The SEC has a strong reputation as a league full of elite pass rushers. Now with so many young and promising talents at the quarterback position all across the league in 2017, possessing an elite edge rusher could be even more paramount to overall team success this season.
Following the NFL departures of Derek Barnett, Tim Williams, Jonathan Allen, Charles Harris, Carl Lawson and Caleb Brantley, among others, the league will be looking for new faces to step up and become the next generation of defenders to keep quarterbacks up at night.
So where will the next generation of edge rushers come from? According to NFL Draft media analyst Lance Zierlein, the SEC won’t have to search hard, as three of the nation’s best edge defenders already suit up in the Southeast. In his latest positional breakdown column, Zierlein lists the following SEC players among the best in the nation at getting to the quarterback.
Here are Zierlein’s thoughts on each player and where he ranked them nationally heading into 2017:
10. Jabari Zuniga, DE, Florida
During my work on draft profiles for the 2017 draft, I spent plenty of time watching Florida tape thanks to the program’s abundance of draftable talent on defense. While I was looking at other players, No. 92 — Zuniga — kept flashing with his quickness and athleticism.
6. Marcell Frazier, DE, Missouri
Frazier is a hyperkinetic defender with an abundance of energy and movement in his play. From the snap, his feet are in constant motion, making him a difficult target for tackles to square up as a pass rusher. But his activity isn’t the only reason for his production.
1. Arden Key, DE/OLB, LSU
The combination of his gangly frame with his awkward movement style has been confounding offensive tackles for two straight years now. Key’s lean, thin legs foreshadow his inability to control the point of attack and anchor down against the run… With a unique ability to accelerate instantly off of lateral direction change, Key has created a devastating inside/out pass-rush move.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
