There were SEC stars littered on all 32 NFL rosters during the 2014 season, many of which served as vital contributors to their teams.
This inspired us to form our SEC alumni All-NFL team following the 2014 campaign, and by the look of this team it would be rather dangerous if it ever came to be in real life.
Take a look at our selections:
OFFENSE
QB: Peyton Manning — 66.2 completion percentage, 4,727 yards, 39 TDs, 15 INTs — Manning, a former Vol, may not have ended the season strong, and injuries had a lot to do with that. However, his stats still trumped most other NFL quarterbacks, including former Georgia Bulldog Matthew Stafford, and his Broncos still won 12 games this year.
RB: Arian Foster — 1,246 yards, 4.8 yards per carry, 8 TDs — Foster, another former Tennessee star, led all former SEC backs in rushing this season while leading the resurgent Houston Texans to 9 wins without an established quarterback.
RB: Jeremy Hill — 1,124 yards, 5.1 yards per carry, 9 TDs — Hill, one of many sensational rookies out of LSU, was one of few former SEC backs starting in the NFL to average at least 5 yards per carry. He narrowly edged out former Alabama tailback Eddie Lacy, who had comparable stats but also had the benefit of the league MVP at quarterback to balance the Green Bay offense.
WR: Julio Jones — 104 catches, 1,593 yards, 6TDs — Jones was once again one of the NFL’s most explosive wideouts despite playing for a woeful Atlanta Falcons squad that finished the year 6-10 with just one win outside the division. He was one of just five NFL pass-catchers to haul in at least 100 receptions during the regular season.
WR: Odell Beckham Jr. — 91 catches, 1,305 yards, 12 TDs — Take a look at Beckham’s stats again and keep in mind that he amassed those numbers in just 12 games after missing the first four with injuries. He’s the second LSU rookie to make the squad, narrowly edging out Randall Cobb and Alshon Jeffery thanks to perhaps the greatest catch in visually recorded football history against the Dallas Cowboys.
TE: Martellus Bennett — 90 catches, 916 yards, 6 TDs — Bennett led all NFL tight ends in catches and yards this season, making the former Aggie an easy choice for this year’s squad. Although Texas A&M was still a Big 12 school when Bennett played there, he deserves to be recognized on behalf of his alma mater, which has since joined the SEC.
OT: Jason Peters — Peters, a former Arkansas Razorback, remains one of the most physically dominant tackles in football, and his adjustment to the fast-paced Chip Kelly offense in Philadelphia the last two years proved he’s just as versatile.
OT: Luke Joeckel — The No. 2 overall pick from the 2013 NFL Draft has grown steadily as a player since joining the Jacksonville Jaguars, which remain entrenched in a rebuilding process. Joeckel is a cornerstone to that rebuild, and he began delivering results along the offensive line as a second-year pro.
OG: Evan Mathis — The former Alabama lineman was another productive member of Philadelphia’s offensive line this season, especially in the run game. Eagles tailback LeSean McCoy ran for more than 1,300 yards this season, following Mathis much of the time.
OG: Larry Warford — Warford battled knee injuries throughout his second season in the league, but the former Kentucky Wildcat only committed one penalty all season as the anchor of Detroit’s offensive line.
C: Mike Pouncey — The former Florida Gator distanced himself from the Jonathan Martin scandal that defined the Dolphins’ offensive line in 2013. He shined as one of the best and most consistent centers in pro football, earning a second straight trip to the Pro Bowl in 2014.
DEFENSE
DE: Charles Johnson — 41 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles — Johnson was tough to block during the 2014 season, leading all former SEC defensive ends in sacks on the year while also forcing three fumbles for the Carolina Panthers. Johnson was the focal point of opposing offensive lines each week as the Panthers played their season without star defensive lineman Greg Hardy.
DE: Carlos Dunlap — 66 tackles, 8 sacks, 2 forced fumbles — Dunlap was the most consistent of the former SEC defensive linemen in the NFL this year, serving as both an excellent run stopper and pass rusher for the Cincinnati Bengals, which boasted one of the NFL’s elite defenses in 2014. He beat out Jacksonville’s Chris Clemons for this spot on the team after recording 30 more tackles with the same number of sacks.
