There’s no questioning Alabama wide receiver and Biletnikoff Award winner Amari Cooper was the best wideout in the nation last season, leading all FBS receivers in catches with 124 while finishing second in yards and touchdowns with 1,727 and 16 respectively.

But while Cooper’s 2014 season was spectacular, he’s just one more star in a long line of sensational SEC wideouts who have taken their talents to the NFL and starred at the game’s highest level as well.

When Cooper is taken in this April’s NFL Draft, likely in the top 10 selections and almost certainly somewhere in the first round, he’ll join a growing fraternity of SEC alumni dominating at the wide receiver position throughout the league. The SEC may produce plenty of NFL talent each and every year, often more than any other conference, but it has dominated the wide receiver ranks in the NFL more so than any other position.

Take fellow Alabama alumnus and current Atlanta Falcons star Julio Jones, who has done nothing but dominate at the pro level since departing from Tuscaloosa. In four pro seasons (one of which was cut to five games due to injuries), he’s cleared 950 yards receiving three times, and even in that injury-plagued season he was targeted 60 times, an average of 12 per game.

Georgia alum and current Cincinnati Bengals superstar A.J. Green scoffs at those numbers, which is frightening to consider. In his four years in the league he’s posted four straight 1,000-yard seasons, has caught at least 95 passes twice and has gone for double-digit touchdowns twice as well.

Then, of course, you have 2014 Offensive Rookie of the Year and former LSU great Odell Beckham Jr., who caught 91 passes in just 12 games, went for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns and made a catch that many are still calling the greatest of all-time.

Fellow rookie and former Texas A&M great Mike Evans hauled in 68 catches for 1,051 yards and 12 touchdowns himself, and

But the SEC-to-NFL wide receiver connection isn’t exclusive to the conference’s traditional power programs.

Kentucky alum Randall Cobb proves that theory, translating his versatile skill set into Pro Bowl bids and Lambeau Leaps galore. The former collegiate quarterback turned wideout with abilities as a return specialist to boot has gone for at least 80 catches and 950 yards twice in his four-year career (one of those years was significantly limited by injuries). He’s scored 24 receiving touchdowns the last three seasons and three return touchdowns as well, serving as the SEC’s Cinderella story among wide receivers in the NFL.

Alshon Jeffery is perhaps a bigger star in the NFL than he ever was at South Carolina, developing into a big target who’s nearly unstoppable on the outside and in the red zone. He’s amassed nearly 2,800 yards and 17 touchdowns the last two seasons, and he’s done it with a less than consistent quarterback in Jay Cutler throwing him the ball.

Speaking of Vanderbilt, even the Commodores have produced some great NFL wideouts during the last decade.

Philadelphia Eagles rookie and former Vandy great Jordan Matthews caught 67 passes for 872 yards and eight touchdowns as a secondary option in the Philly offense, and it’s likely he’ll only grow from this point.

When Jeremy Maclin starred at Missouri the Tigers were still members of the Big 12, but the Mizzou fans reading our site should know he hasn’t been overlooked, nor have his five 50-plus catch, 700-plus yard seasons the last six years (he missed an entire season due to injury).

We could stop here, or we could mention former Ole Miss great Mike Wallace, who’s speed has turned him into one of the most dangerous deep threats in the league. His five straight seasons with at least 60 catches, 100 targets and 800 yards speak for themselves, so does his career average of 15.6 yards per reception.

You may have seen former LSU star Rueben Randle catch 70 passes as the third wideout in the New York Giants offense this season, or fellow LSU alum Brandon LaFell catch 74 passes for 953 yards as a member of the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.

The list goes on and on.

That was a lot of stat regurgitation, but blame the SEC for producing so many superstar wideouts in the professional ranks. No conference has done it better, and as Cooper prepares to take the leap to the NFL he’ll only serve to strengthen that reputation in the coming years.