The receiving position in college football has exploded.

A total of 35 wide receivers got selected in the 2015 NFL draft, up from 33 in the electric rookie receiving class from ’14.

Every team faces difficult receivers in bunches, which is why defensive backs also are just as important as ever. We’ve projected the three most difficult individual matchups against receivers for every SEC pass defense in 2015, including non-conference games.

ALABAMA

  • Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss
  • D’haquille Williams, Auburn
  • De’Runnya Wilson, Mississippi State

Josh Reynolds and Speedy Noil should be high-volume receivers for Texas A&M. Travin Dural and Malachai Dupre both are dangerous at LSU. Georgia (Malcolm Mitchell) and Tennessee (Marquez North) have strong No. 1 receivers. Even Wisconsin’s Alex Erickson caught 55 passes for 772 yards last year in an anemic Badgers pass offfense. In other words, better hope secondary coach Mel Tucker can turn around the defensive backs.

ARKANSAS

  • Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss
  • D’haquille Williams, Auburn
  • De’Runnya Wilson, Mississippi State

Toledo’s 6-foot-4 senior Alonzo Russell, an All-MAC selection, is the best receiver the Razorbacks should face out of conference. Arkansas faces Marquez North (Tennessee) and Nate Brown (Missouri) from the SEC East as well. But the majority of the most difficult matches for the team’s pass defense will come via divisional matchups.

AUBURN

  • Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss
  • De’Runnya Wilson, Mississippi State
  • Josh Reynolds, Texas A&M

The Tigers don’t face many outstanding receivers out of conference, as Louisville lost DeVante Parker (No. 14 overall, 2015 NFL draft). Tyler Winston caught 78 passes for San Jose State as a sophomore, but he’s not a home run threat. Malcolm Mitchell (Georgia) and Ryan Timmons (Kentucky) should be the No. 1 receivers on their respective SEC East teams.

FLORIDA

  • Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss
  • Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina
  • Travis Rudolph, Florida State

Lucky for the Gators, East Carolina no longer boasts Justin Hardy and Cam Worthy (a combined 290 receiving yards vs. Florida in the Birmingham Bowl). Isaiah Jones caught “only” 81 passes for the Pirates last season and should be ECU’s No. 1 option. LSU has a strong pair of wideouts, but will a Tigers quarterback be able to beat Florida’s secondary to get them the ball? Receiving corps at schools like New Mexico State, Florida Atlantic, Vanderbilt and Missouri will have trouble besting the Gators defensive backs as well.

GEORGIA

  • D’haquille Williams, Auburn
  • Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina
  • Demarcus Robinson, Florida

UGA faces a pair of triple-option schools as well as FCS opponent Southern in the non-conference. Louisiana-Monroe will throw the ball around, and Rashon Caesar is an All-Sun Belt candidate, but none of the team’s projected starting receivers is taller than 6-foot. Alabama and Tennessee’s passing games could challenge the Bulldogs secondary, but Georgia faces a relatively tame slate of receivers in 2015.

KENTUCKY

  • D’haquille Williams, Auburn
  • Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina
  • Demarcus Robinson, Florida

Austin Duke nearly accounted for 1,400 receiving yards for Charlotte last season, but he’s 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds. Perhaps by Nov. 28, Louisville will have its quarterback and receiver positions sorted. But Kentucky has it relatively easy in terms of non-conference pass-catchers. In-conference, it must face Williams and De’Runnya Wilson (Mississippi State) from the SEC West as well as Cooper, Robinson, Marquez North (Tennessee) and Malcolm Mitchell (Georgia) from the SEC East.

LSU

  • Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss
  • D’haquille Williams, Auburn
  • Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina

It’s a good thing the Tigers claim so many excellent defensive backs. LSU faces a brutal wave of receivers in 2015. This list doesn’t mention Demarcus Robinson (Florida), De’Runnya Wilson (Mississippi State), Josh Reynolds (Texas A&M) and Speedy Noil (Texas A&M), each one of them potential All-SEC players.

MISSISSIPPI STATE

  • Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss
  • D’haquille Williams, Auburn
  • Josh Reynolds, Texas A&M

Receivers from Southern Miss, Northwestern State, Troy and Louisiana Tech shouldn’t concern the Bulldogs. The secondary also could do worse than have to face wideouts from Kentucky and Missouri in the division crossover games. But cornerback Taveze Calhoun and others will get plenty of competition in the SEC West.

MISSOURI

  • Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina
  • Demarcus Robinson, Florida
  • De’Runnya Wilson, Mississippi State

Arkansas State and BYU each present some good receivers, but those programs are more about production en masse than an intimidating No. 1. The crossover game against Arkansas is more about stopping the run, while Vanderbilt, SEMO and UConn won’t threaten the secondary either.

OLE MISS

  • D’haquille Williams, Auburn
  • Demarcus Robinson, Florida
  • De’Runnya Wilson, Mississippi State

The Rebels will get plenty of opportunities to prove their secondary is just as good as the units at Florida and LSU. This list excludes deep receiving corps at Texas A&M and Alabama, a pair of strong players at LSU and Teldrick Morgan, an All-Sun Belt player for New Mexico State.

SOUTH CAROLINA

  • Demarcus Robinson, Florida
  • Mike Williams, Clemson
  • Artavis Scott, Clemson

Well, at least the Gamecocks avoid Laquon Treadwell (Ole Miss) and D’haquille Williams (Auburn) in the SEC West. That’s about the only positive. North Carolina’s Ryan Switzer is dangerous in the open field (five punt returns for TDs in 2013). Josh Reynolds, Speedy Noil, Travin Dural, Malachi Dupre, Marquez North and Malcolm Mitchell are a few other receivers South Carolina must face in 2015.

TENNESSEE

  • Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina
  • Demarcus Robinson, Florida
  • Sterling Shepard, Oklahoma

The Vols face a pretty tame slate of quarterbacks and do get hammered by a small group of tough receivers, but should fare well in pass defense in 2015. Teams like Western Carolina, Arkansas, North Texas, Missouri and Vanderbilt don’t present any scary wideouts. Roger Lewis and Ryan Burbrink lead a strong group of Bowling Green receivers, and outside of the three on this list, Georgia’s Malcolm Mitchell and Alabama, could represent the toughest test.

TEXAS A&M

  • Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss
  • D’haquille Williams, Auburn
  • D.J. Foster, Arizona State

Foster played running back last season and gained more than 1,000 yards on the ground. But he’s caught 125 total passes in the last two seasons, and now he’s a full-time receiver. Remarkably, this list of three doesn’t even include Pharoh Cooper (South Carolina), De’Runnya Wilson (Mississippi State), Travin Dural (LSU) and deep receiving corps in Alabama and Ball State.

VANDERBILT

  • Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss
  • Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina
  • Demarcus Robinson, Florida

Beyond this list, receivers at Texas A&M, Western Kentucky and Tennessee highlight the most difficult matchups for the Vanderbilt secondary. But will opposing teams even need to throw the ball very often in the second half?