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SEC Football

Projecting the top SEC pass-rushing units in 2016

Corey Long

By Corey Long

Published:


With several young, inexperienced quarterbacks roaming through the SEC this season, pass rushers should have a field day. With first-round draft talent on the defensive lines of several SEC programs picking the top pass rushing units of 2016 wasn’t easy.

Here are the teams that missed the cut.

NEAR MISSES

Ole Miss: Marquis Haynes can get the job done and D.J. Jones is an underrated presence on the interior, but Fadol Brown needs to get to the quarterback more.

Florida: The defensive line is active and I expect they will get pressure inside and out with Cece Jefferson, Caleb Brantley and Bryan Cox Jr., but the Gators will probably have to wait for Antonneous Clayton to go through a redshirt year before they have that natural edge rusher.

Arkansas: Deatrich Wise Jr. is one of the best in the conference, but he’ll need help from the rest of the line especially Tevin Beanum (two sacks in 2015) and top freshman recruit McTelvin Agim.

Auburn: Carl Lawson should have double-digit sacks IF (big disclaimer there) he’s healthy all season. Byron Cowart has to be more active in his sophomore year and the interior of the line, led by Montravius Adams, is deep and talented.

Missouri: With the dismissal of Walter Brady there are just too many questions here. Can Charles Harris handle the double teams? Can Terry Beckner Jr. recover from the knee injuries? The Tigers can start to answer the questions in a month.

And now for the finalists.

Top 5

5. Georgia: Taking a bit of a flyer here, I’ll admit. But think about what Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy could do in this new defensive scheme. And the defensive line is young and green, but Trenton Thompson is a future star. It seemed like the defense had good moments last year, but former defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt wanted to protect the young guys by not being overly aggressive. New defensive coordinator Mel Tucker is going to unleash these athletes and hopefully reap the rewards.

4. LSU: In Dave Aranda’s 3-4 scheme, Arden Key (below) will be the “buck” linebacker, which will give him the freedom to go after the quarterback. Lewis Neal had eight sacks in 2015 and has more in him. Plus Davon Godchaux had a six sacks from the interior. The new scheme should give all parties more opportunities and even better paths to the quarterback.

Sep 12, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Dak Prescott (15) is sacked by LSU Tigers defensive end Arden Key (49) during the first quarter at Davis Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

3. Texas A&M: There’s nothing more that needs to be said about Myles Garrett. He’s as good as you’ll find in the nation. Daeshon Hall (seven sacks in 2015) is no slouch either and both guys could get double-digit sacks this season. The guy I believe will be the biggest jump, however, is Daylon Mack. He looked good as a freshman, but he’s got a lot more in him and can really make a mess of an interior offensive line when he gets his motor running.

2. Tennessee: A couple Tennessee fans gave me the business for ranking so many guys above Derek Barnett on the list of top 10 defensive linemen. Fair enough. I can take it. Barnett is the real deal, no doubt, but I’m also excited about Corey Vereen, who has improved his pass rush little by little each year. And don’t forget about incoming junior college transfer Jonathan Kongbo — the highest rated pass rusher coming out of JUCO. Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Darrin Kirkland will get to the quarterback at the linebacker position. The Volunteers can bring it from every direction.

1. Alabama: Yeah putting Alabama at the top of a list seems so mundane and boring, but the Tide pass rush deserves all the accolades. At times it appeared like Jonathan Allen and Tim Williams were in competition with each other to see who could punish a quarterback more. I’m curious to see how Jeremy Pruitt uses Williams, who can switch from linebacker to rush end seamlessly depending on the situation.

If Da’Ron Payne can occupy blockers it should give former five-star prospect Da’Shawn Hand plenty of opportunities to generate a big rush from the interior. Once again Alabama’s defense will be a handful.

Corey Long

Corey Long is a freelance writer for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow Corey on Twitter @CoreyLong.

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