a testament to how many great backs there are in this conference.

Brett Weisband (@WeisbandSDS): DE

Even with Jadeveon Clowney and Michael Sam gone to the NFL this year, the SEC’s defensive ends are nasty. Two of the very best in the country, Shane Ray and Markus Golden, play on the same team. Two players, Myles Garrett and Derek Barnett, broke Clowney’s freshman sack record. One of the best ends in the conference, Trey Flowers, couldn’t even make it onto the AP’s All-SEC team. In an era of all kinds of varied offenses throughout the conference, versatile defensive ends are at a premium, and the SEC had as many dominant players as ever at the position.

Chris Walsh (@CrimsonWalsh): DL

The more I think about it the more I come back to the old standby when it comes to the SEC, the defensive line. It’s usually the position that separates the league from the rest of college football and this year was no exception. Alabama, for example, had three different guys who probably would have been all-conference anywhere else but they barely got consideration. Across the board the linemen are bigger, faster and just better than anywhere else.

Ethan Levine (@EthanLevineSDS): DE

The SEC’s depth at the tailback position is difficult to ignore, but it doesn’t come close to the depth the conference boasted at the defensive end position in 2014. Where do I even begin my list? Missouri replaced two All-SEC defensive ends with two more NFL-caliber pass rushers this season, including SEC Defensive Player of the Year Shane Ray. Kentucky’s Bud Dupree was hampered by a lackluster team but will still be a first round pick in the NFL Draft this spring. Arkansas’ Trey Flowers was as dominant as any defensive end in the nation, and he’s merely lost in the shuffle in the SEC. Two freshmen — Tennessee’s Derek Barnett and Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett — broke Jadeveon Clowney’s former freshman sack record in the same season. Mississippi State’s Preston Smith recorded a tackle for loss in 11 straight games in addition to multiple interceptions, multiple blocked kicks and multiple touchdowns this season. Oh, by the way, I haven’t even mentioned LSU’s Danielle Hunter or Florida’s Dante Fowler. Other positions may feature a collection of supreme talents, but no position can match the depth the SEC’s defensive ends brought to the field in 2014.