Above all else, the SEC is defined by its play at the line of scrimmage. That reputation is well deserved, and it has been earned by generations of physical freaks along the defensive line who continued to deliver when the NFL came calling.

Among those big-time players are Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett and Alabama’s Jonathan Allen, both of whom will likely be top-five picks in the draft.

Any SEC coach knows that pro-level talent isn’t the exception, but the expectation, as five 5-star defensive linemen committed to the conference in 2016.

The most productive freshman defensive linemen were Auburn’s Marlon Davidson and Mississippi State’s Jeffery Simmons.

Davidson, a 4-star recruit and the fourth-best weak-side defensive end in his recruiting class, did a little bit of everything for the Tigers. He netted 38 total tackles, including six for loss and 2.5 sacks, as well as four pass deflections, one forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

Simmons, a 5-star recruit, led all freshmen on the defensive line with 40 tackles. It’s easy to see the football reasons behind Dan Mullen backing his prized recruit amid controversy, as Simmons excelled on the field after serving a one-game suspension to start the season.

This year’s overall class is a bit thinner at the top, as 2017 features seven 5-star defensive linemen versus 10 in 2016. A bigger story might be that only one of those 5-star players chose an SEC school: Alabama commit LaBryan Ray.

1. LaBryan Ray, Alabama – No. 1 SDE, No. 28 overall

Highlights:

Nick Saban had to be licking his chops when he discovered that the No. 1-ranked player in Alabama was a defensive end.

LaBryan Ray is what can be described as the “garden variety” Crimson Tide defensive end. He’s long, powerful, athletic, and has the lateral quickness to blow up plays on the outside.

The 6-5, 270-pounder is quick off the line and skilled with his long arms, which he uses to bat down passes and disrupt screens. While the talent gap is to be expected in high school, he often beats offensive linemen with technique and quickness rather than pure strength.

Ray is the one true physical freak in the class, and it’s easy to imagine PA announcers across the SEC begrudgingly saying his name followed by “…on the tackle” in a few years.

Replacing last year’s special group up front won’t be easy, even for an Alabama team that reloads better than nearly any program in the country. Five members of the Tide’s front seven will not be returning in 2017, leaving room for a player like Ray to earn his spot early.

2. The Tigers’ one-two punch:

K’Lavon Chaisson – No. 4 WDE, No. 37 overall

Highlights:

Tyler Shelvin – No. 4 DT, No. 52 overall

Highlights:

Ed Orgeron, a former defensive line coach, has landed the Tigers a fearsome inside/outside duo in DE K’Lavon Chaisson and DT Tyler Shelvin.

Tyler Shelvin

Shelvin is the heaviest and shortest prospect on the list. At 6-2, 376 pounds, he is a true nose tackle who will clog the middle of Dave Aranda’s 3-4 defensive scheme.

While playing in a 4-3 front in high school, he displayed both the strength to stonewall inside runs as well as the athleticism to pressure the quarterback. While no one expects him to be chasing the Shea Patterson-types around the field, he factors to be much more than just a space-filler in Baton Rouge.

His elite skill set is his strength. As the old Southern adage goes, once a player like Shelvin gets a hold of you, he’ll turn you every which way but loose. If he develops into the kind of interior monster that the Tigers anticipate, inside runs will be a thing of the past.

Shelvin certainly doesn’t need to add size to play at the next level; if anything, he could subtract a few pounds. The biggest hurdle for him will be the physical grind of playing three downs at the heart of an SEC defense. Conditioning and mental toughness play a huge part in the success of a player like Shelvin, as no drill or weight rack can truly prepare a player for the pummeling involved in playing a team like Alabama.

K’Lavon Chaisson

Just as LaBryan Ray fits the prototype at Alabama, so too does K’Lavon Chaisson fit LSU. In the mold of Barkevious Mingo and Arden Key comes the latest Tigers’ pass-rush specialist in Chaisson.

Rated as a 5-star prospect by many recruiting sites, Chaisson falls just below the line as the highest-rated 4-star according to 247Sports’ composite ranking.

He is tall and lanky at 6-4, 220 pounds. He will undoubtedly add some weight in the future but could make an impact as a pure third-down edge rusher in 2017.

With that lanky frame comes a high-level of speed and natural slipperiness that allows him to get into the opposing backfield in a hurry. Often coming off of a two-point stance, he has the burst to become an instant priority at the next level, if only to occupy a block so that the rest of the Tigers front can get loose.

