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Former SEC players name the conference’s best WR/CB during the NFL Combine
By Nick Cole
Published:
The NFL Combine, which ran from Wednesday to Monday, was loaded with SEC talent.
All of that talent being in one place presented AL.com’s Michael Casagrande with the perfect opportunity to conduct his own SEC straw poll.
His premise was pretty simple and straightforward.
He asked the former SEC wide receivers who was the best cornerback they played against last season, and he asked the corners about the best wideout they played against in 2015.
The results were intriguing.
All four of the SEC cornerbacks he polled named Ole Miss WR Laquon Treadwell as the toughest receiver.
Florida Vernon Hargreaves may have best explained why Treadwell was the choice:
“He can do everything. He’s big, fast, strong, catches the ball in traffic. There isn’t a lot you can do to get the ball off of him.”
Casagrande polled seven wide receivers, and there was not nearly as much consensus on the top cornerback.
The player that received the most mentions, which used to qualify as the winner, was Alabama’s Cyrus Jones.
Jones, who regularly talks about feeding off disrespect, was genuinely touched when told he was picked by his peers.
“It’s humbling, man,” he said. “You know. To hear that, the greatest type of respect is what you get from your peers. It’s one thing to hear it from scouts and media and things like that, but when you get the respect from players that you compete against, that’s the best feeling in the world. So, much respect for those guys.”
Check out the rest of the quotes and reaction from Casagrande’s straw poll here.
Nick Cole is a former print journalist with several years of experience covering the SEC. Born and raised in SEC country, he has taken in the game-day experience at all 14 stadiums.