DT: Marcell Dareus — 49 tackles, 10 sacks, 1 forced fumbles — Dareus was impressive as a pass rusher up the middle, leading all NFL defensive tackles with 10 sacks on the year. He occupied multiple blockers on nearly every snap, and even when he couldn’t make plays he freed up his teammates to make them instead.
DT: Kyle Williams — 44 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 1 INT — Williams, a former LSU Tiger and Dareus’ teammate with the Buffalo Bills, joined Dareus at the Pro Bowl after a tremendous season in 2014. He had great hands and even better instincts, intercepting a pass and batting down three more at the line, and his 5.5 sacks complemented Dareus perfectly as the two paired up to give opposing interior linemen nightmares.
OLB: Justin Houston — 69 tackles, 22 sacks — The former Georgia Bulldog earned this year’s Deacon Jones Award as the NFL’s sack leader for 2014, making him an easy choice for this team. It doesn’t hurt that the guy hasn’t committed a penalty in more than two years, which seems nearly impossible for a player who rarely leaves the field.
OLB: Alec Ogeltree — 111 tackles, 14 passes defended, 2 INTs, 4 forced fumbles — Ogeltree, a former Georgia Bulldog, was a force to be reckoned with on an above-average St. Louis Rams defense in 2014. He recorded more than 100 tackles and forced six turnovers while excelling in coverage as well. He beat out Von Miller for the spot, who recorded 14 sacks despite facing double teams all season long.
ILB: C.J Mosley — 133 tackles, 3 sacks, 10 passes defended, 2 INTs, 1 forced fumble — Mosley earned a Pro Bowl invite as a rookie out of Alabama, and it was well-deserved. He was seventh in the entire NFL in tackles, and forced three turnovers upon being thrust into the middle of one of the most revered defenses in the NFL.
CB: Joe Haden — 73 tackles, 23 passes defended, 3 INTs, 1 forced fumble — Haden, a former Florida Gator, remains one of the league’s best corners as a member of an underrated Cleveland Browns defense. His 73 tackles were more than most corners in the game, and his 23 passes defended were tied for the league lead. He also forced four turnovers as a playmaker on defense, compensating for an inadequate offense most of the year.
CB: Patrick Peterson — 50 tackles, 1 sack, 7 passes defended, 3 INTs, 1 TD — Peterson is an example of a cornerback whose lack of numbers prove how dominant he is. Peterson was hardly thrown at this season thanks to his remarkable abilities as a cover corner, and when he was targeted the explosive playmaker knocked down 7 passes and picked off three more, returning one for a touchdown.
S: Reggie Nelson — 95 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 16 passes defended, 4 INTs — Nelson was one of the most complete players at his position in the NFL this year, making plays all over the field in a number of ways this season. He recorded nearly 100 tackles, many of which came as a run stopper, yet he also knocked down 16 passes and picked off four of them as a center fielder of sorts at the safety position.
S: Roman Harper — 62 tackles, 1 sack, 14 passes defended, 4 INTs, 1 TD — The Carolina Panthers safety and Alabama alum continues to boast impressive numbers year in and year out, even though few have noticed along the way. He knocked down 14 passes, intercepted four and ran one back to the house, all in addition to making 62 tackles, many of which came against supreme athletes in the open field.
SPECIAL TEAMS
K: Cody Parkey — 32 of 36 field goals, long of 54 yards — A rookie out of Auburn, Parkey came out of nowhere to lock down the place kicking duties for the Philadelphia Eagles. He was a perfect 4 of 4 from beyond 50 yards, which make his two misses inside of 40 yards a bit puzzling but also shows that as he matures and gains composure he can last in the league a long time.
P: Shane Lechler — 83 punts, 46.3 yards per punt, long of 71, 27 landed inside 20 yard line, 10 touchbacks — The 15-year vet out of Texas A&M once again led all former SEC punters in yards per punt at the NFL level, blowing pass former South Carolina star Spencer Lanning by more than 2 yards per boot. His long of 71 made him one of just 10 punters in the league to have a kick travel at least 70 yards, and his better than 2 to 1 ratio of punts inside opponents’ 20 yard lines to touchbacks was rather impressive as well.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