Luckily for LSU, they will not need Chaisson right away. Upperclassmen Christian LaCouture and Frank Herron will be supported by plenty of youthful depth at the end position, assuring that Chaisson will never be put in a spot where he is overused early. The possible absence of the aforementioned Arden Key for personal reasons could, however, open up his gadget role for Chaisson a bit sooner than expected.

If both Shelvin and Chaisson come close to reaching their potential, SEC running backs will have nowhere to hide when facing the Tigers.

3. Alabama’s “next tier” in the 2017 class:

Jarez Parks – No. 7 WDE, No. 93 overall

Highlights:

Phidarian Mathis – No. 7 DT, No. 99 overall

Highlights:

This list feels a bit Tide-heavy already, but it’s impossible to ignore the fact that Alabama signed three top-100 recruits on the D-line and the rest of the SEC (LSU) combined for only two.

Nick Saban and company will add their own inside/outside pairing, which as not quite as highly-ranked as LSU’s but is certainly more versatile.

Jarez Parks

Parks profiles a bit like LSU’s Chaisson, a pass-rush specialist who often comes off the edge in a two-point stance. A linebacker in high school, he lacks some of the length typical of the modern SEC defensive end at 6-2, 253 pounds.

He makes up for this with his dog-like pursuit of the ball, never giving up on plays and often re-entering them to make an impact. At the high school level, Parks was speedy enough to catch quarterbacks and running backs from behind as they tried to escape. He also played coverage a fair amount in high school, meaning he can be used all over the field.

Parks has exceptional fast-twitch muscles, and he makes good decisions quickly on pursuit angles, meaning that he is able to change directions and adjust as the play develops. He also appears to have the high football IQ that Alabama has become known for on the defensive side of the ball.

This is all well and good, but fans of the Tide will have to wait an extra year to see Parks in action. Due to a bit of a mis-estimation by Alabama, there isn’t room for Parks on the roster, forcing him to grayshirt. Whenever Parks does see the field, he looks to be a difference maker.

Phidarian Mathis

Mathis could eventually be a great fill in for the role, if not the talent level, of Jonathan Allen. A tweener type of player who saw time at both tackle and end in high school, he is solid across the board at many facets of defensive line play.

Mathis shows a nose for the ball, and enough versatility to defend both the run and the pass. He is a sure tackler and does a good job cleaning up plays and assisting teammates in getting a stop.

He’s not exceptionally quick, or incredibly strong, but Mathis fits another defensive archetype for the Tide: the do-it-all defensive lineman.

As Alabama continues to push the limits of conventional defense, they need all of the versatility they can get. Gone are the days of Terrence Cody and Jesse Williams, here to stay are versatile playmakers like Jonathan Allen and Tim Williams.

4. Robert Beal, Georgia – No. 8 WDE, No. 105 overall

Highlights:

The defensive-minded Kirby Smart signed Robert Beal as part of an overall successful effort to lock down in-state recruiting. Beal, a former 5-star recruit, looks a heck of a lot like the players Smart used to coach at Alabama.

The Suwanee prospect is listed at 6-3.5, 230 pounds, but he looks slightly bigger on tape.

The key to Beal’s success is found in his long, powerful arms and huge hands. In the above photo, it’s easy to see that his slender body is built for speed, while his arms are tools of destruction. Because of this, he can cover ground quickly and make an impact when he gets into the backfield. Beal also has high-level lateral quickness, allowing him to re-assert himself or chase a play from behind.

At the point of contact, Beal possesses both sure-handed tackling and the big-hitting power to jar balls loose. This is another prospect that will be intriguing to follow as he adds weight and finds his place among Smart’s defense of the future.

 5. Zachary Carter, Florida – No. 3 SDE, No. 127 overall

Highlights:

Some defensive ends are finesse and timing, Zachary Carter is raw power.

Though he isn’t as fast in a straight line as some of the other smaller, leaner prospects, the 6-4.5, 250-pound Carter can create a straight line where others cannot. This is why he’s a natural fit for the strong side defensive end position; he excels at shedding blockers and blowing up run plays.

Against the pass, he would be best used as a bookend – not a speedy edge rusher, but an edge-sealing end that closes off the last possible escape route while the rest of the defense closes in.

For a Florida defense that stays stocked with talent, a piece like Carter could be the missing link that ties the defense together.