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5 likely picks (and one long shot) to lead the SEC in sacks in 2017
By Joe Cox
Published:
If success in offense starts with the quarterback (and don’t tell Tom Brady or Deshaun Watson that it doesn’t), then success in defense starts with getting to the quarterback.
The SEC had some top-level pass rushers in 2016, but most have moved on — guys like Derek Barnett, Jonathan Allen, Tim Williams, Ryan Anderson, Carl Lawson and Myles Garrett. That’s not to say there’s no talent left in the SEC. Here are five likely candidates to become the new king of crushing QBs in 2017.
1. Arden Key, LSU: Key nearly led the SEC in sacks in 2016, finishing with 12.0, just one behind Barnett for the league lead. Even more amazing, Key played in just 11 games. The huge, tough linebacker will come off the edge with authority this fall for Ed Orgeron. He’s the preseason favorite to end up as the SEC’s leading QB destroyer.
2. Rashaan Evans, Alabama: Evans, another large linebacker, had just 4 sacks in 2016, so some may wonder why he’s here. He’s here because Alabama does a ton of playing from ahead, will have a mammoth defensive line, and always has players in the hunt for the sack title. With guys like Allen, Williams and Reuben Foster all departed, Evans is the best-known man still standing for the Tide. Don’t be at all surprised if he ends up picking up 10 sacks or so in 2017.
3. Marcell Frazier, Missouri: The Tigers have a history of bringing some serious heat off the edges of their defense. Witness Mizzou defensive end Charles Harris, who led the team in sacks with 9.0 in 2016 before departing early for the NFL. The top returning sack artist? That would be Frazier, an NFL-sized defensive end whose 7.5 sacks placed him 10th in the league, and second among returning players. If Mizzou intends to return to the form that saw them reach consecutive SEC title games, Frazier will be a significant part of the equation.

4. Lorenzo Carter, Georgia: How good is Carter? Good enough that many around the Georgia program expected to lose him to the NFL after the 2016 season. The talented linebacker is enough of a physical specimen that he both tied for the team lead in sacks (with 5) and also was used sometimes as a defensive back in prevent situations (most notably against Tennessee). Georgia is the team to watch in the East, and consider Carter a significant dark horse candidate to lead the league in sacks in 2017.
5. Marlon Davidson, Auburn: The guy is an absolute beast. Sure, he had 2.5 sacks as a freshman in 2016. But Lawson is gone, and the 6-4, nearly 300-pound Davidson is the best athlete at his size in the SEC. It’s really not a matter of whether Davidson will show All-American type skills, it’s just a matter of when. And 2017 isn’t a bad guess.
Bonus Pick — Josh Allen, Kentucky: If I’m handicapping the field, I’d like one more outside pick. This is the guy who you could get 100-1 odds on, but who has a realistic shot at upsetting some of the names above. Allen was a 2-star recruit from New Jersey who barely saw the field in 2015.
In 2016, he picked up 7.0 sacks, which places him among the top handful of returning players in the SEC in that category.
An undersized backer, Allen benefits from attention given to Denzil Ware off the other side by offensive lines. He’s here because the East is full of teams that will likely pass a lot, and because his football upside is still being revealed.
Joe Cox is a columnist for Saturday Down South. He has also written or assisted in writing five books, and his most recent, Almost Perfect (a study of baseball pitchers’ near-miss attempts at perfect games), is available on Amazon or at many local bookstores.