The SEC should have no shortage of explosive players this season. It just might not come from the same position as last season.

While last season running backs like Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and Derrius Guice were all threats to take it to the house from anywhere on the field, this season the wide receivers might be the dominant position for finding big-play capability.

Here are 10 explosive players to watch for this season in the SEC:

10. QB Jalen Hurts, Alabama

If he starts or plays regularly, he deserves to be much higher up on this list, true. Because as a starting quarterback, he might be the best running quarterback the SEC has.

Last season, Hurts was one of two players in the conference to have 40 or more rushes for 10+ yards. The other was Chubb, who had 42 (Hurts had 40). In addition, Hurts was tied for fourth in the SEC in 20-yard runs with 10. No other SEC QB reached double-digits in 20-yard runs last season.

The problem for Hurts is he is in a battle with sophomore Tua Tagovailoa for the starting QB spot. And it’s hard to show your explosiveness when you’re on the sidelines.

9. WR Tyrie Cleveland, Florida

This might seem like a reach, given the fact that Cleveland caught just 22 passes last season and was not the same player after returning from missing the LSU game with an ankle injury (7 catches over final 6 games).

But it’s hard to look past the production and big-play talent he displayed at the beginning of last season. Who can forget his Hail Mary 63-yd TD reception on the final play of the game to beat Tennessee? In addition, as a freshman in 2016, Cleveland had a 98-yard TD reception against LSU.

For his career, Cleveland is averaging nearly 20 yards a reception (19.7). So if healthy for a full season, Cleveland could be a difference-maker for Dan Mullen.

8. WR Darius Slayton, Auburn

Slayton caught 29 passes last season, which was only tied for 28th in the SEC. But, nearly half of those receptions went for 20+ yards, and his 14 20-yard catches were tied for 7th-most in the conference.

Translation: Slayton has big-play capabilities.

Last season Slayton was third in the SEC in yards per reception with 22.2. With an All-SEC QB in Jarrett Stidham to throw the ball his way, don’t expect that number to go down in 2018.

Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

7. WR Emanuel Hall, Missouri

We said Slayton was third in the SEC in yards per reception last season. Number 1, however, was Hall, at 24.8 yards per catch.

Of all FBS players with at least 30 catches last season, no player had a higher yards-per-reception average than Hall.

To put it another way, there were 71 FBS players who had at least 800 receiving yards last season. No player needed fewer receptions on that list than Hall, who finished with 33 catches in 2018. With senior Drew Lock back at QB for Missouri, it’s not difficult to expect more of the same this season.

6. RB Benny Snell, Kentucky

Yes, at about 225 pounds, Snell is a workhorse. In fact, only one player in the SEC last season – Auburn’s Kerryon Johnson – averaged more carries per game than Snell’s 20.2.

But do not overlook his potential to make the big play. Snell is the top returning player in 20-yard runs from last season (11). Only Georgia’s two-headed monster duo of Nick Chubb (19) and Sony Michel (14) had more 20-yard runs than Snell last season.

The Wildcats return four starting offensive linemen, so Snell should be a big-play threat again in 2018.

5. WR D.K. Metcalf, Ole Miss

His teammate AJ Brown might be the best wide receiver in the nation, but Metcalf is starting to get a lot of attention as well. Especially when it comes to making explosive plays.

As a freshman last season, Metcalf averaged 16.6 yards per reception, fourth-best among all Power 5 freshmen. The only three freshmen ranked ahead of him in the Power 5 were all from the defense-optional Big 12.

He led all SEC freshmen last season in 20-yard receptions (9), 30-yard receptions (8, T-6th in SEC overall), 40-yard receptions (4) and 50-yard receptions (3).

With defenses expecting to pay so much attention to Brown and teammate DaMarkus Lodge (who, yes, could have easily made this list), Metcalf could find himself with opportunities to put up even better numbers in 2018.

4. RB D’Andre Swift, Georgia

So, how does a player who was third on his team’s RB depth chart all of last season, who had just 81 carries all season, get to be fourth on this list of explosive players?

By averaging over 7 yards a carry while playing behind two of the SEC’s best last season, that’s how.

Such was the case for Georgia’s super sophomore D’Andre Swift, who despite being stuck behind Nick Chubb and Sony Michel last season, did enough positive things with the ball to make Bulldog fans salivating over what they could see this season.

Swift finished second in the SEC in yards per carry last season at 7.6, just behind teammate Michel (7.9). But make no mistake, no player on Georgia had more big-play potential last season than Swift. Nearly 10 percent of Swift’s carries (9.9%) went for 20+ yards, which was a higher percentage than Chubb (8.5%) or Michel (9.0%).

With Chubb and Michel gone, the opportunity is there for Swift to show the SEC that the most explosive running back in the conference may reside in Athens.

Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

3. WR Deebo Samuel, South Carolina

It is certainly debatable to put Samuel so high on this list. After all, the senior wide receiver only played in three games last season before a broken ankle in Week 3 ended his campaign.

But what he did in those first three games were impressive enough to make you think that a full season of Deebo Samuel will solidify him as one of the most explosive players in the conference, if not nation.

He opened the 2017 season by returning a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown. He followed that with another 97-yard kickoff return the next week against Kentucky.

In all, in just 11 quarters of action, Samuel scored six touchdowns, with five of the six going for 25 or more yards. He scored as a wide receiver (3 TD catches), as runner (1 TD run) and as a returner (2 kickoff return TDs).

Jake Bentley returns at QB for the Gamecocks, and you can bet his favorite target will be Samuel.

2. RB Damien Harris, Alabama

Harris is the next in the long line of star running backs to come through the Alabama program under Nick Saban. Still, he flies under the radar to most who don’t cheer for the Tide.

Last season, Bo Scarbrough was thought to be the big-time running back for Alabama. But at the end of the season, Harris again led the Tide in rushing, finishing with an even 1,000 yards on the ground.

Harris also averaged 7.4 yards per carry in 2017, and in the entire Power 5, only two running backs that topped the 1,000-yard mark averaged more per carry than Harris – Stanford’s Bryce Love (8.1) and Georgia’s Sony Michel (7.9). And in the SEC, only Michel (8) had more 30-yard runs than Harris (7).

With four of five starting offensive linemen returning for Alabama, more could be on the way in 2018 for Harris.

1. WR AJ Brown, Ole Miss

Finding the most explosive player in the SEC wasn’t that difficult. All you had to do was take a look at the numbers. Brown has the production and the explosive numbers to support topping this list.

First, the production. Brown led the SEC in receiving yards last season with 1,252 and was tied for the SEC lead in TD receptions with 11. But on a team that featured fellow explosive receivers D.K. Metcalf and DaMarkus Lodge, Brown’s big-play numbers stood out.

Brown finished with 18 20-yard plays last season, fourth-best in the SEC and the most of any returning player in the conference this season. Brown also had 11 plays of 30+ yards in 2017, second only to Missouri’s Emanuel Hall.

Yes, Brown will be the focus of most opposing defenses in 2018. But, that was the case last season and it didn’t prevent Brown from putting up some of the best big-play numbers in the SEC.

So, why should 2018 be any different?