It’s easy to overlook the defensive tackle position when pondering the best players in the SEC, but this year the conference was loaded with talented tackles who spent most of 2014 disrupting opposing offenses at the line of scrimmage.

Many of these tackles do more than simply make piles, even if their numbers don’t reflect that. Their hard work and physical play are often part of a thankless job, but we at SDS are aiming to change that by highlighting the 10 best defensive tackles from around the SEC in 2014:

Player rankings:
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Offensive linemen
Defensive ends
Linebackers
Cornerbacks
Safeties

Just made the list
10. Issac Gross, Ole Miss
9. Montravius Adams, Auburn
8. Taiwan Johnson, Arkansas

Ole Miss’ Issac Gross began his college career as a nose tackle, but he’s learned to share his defensive tackle duties with star sophomore Robert Nkemdiche the last two years. Despite Nkemdiche’s emergence, Gross’ production never waned, and his numbers actually improved as defenses began to shift their focus to Nkemdiche. Gross made opposing defenses pay by recording 31 tackles and six tackles for loss in 2014 while helping Ole Miss limit its foes to just 134 yards rushing and fewer than 14 points per game. … Auburn’s Montravius Adams carried a heavier burden as the anchor of a Tigers defensive line sorely missing superstar Carl Lawson this season. Adams was a pass-rushing nightmare from up the middle, recording three sacks, eight tackles for loss and 12 quarterback hurries from his tackle position. He added an interception to his dominant stat line, and helped Auburn hold multiple ranked opponents (Kansas State and LSU) to 14 points or fewer. … Arkansas tackle Taiwan Johnson shared space with Darius Philon up the middle of the Razorbacks defense, but it didn’t stop Johnson from emerging as one of the most impactful defensive linemen in the SEC. The sophomore registered 4.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss, ranking among the top 5 SEC defensive tackles in both stat categories. Johnson helped anchor a defense that closed the year as the conference’s No. 3 rushing defense, allowing just 124 yards per game on the ground.

Two men from Missouri
7. Lucas Vincent, Missouri
6. Harold Brantley, Missouri

Much of the attention given to Missouri’s defensive line was focused on the team’s stellar defensive ends, but the Tigers defensive tackles were also among the most productive in the SEC. Senior Lucas Vincent was touted as one of the top tackles in the conference to begin the year, and he lived up to the hype by recording 3.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss. For what it’s worth, three Mizzou defensive tackles recorded at least three sacks and seven tackles for loss, but Vincent served as the veteran leader of the bunch, playing the most snaps and limiting his mistakes better than the other two. … Harold Brantley was another productive tackle along the Missouri defensive line. He added 50 tackles, five sacks, seven tackles for loss and seven quarterback hurries as the most disruptive pass rusher of the bunch. At one point during the season, Brantley recorded a sack in four straight games to carry the defensive line as Mizzou locked down its second straight SEC East title. Brantley was also a force even when he was unable to break into the backfield. He added two passes defended at the line and a blocked kick to his already impressive season, making Missouri’s line that much tougher to block.

(Mizzou’s third star tackle, Matt Hoch, is an honorable mention for this list with three sacks and nine tackles for loss.)

Tide comes crashing
5. A’Shawn Robinson, Alabama
4. Jonathan Allen, Alabama

Alabama’s tandem of A’Shawn Robinson and Jonathan Allen added a powerful force to an already explosive Crimson Tide defense. Robinson never recorded a sack in 2014, but his impact wasn’t often made as a pass rusher. The sophomore proved himself to be one of the best run-stoppers in the SEC this season, recording 6.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble at the heart of the Tide’s defense. He did record four quarterback hurries as a pass rusher and added two pass breakups at the line and a blocked kick to give opposing linemen nightmares. … Allen was a better pass rusher than Robinson, recording four sacks and seven quarterback hurries. He also had a pass defended at the line in addition to nine tackles for loss and a blocked kick of his own. The two tackles presented opponents with differing skill sets but similar levels of dominance along the interior of the defensive line. Many teams found it difficult to block both players at once, resulting in the SEC’s No. 1 rush defense and No. 3 total defense.

Best of the best
3. Darius Philon, Arkansas
2. Chris Jones, Mississippi State
1. Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss

Arkansas’ Darius Philon, referenced above when discussing Taiwan Johnson, was the better of the two in 2014, although both were dominant for the Hogs. Philon was among the most athletically gifted defensive tackles in the SEC this season, recording 3.5 sacks, 10.5 tackles for loss, five quarterback hurries, two passes defended and a forced fumble. He added two fumble recoveries and returned one of them 21 yards for a beloved “big guy touchdown.” Philon possesses tremendous speed without compromising his power up the middle, resulting in one of the most versatile linemen in the conference. … Mississippi State’s Chris Jones had a monster freshman season in 2013, and there was a contingency of football experts that felt Jones would be the SEC’s best defensive tackle this season. Jones had a quiet season statistically — recording just 26 tackles, three sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss — but he added eight quarterback hurries and two passes defended to find other ways to keep himself involved. Jones may not have made many plays himself, but he created plenty of opportunities for his teammates by occupying multiple blockers and disrupting the offense’s flow without making a tackle. … The SEC boasts impressive depth at defensive tackle, but Ole Miss sophomore Robert Nkemdiche was the best in the conference by an obvious margin. If you’re only looking at his numbers — 33 tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss and one pass breakup — you’d likely consider him to be a run-of-the-mill defensive tackle. But if you watched Ole Miss play this season, it was easy to see how impactful Nkemdiche actually was. The former No. 1 recruit in the nation drew double teams on every snap this year, sometimes triple teams. Despite being smothered by opposing offensive lines, Nkemdiche still managed to create opportunities for his teammates, and it’s no wonder the Rebels boasted one of the best defenses in America with Nkemdiche anchoring the unit from the interior of the line. His numbers alone don’t warrant a spot atop the list, but his impact makes him the obvious No. 1 tackle in the SEC.