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NFL.com lists 4 SEC players among top 2017 Heisman candidates
By Will Ogburn
Published:
Though the SEC saw a lack of consistency last year, the depth of talent throughout the league is still undoubtable. The conference saw 53 players selected in this year’s NFL Draft, and a recent run of recruiting dominance shows there are no signs the talent pool is slowing down.
As far as the present, NFL.com listed four SEC players on its list of Heisman contenders for 2017.
Most of these names should come as no surprise to anyone that follows the conference, but their ranking is interesting:
16. Jalen Hurts, QB, Alabama
12. Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia
9. Bo Scarbrough, RB, Alabama
4. Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
The article appears to favor resume over potential, as all four of the picks have an impressive body of work at the college level. Jalen Hurts and Bo Scarbrough broke onto the scene last year and really showed flashes of what is to come, and Nick Chubb and Derrius Guice look like they’ll both have huge seasons in 2017.
Interestingly, the article didn’t mention Auburn QB Jarrett Stidham or RB Kamryn Pettway, and exiting spring, several have Stidham listed as a contender now, mostly because of how great he looked during the Tigers’ spring game.
The top three candidates were all QBs: 1. Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, 2. Louisville’s Lamar Jackson and 3. USC’s Sam Darnold.
For any of these players to bring home the hardware, their team will have to succeed as well. In Alabama’s case, their success is almost guaranteed, but which of the offensive players will take the spotlight has yet to be seen.
A former resident of both Baton Rouge and the heart of Crimson Tide country, Will Ogburn handles multimedia content and news coverage for Saturday Down South.
