Each and every season the SEC features some of the best playmakers in the country. The only issue with featuring so many elite players is those players often move on quickly to the game’s highest level.

Which players are next to join those ranks?

The 2018 SEC Coaches All-SEC team reads like a mock draft of players expected to be taken in the 2019 and 2020 NFL Drafts. This list will attempt to project the next wave of SEC stars with the caveat of omitting any players that have already earned the All-SEC honor.

So while Tua Tagovailoa would be the obvious choice over Kellen Mond as the next All-SEC QB, he already has that honor on his resume.

SEC Breakout Offensive Team

TE: Jared Pinkney, Vanderbilt

Pinkney turned down an opportunity to leave early for the 2019 NFL Draft after starting every game for the Commodores and finishing second on the team in every major receiving category. With Jace Sternberger and Irv Smith off to the NFL, Pinkney will be battling Albert Okwuegbunam for the title of SEC’s best tight end in 2019.

OL: Saahdiq Charles, LSU

After missing a few games early in the season, Charles completely locked down the left tackle spot last season for the Tigers. In the final six SEC games, Charles did not miss a single snap. The offensive line was a work in progress in 2018, but Charles looks to anchor what should be a strength for the club in 2019.

OL: Jedrick Wills, Alabama

Wills started every game last fall and with Jonah Williams and Ross Pierschbacher moving on to the NFL, look for the junior to potentially be the next great Alabama offensive lineman to go 3-and-out and off to the NFL after an outstanding junior season.

OL: Cade Mays, Georgia

As a true freshman, Mays saw action all over Georgia’s offensive line last fall, with the team showing him more confidence as the conference slate wore on. With another full offseason, look for the Knoxville native to anchor a starting spot that won’t be given up until he leaves for the NFL.

OL: Jerome Carvin, Tennessee

Carvin was thrust into action earlier than anticipated last season and after some initial success, suffered from hitting the proverbial freshman wall. The Tennessee native is poised to earn a starting spot on a line that didn’t feature much talent last season once Trey Smith was lost for the season and appears to be losing Drew Richmond to transfer.

C: Nick Buchanan, Florida

The work Dan Mullen and his staff did in Year 1 in Gainesville was tremendous, but perhaps the most overlooked accomplishment was the progression of the offensive line. Once Buchanan seized the starting center spot, he never gave it up. With all four starters around him from last season gone, he will be charged with being the lone mainstay for Florida’s line in 2019.

WR: Quartney Davis, Texas A&M

One of the biggest benefactors following the coaching change to Jimbo Fisher, Davis flashed early and down the stretch for the Aggies last fall. With Sternberger and Trayveon Williams off to the NFL, Texas A&M’s offense will need a new go-to weapon and if Davis fills that void, he could be in contention for All-SEC honors next fall.

WR: Justin Jefferson, LSU

Next in the line of great LSU receivers is Justin Jefferson. The LSU legacy stepped up his game last season and led the team in all major receiving categories. If Joe Burrow takes the next step in his game, which he appeared to do following the extra month of bowl practices, Jefferson could be the No. 1 beneficiary.

QB: Kellen Mond, Texas A&M

This time last year, many thought Mond might be on his way out of College Station as he didn’t appear to be a fit for Fisher’s offense. Two games into the season, Mond looked like the next best SEC quarterback. While he failed to consistently show that promise, given another offseason to study the playbook and work in Fisher’s offense should only benefit one of the most talented QBs Fisher has ever had to work with during his lengthy college coaching career.

RB: Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt

If you didn’t watch much Vanderbilt football last season, you missed one of the most explosive players the league has to offer. Vaughn decided to return for one final season in Nashville instead of leaving for the NFL Draft and will now be asked to carry the offensive load. If he can stay healthy, don’t be surprised if Vaughn leads the league in all-purpose yards next season.

RB: Larry Rountree, Missouri

While Drew Lock received most of the fanfare from rival SEC fans, Missouri leaned heavily on the ground game in 2018. Led by Larry Rountree’s efforts, Mizzou’s running game won’t be sneaking up on anyone with Lock off to the NFL. Until Kelly Bryant gets fully acclimated to Derek Dooley’s offense, expect Roundtree and Tyler Badie to carry the load.

