The 2017 season was one to remember for many SEC football players. Minkah Fitzpatrick leaves Alabama as one of the best defensive backs to ever play for the Crimson Tide – and with a championship ring. Christian Kirk departs College Station after three seasons as one of the SEC’s most electric pass-catchers and return specialists at Texas A&M.

Plenty of others, not just stars like Fitzpatrick and Kirk, emerged. Saturday Down South took a look at the 10 SEC players who boosted their stock the most in 2017. To make things more interesting, any player who made the preseason All-SEC first or second team was disqualified from making the list.

1. Ole Miss WR A.J. Brown

Brown was named to both the Associated Press’ and the coaches’ All-SEC first team after the 2017 season. That was after he was nowhere to be found on either the media or the coaches’ preseason All-SEC team. As a freshman in 2016, Brown was fifth on the team with 29 catches for 412 yards. This year, he was No. 2 in the SEC in receptions with 75 and led the conference with 1,252 yards. Quite a year for Brown’s stock.

2. Florida DT Taven Bryan

After redshirting in 2014, Bryan was mostly a rotational player off the bench for the 2015 and ’16 seasons. Not surprisingly, he wasn’t getting All-SEC hype heading into 2017. But in his first season as a starter, Bryan was Florida’s most dominant pass-rusher. Though his stats (40 tackles, six for loss and four sacks) don’t necessarily stand out, fans should not be surprised to see Bryan get picked in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

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3. Georgia QB Jake Fromm

As one of the top five quarterback recruits of the 2017 class, Fromm arrived in Athens with high stock. Taking the starting job from the most sought-after recruit in the previous class, however, gave that stock a serious boost. It doesn’t hurt that Fromm guided the Bulldogs to a conference title and national championship game appearance as a true freshman starter.

4. Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa

Can a 5-star freshman backup really boost his stock while being the backup most of the season? Yes. Tagovailoa’s stock is much, much higher after that phenomenal second half (and overtime) against the Bulldogs in Atlanta. In the eyes of many, Tagovailoa is now the clubhouse leader to be the Alabama starting quarterback in 2018. That’s pretty impressive considering the other guy is 26-2 as a starter and led the Crimson Tide to the national championship game the past two seasons.

5. Auburn RB Kerryon Johnson

Kerryon Johnson was 15th in the nation with 115.9 rushing yards per game.

All offseason, the Tigers running back getting all the attention was Kamryn Pettway. The class of 2014 signee led the SEC in rushing yards per game in 2016. Many expected Pettway to lead the Auburn ground attack again in 2017, but Johnson led the Tigers in rushing this past season. With 1,391 yards gained in 12 games, Johnson led the SEC in 2017 with 115.9 yards per game. In the upcoming draft, Johnson is expected to be one of the first 10 running backs picked.

6. Missouri QB Drew Lock

A veteran starter, Lock had some decent buzz heading into 2017, but the preseason All-SEC teams featured Hurts, Nick Fitzgerald and Austin Allen as the quarterbacks. When all was said and done, both the AP and the SEC coaches voted Lock first-team All-SEC for the 2017 season. After throwing for 3,964 yards and a nation-high 44 touchdowns, Lock was certainly worthy of the honor. His Tigers teammate, TE Albert Okwuegbunam, was also considered for this list after making second-team All-SEC with no preseason hype.

7. Tennessee OL Trey Smith

With offensive linemen, even highly sought-after ones, the expectation is usually that they need a year of maturity and growth before facing SEC defensive linemen. But Smith (below right) exceeded all expectations for the Volunteers. He earned second-team All-SEC honors and freshman All-America honors as one of the few bright spots for UT in 2017.

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8. Kentucky RB Benny Snell Jr.

SDS readers heard a lot about Snell in the offseason after he ran for more than 1,000 yards as a freshman. While Snell was creating buzz in Lexington, he had a tough time getting noticed in a conference with stars like Derrius Guice, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. After a strong sophomore season (262 carries, 1,333 yards, 19 TDs), AP writers voted Snell first-team All-SEC for 2017. The coaches voted him to the second team. Not bad for someone who wasn’t found on the media or coaches’ preseason All-SEC team.

9. LSU LB Devin White

White earned SEC All-Freshman honors in 2016, but leading up to the 2017 season the only Tigers linebacker getting national media attention was Arden Key. White was absent from the preseason All-SEC teams, but both the AP and the conference coaches felt he belonged on the postseason first team after he had 133 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception.

10. Mississippi State DE Montez Sweat

Before the 2017 season, there just wasn’t enough preseason hype to go around for two MSU defensive linemen. SEC fans everywhere are aware of Jeffery Simmons, but Sweat led the conference in sacks this season with 10.5 (along with Texas A&M’s Landis Durham). It’s fitting that Sweat made the AP and coaches’ All-SEC first team.