Vernon Hargreaves and Cam Sutton will become two more SEC defensive backs you’ll watch on Sundays.

Hargreaves and Sutton are crucial for their team’s success in 2015, as they will try and lock down one half of the field in man coverage. Florida’s and Tennessee’s defensive lines and pass rush will pin their ears back knowing they can leave either corner in one-on-one coverage with big, physical SEC wide receivers.

Sutton and Hargreaves took differing paths to get their programs, as Hargreaves was the top overall cornerback in the country and Sutton was a three-star athlete from Georgia, but both players took the same path to stardom: they showed out on college football Saturdays.

Let’s talk about the two alpha dogs among the SEC East’s top cornerbacks:

Athleticism, Measurables

Vernon Hargreaves is listed at 5-11, 198 pounds, but his athleticism is off the charts. He squats 500 pounds; he power cleans 300 pounds. Even more impressive, his vertical is 41.5 inches. Watch him on this 50 inch box jump:

Yeah, that’s in the weight room, but can he show that on the field? He already has, against Kentucky:

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Cameron Sutton measures out at 6-1, 190 pounds, and NFL coaches will love his size at the position. Longer and leaner than Vernon Hargreaves, defensive coordinators foam at the mouth for taller corners who can match up against bigger, physical receivers.

He’s also got his own ups, as evidenced by his INT against South Carolina:

One thing I love about Sutton’s game is his return ability. While Hargreaves returns punts for Florida, too, he’s mostly used as the most trusted option at punt returner — or has been in the past — while Sutton has the ability to flip the field in a hurry.

Advantage: Hargreaves

Tackling

Tackling is a lost art in college football, particularly at the corner position, but thankfully, both Hargreaves and Sutton are two of the best the country has to offer, and both are willing tacklers. Neither player is a passive tackler, and neither just throws his body around hoping to make the tackle.

Hargreaves is one of Florida’s most trusted tacklers. He’s racked up 88 tackles in two seasons. Often in one-on-one situations on the edge, Hargreaves more times than not makes the tackle. He’s trusted, and he delivers.

Like Hargreaves, Cameron Sutton welcomes contact in the secondary. He’s recorded 76 tackles in two seasons, and he plays with a tenacity and fervor. Sutton’s like a heat-seeking missile approaching ball carriers, and he’s the more physical tackler of the two. It seems like Sutton relishes the opportunity to hit opponents more.

Advantage: Sutton

Cover Skills, Ball Skills

In just two years, Sutton has racked up 20 passes defended and five interceptions. The beautiful thing about Sutton is that he can play outside or inside, and I think we’ll see him move around more in 2015. The Tennessee staff will try and hide Sutton in coverage to give their defense an edge.

Hargreaves is slightly different. While he matches up with the opposing team’s No. 1 receiver, you’ll see him mostly line up at his regular corner position. And you won’t find a corner with better ball skills than Hargreaves. He’s recorded six interceptions and 24 pass breakups in two seasons. His instincts at the position against bigger receivers is uncanny.

Advantage: Hargreaves

Upside

NFL GMs and coaches will be licking licking their chops to get their hands on either Hargreaves or Sutton. Both players are in their own stratosphere for upside.

Both players play with an edge, an attitude and an intimidation factor. That’s crucial for their defenses, as both can afford — and will — put their top cover corner on an island.

Advantage: Hargreaves

Conclusion

Recruiting rankings put pressure on players to deliver, and rankings also put an added edge on players to prove people right or wrong.

Hargreaves has proved people right by living up to this five-star hype, while Sutton has had to prove people wrong by surpassing his three-star athlete status. Both have exceeded in their own ways, and they’ve proved it on the field.

But if you give me one corner in college football — not just in the SEC, I’m taking the instinctive and flashy Vernon Hargreaves. Hargreaves has such God-given ability that it’s rare to find such a polished and NFL-ready player right now. For the 2015 season, Hargreaves will wear the top corner crown, but truly both players should finish as the SEC’s first-team cornerbacks.