RB: Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas

Boyd has had trouble staying healthy, but if he can manage to do so next season, the offense will likely run through hime. After playing sparingly early in the season, Boyd really came on in the middle of the Razorbacks’ SEC stretch and proved to be the most dynamic threat the team had on offense. Boyd may be most known for his appearance on Last Chance U but that will change in a hurry when he blows up next season.

AP: Anthony Schwartz, Auburn

Arguably the fastest player in college football, the Auburn track star showed he is far more than a straight line runner. Playing in perhaps the perfect system for his skillset, Auburn found numerous ways to get Schwartz the ball last season. With another year in the system, Schwartz could develop into an All-American all-purpose star in 2019.

SEC Breakout Defensive Team

DL: Nick Coe, Auburn

On a line full of great players, Coe was the lineman that broke out last season. With Derrick Brown returning and likely occupying multiple blockers each game next season, Coe should be free to beat one-on-one matchups all season. If Coe continues to improve, look for him to be Auburn’s next lineman off to the NFL.

DL: Antonio Alfano, Alabama

While an effort was made to keep true freshmen off this list, the hype surrounding Alabama’s early enrollee has already begun and if he makes an All-SEC team next fall, we will have missed our chance to put him on this list. The Crimson Tide always have older linemen ready to go in Tuscaloosa, but if Alfano lives up to the hype, he will prove to be too good to keep off the field as a true freshman in 2019.

DL: Darrell Taylor, Tennessee

When Taylor flashed last season, he looked like one of the SEC’s best players. The only problem? He didn’t do that enough. Keeping that in mind, Taylor made a wise decision to return for his senior season and consistently showcase the production he had against Georgia (3 sacks), Kentucky (4 sacks) and Vanderbilt (1 sack, 3 tackles for loss). Taylor did not have a sack outside of those three games in 2018.

DL: Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina

Kinlaw also could have left school early for the NFL but made the wise decision to come back and work on his game. When healthy, Kinlaw has proven to be a force. Working with a new defensive line coach in 2019, look for Kinlaw to add some new skills to his bag of tricks next season.

LB: K’Lavon Chaisson, LSU

LSU fans will always have to wonder what could have been in 2018 if Chaisson wasn’t lost for the season in the opener against Miami. Once he went down, the Tigers lost their top pass rusher and never found a way to consistently replace him. The silver lining is Chaisson has had extra time to rehab and prepare for the 2019 season. Expect Chaisson to lead LSU in sacks next season if he returns to full speed by the fall.

LB: Erroll Thompson, Mississippi State

If you think Mississippi State will lacking difference makers on defense in 2019, Thompson will prove you sadly mistaken. One of the best all-around linebackers in the SEC West last season, Thompson excels in the run game and pass coverage and could prove to be the next great defender to come out of Starkville.

LB: Anthony Hines, Texas A&M

One of the nation’s top prospects coming out of high school, Hines was poised to have a big year under Mike Elko before suffering a season-ending injury early in the season. With the Aggies replacing several starting linebackers next fall, Hines should have every opportunity to be the team’s best linebacker next season — provided he successful returns from injury.

DB: Patrick Surtain II, Alabama

Surtain was picked on at times last season, most notably in the Playoff, but that is to be expected of even the most hyped true freshmen defensive backs that see the field early in the SEC. After taking his lumps last fall, with another season in Nick Saban’s sophisticated secondary, look for Surtain to show why he was an all-world recruit.

DB: Tyson Campbell, Georgia

Speaking of an all-world recruit, Surtain’s former high school teammate saw the field early and often last season for Kirby Smart. With Deandre Baker off to the NFL, Georgia will be looking for a new No. 1 corner and Campbell is in prime position to seize that job for the next two to three seasons. Smart has already proven he successfully he can develop cornerbacks in Athens and Campbell looks to be the best one yet under the team’s head coach.

DB: Jaycee Horn, South Carolina

By the end of his freshman season, Horn was already one of the Gamecocks’ best defensive players. The latest lockdown corner developed by Will Muschamp and Travaris Robinson, if Horn continues to improve, he could prove to be the best corner in the SEC by the end of the fall.

DB: Trey Dean, Florida

With all the defensive back talent Florida had heading into the 2018 season, few could have anticipated Dean making such an impact, but the true freshman proved he was worthy of being considered the next in a long line of elite defensive backs to come out of Gainesville.