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It’s a good thing that so many of the projected starting quarterbacks in the SEC this year are inexperienced.
Otherwise they’d probably be dealing with a collective case of insomnia right about now.
Of the 10 defensive players with the most tackles for loss in 2015, just two of them were seniors. All four of the draft-eligible juniors in that group decided to return to school, and an intimidating group of sophomores are preparing to become upperclassmen.
Here are the Top 10 returning SEC defensive players ranked by their tackles for loss in 2015.
| Player | ’16 Class | School | ’15 TFL | Career TFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Myles Garrett | Junior | Texas A&M | 19.5 | 33.5 |
| 2. Charles Harris | Junior | Missouri | 18.5 | 22.5 |
| T3. Marquis Haynes | Junior | Ole Miss | 16.5 | 25.5 |
| T3. Zach Cunningham | Junior | Vanderbilt | 16.5 | 23.0 |
| T5. Jonathan Allen | Senior | Alabama | 14.5 | 28.5 |
| T5. Daeshon Hall | Senior | Texas A&M | 14.5 | 23.5 |
| 7. Jalen Reeves-Maybin | Senior | Tennessee | 14.0 | 25.0 |
| 8. A.J. Jefferson | Senior | Mississippi State | 13.5 | 24.5 |
| 9. Richie Brown | Senior | Mississippi State | 13.0 | 17.0 |
| T10. Tim Williams | Senior | Alabama | 12.5 | 15.0 |
| T10. Derek Barnett | Junior | Tennessee | 12.5 | 33.0 |
| T10. Walter Brady | Sophomore | Missouri | 12.5 | 12.5 |
Jadevon Clowney made 47 tackles for loss in three seasons at South Carolina before becoming the No. 1 overall pick of the 2014 NFL draft.
Both Myles Garrett (33.5) and Derek Barnett (33.0) have an opportunity to best his three-year total in 2016 with another year of similar production.
Back to the notion of SEC quarterbacks being fearful: Including the teams that claim Garrett and Barnett, a whopping six defenses return at least pair of players with double-digit tackles for loss in 2015:
- Alabama — Jonathan Allen (14.5), Tim Williams (12.5) and Ryan Anderson (11.5)
- Florida — Jarrad Davis (11.0) and Bryan Cox Jr. (10.5)
- Mississippi State — A.J. Jefferson (13.5) and Richie Brown (13.0)
- Missouri — Charles Harris (18.5) and Walter Brady (12.5)
- Tennessee — Jalen Reeves-Maybin (14.0) and Barnett (12.5)
- Texas A&M — Garrett (19.5) and Daeshon Hall (14.5)
Though Barnett and others are very good players, Garrett is a special talent even within this deep group. He has an opportunity to be the best pass rusher in the country in 2016, and he’s gotten much better against the run than when he arrived in College Station as a chiseled but thin defensive end.
Alabama’s defensive front seven got hit hard. The Tide are saying goodbye to Reggie Ragland, A’Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed, all of whom could be first-round picks. But don’t pity coach Nick Saban, who returns a conference-best three players with double-digit tackles for loss in 2015.
Tennessee has the horses on defense to contend for a conference title. Missouri is out to prove that #DLineZou doesn’t stop now that coaches Gary Pinkel and Craig Kuligowski are gone. And Mississippi State would love to show the world that the Bulldogs as a 9- or 10-win team remains possible without Dak Prescott.
Even Tom Brady and Cam Newton looked like scrubs in the NFL playoffs against the Denver Broncos, thanks to arguably the best pass rush in pro football.
The SEC quarterbacks have in some ways earned a poor reputation as a whole in the last two seasons. But it’s also the most difficult league in the country in terms of pressure from opposing defenses. Unfortunately for young players like Blake Barnett, Drew Lock and Jacob Eason, that’s only going to continue in 2016.
Good luck, kids.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
