Who are the SEC’s top defensive players as we enter the second half of the season?

RELATED: SEC’s breakout players at midseason

Just missed the cut: Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State; Xzavier Dickson, Alabama; A.J. Stamps, Kentucky; Cam Sutton, Tennessee; Markus Golden, Mizzou; Leonard Floyd, Georgia

10. Nigel Bowden, Vanderbilt: The redshirt freshman linebacker has provided the Commodores with a tremendous lift in the middle of Derek Mason’s defense, posting a team-high 54 tackles. Caleb Azubike has more sacks and tackles for loss, but Bowden’s been Vandy’s most consistent defender.

9. Vernon Hargreaves III, Florida: Though his secondary’s underperformed as a unit with several breakdowns in coverage during the first half of the season, Hargreaves has been as good as advertised with an interception and seven passes defended. Teammate Brian Poole is tied for the SEC-lead with eight, but he’s been beaten often for scores.

8. Myles Garrett, Texas A&M: One more sack gives the Aggies’ star freshman defensive end a new SEC record, breaking Jadeveon Clowney’s 8.0 mark set in 2011. The league’s leader in sacks through seven games has fought through double teams in recent weeks to still make an impact up front for Mark Snyder.

7. A.J. Johnson, Tennessee: With nine more tackles, this decorated senior will become the fourth Vol in program history to surpass 400 career stops. He leads the SEC at the midseason point with 41 solo tackles and 68 total and is also tied for the lead in fumbles forced (2).

6. Landon Collins, Alabama: The leader of the Crimson Tide’s secondary has emerged as the star of Kirby Smart’s defense with 46 tackles, two interceptions and four passes broken up as a junior. His pick in the fourth quarter of last week’s win over Arkansas saved the game.

5. Cody Prewitt, Ole Miss: The veteran safety’s picked up right where he left off last season with two interceptions and a penchant for crushing opposing wide receivers. Often mentioned after Golson and Nkemdiche, Prewitt’s the senior face of the SEC’s most talented unit.

4. Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss: Added to the Bednarik Award watch list on Tuesday, Nkemdiche’s won almost every one-on-one matchup he’s faced at defensive tackle this season despite modest numbers — 14 tackles and a sack. He’s even a Heisman sleeper.

3. Preston Smith, Mississippi State: Smith’s made a name for himself in his final season, picking up 4.5 sacks, two interceptions and blocking two kicks for the unbeaten and top-ranked Bulldogs.

2. Senquez Golson, Ole Miss: The SEC’s leader with five interceptions this season, he’s headlined a ball-hawking secondary alongside Prewitt on arguably the nation’s best defense. He returned one of two picks for a touchdown against Louisiana Lafayette and his snare in the back of the end zone against Alabama clinched an upset of the Crimson Tide.

1. Shane Ray, Mizzou: Likely the league’s best snap-to-snap player through six games, Ray’s an unblockable pass-rushing beast who is second in the nation in tackles for loss (12.5) and fifth in sacks (7.0). The junior’s shown dominance as a run-stopper in addition to his elite set of skills off the edge.