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Examining the rise of the first-round defensive back dovetails well with the proliferation of up-tempo, no-huddle offenses and the onslaught of rules changes that benefit the offense.
It’s obvious that just as NFL teams have deflated the value of running backs, they’ve elevated the importance of defensive backs, which used to be an afterthought.
To date, NFL teams have selected 35 SEC defensive backs in the first round, starting with Mississippi State’s Billy Stacy in 1959, the first defensive back ever drafted that high. Twenty-one of those 35 have come since 2002.
RELATED: Top 10 all-time SEC players ranked by career INTs
SEC defensive backs put up huge interception totals in the late ’60s and early ’70s, but none got drafted. In fact, of the 16 SEC players with at least 16 career interceptions, just one became a first-round pick — Alabama’s Antonio Langham.
Based on NFL careers, the 2010 group has an excellent case as the SEC’s best-ever class of defensive backs.
Tennessee safety Eric Berry was an instant Pro Bowl player, making it in all three of his full seasons, and elevated himself to All-Pro in 2013 before being diagnosed with cancer in 2014, forcing him to take an indefinite leave of absence. But he was one of the best safeties in the NFL during his career, if he never returns to the game again. Florida cornerback Joe Haden also has made two Pro Bowls, and former Alabama cornerback Kareem Jackson has transformed himself into a very good NFL player after stinking up the league as a rookie.
The 2012 class (Morris Claiborne, Mark Barron, Stephon Gilmore and Dre Kirkpatrick) also can make a case, but most of those players have been disappointments in the NFL in their first three seasons.
Here’s a complete list of the SEC’s first-round picks, followed by a few observations.
| Year | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Billy Stacy | Mississippi State |
| 1970 | Steve Tannen | Florida |
| 1975 | Tim Gray# | Texas A&M |
| 1975 | Mike Williams | LSU |
| 1979 | Rick Sanford# | South Carolina |
| 1980 | Roland James | Tennessee |
| 1980 | Don McNeal | Alabama |
| 1984 | Leonard Coleman | Vanderbilt |
| 1988 | Terry McDaniel | Tennessee |
| 1989 | Steve Atwater# | Arkansas |
| 1989 | Louis Oliver | Florida |
| 1990 | Ben Smith | Georgia |
| 1992 | Kevin Smith# | Texas A&M |
| 1992 | Dale Carter | Tennessee |
| 1993 | Patrick Bates# | Texas A&M |
| 1993 | George Teague | Alabama |
| 1994 | Antonio Langham | Alabama |
| 1994 | Aaron Glenn# | Texas A&M |
| 1996 | Walt Harris | Mississippi State |
| 1999 | Champ Bailey | Georgia |
| 1999 | Fernando Bryant | Alabama |
| 2002 | Lito Sheppard | Florida |
| 2003 | Sammy Davis# | Texas A&M |
| 2004 | Dunta Robinson | South Carolina |
| 2004 | Ahmad Carroll | Arkansas |
| 2005 | Carlos Rogers | Auburn |
| 2006 | Jason Allen | Tennessee |
| 2006 | Jonathan Joseph | South Carolina |
| 2007 | LaRon Landry | LSU |
| 2007 | Reggie Nelson | Florida |
| 2010 | Eric Berry | Tennessee |
| 2010 | Joe Haden | Florida |
| 2010 | Kareem Jackson | Alabama |
| 2011 | Patrick Peterson | LSU |
| 2012 | Morris Claiborne | LSU |
| 2012 | Mark Barron | Alabama |
| 2012 | Stephon Gilmore | South Carolina |
| 2012 | Dre Kirkpatrick | Alabama |
| 2013 | Dee Milliner | Alabama |
| 2013 | Eric Reid | LSU |
| 2013 | Matt Elam | Florida |
| 2014 | HaHa Clinton-Dix | Alabama |
#School was not an SEC member at the time.
SCHOOLS RANKED BY FIRST-ROUND DBs
1. Alabama 9
2. Florida 6
T3. Texas A&M 5*
T3. LSU 5
T3. Tennessee 5
6. South Carolina 4*
T7. Mississippi State 2
T7. Arkansas 2*
T7. Georgia 2
T10. Vanderbilt 1
T10. Auburn 1
T12. Missouri 0
T12. Kentucky 0
T12. Ole Miss 0
*Again, not an SEC member at the time of at least some of the listed first-round picks.
Since 2007, Alabama (5), LSU (4) and Florida (3) have each produced a multitude of first-round defensive backs.
The Tigers, or “DBU,” didn’t exist prior to ’07, at least if you judge by NFL first-round picks. LSU had one prior to that year — Mike Williams in 1975. By contrast, Alabama claims four first-round picks prior to that time period, including three in the ’90s.
All five of Texas A&M’s first-round defensive backs entered the NFL prior to 2004, and the Aggies have struggled to develop premier players in the secondary in the last decade. Perhaps importing defensive coordinator John Chavis, who helped produce Patrick Peterson, Morris Claiborne and Eric Reid at LSU, will get A&M back on track at the position.
There are no major surprises looking at this list, though if this year is the first time you’ve ever seen Ole Miss football you may be shocked to see the Rebels never have produced a first-round cornerback or safety.
SEC FIRST-ROUND DBS BY DECADE
1950s: 1
1960s: 0
1970s: 2*
1980s: 5*
1990s: 7*
2000s: 8*
2010s: 12
*Numbers do not include Texas A&M, Arkansas or South Carolina defensive backs drafted in the first round prior to SEC membership for those schools.
Excluding players drafted in the first round before their schools reached the SEC, just eight defensive backs went in the first round prior to 1990. By contrast, the SEC produced eight first-round defensive backs from 2012-14. That tells you everything you need to know about the current direction of pro football.
The SEC may finish this decade with 20 or more defensive backs drafted in the first round. Alabama safety Landon Collins and LSU cornerback Jalen Collins are this year’s best bets.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
