College Football Preview: Ranking The Top 25 Players In The SEC

SEC Media Days are finally upon us. We are super excited to be in Atlanta. And we thought, what better way to debut day one of the 2025 edition of SEC Media Days from “Crain & Company” than by drafting the top 25 players in the SEC? 

The hosts of “Crain & Co.” — Jake Crain, Blain Crain, and David Cone — selected SEC players in a draft order, not as if we were an NFL team, but as if we were building a college football team to play this year. 

Here’s the list we came up with, ranking the top 25 SEC football players for the upcoming season: 

25. Tyreak Sapp (DE – Florida) — Jake’s pick

He’s such a good player. An older guy, too. This Florida front seven is scary good. 

24. Arch Manning (QB – Texas) — Blain’s pick

I’d be remiss if I didn’t take Arch Manning. From a potential standpoint, he’ll be on an offense with coach Steve Sarkisian, receiver Ryan Wingo, running back Quintrevion Wisner, and a solid offensive line. 

23. Diego Pavia (QB – Vanderbilt) — David’s pick

Diego is a hard-working player. Three thousand total yards at Vanderbilt and 28 TDs. Yeah, write a book about it.

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22. Eric Singleton Jr. (WR – Auburn) — Jake’s pick

I don’t think you have to be an Auburn fan to look at Eric Singleton Jr and realize that this guy may be one of the fastest, if not the fastest, at the NFL draft combine. He’s a true receiver. He’s not a track guy. I think he can take the underneath ball or hit a home run. He can run right by you. 

21. Jermod McCoy (CB – Tennessee) — Blain’s pick

Before he was injured last year, McCoy had four interceptions and nine pass breakups in 12 games. If he’s healthy this year, you can go ahead and lock that half of the field down.

20. R Mason Thomas (DE – Oklahoma) — David’s pick

Thomas recorded nine sacks last year. He’s a football player, man. Oklahoma’s got a great one. 

19. Christian Miller (DL – Georgia) — Jake’s pick

Miller is the only returning starter on Georgia’s defensive line. I just think when you look at Christian Miller, guys that are that size, that have that flexibility are more rare than having a middle linebacker that can really play.

18. Zachariah Branch (WR – Georgia) — Blain’s pick

The kid is an absolute spark plug. You can’t touch him in a phone booth. Soft hands, great route runner. And I think you’re going to Georgia, where you’re going to be the main focus for quarterback Gunner Stockton and what they can do over there to get him open.

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17. Jalon Kilgore (CB – South Carolina) — David’s pick

He led the SEC in picks a year ago with five and added five pass breakups. He’s a good open-field tackler. You can move him anywhere.

16. Eli Stowers (TE – Vanderbilt) — Jake’s pick

I think this guy is going to shoot up draft boards. He was a quarterback who was moved to tight end, and I was so impressed with not only his ability to catch the ball away from his body as a bigger guy, which is tough, but his run after the catch.

15. Cam Coleman (WR – Auburn) — Blain’s pick

Cam is one of the best receivers in the SEC already. You want to talk about size? He reminds me a lot of AJ Green. In his last three games, he had over 100 yards receiving to finish out the year and a couple of touchdowns in almost every one of those games.

14. Suntarine Perkins (LB – Ole Miss) — David’s pick

Ten and a half sacks at 6’1, 210 pounds. You’ve got to be a football player to pull that off. I like this kid out of Ole Miss.

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13. Austin Barber (OL – Florida) — Jake’s pick

When you look at tackles around the league, there’s obviously a lot of talent that’s returning, and Austin Barber is a very consistent tackle. I’m excited to see where he ends up going in the first round of the NFL draft, probably next year.

12. DJ Lagway (QB – Florida) — Blain’s pick

I’ve heard only things when it comes to his shoulder after his surgery. One thing he can improve on, obviously, is his completion percentage, but from talent explosiveness, the dude’s an absolutely huge dual threat. If DJ lag can be healthy, I think you can put him right up there with the LaNorris Sellers from just an accuracy and going through progressions standpoint.

11. Garrett Nussmeier (QB – LSU) — David’s pick

He’s the only returning 4,000-yard passer that’s coming back this season. And look, he can make all the throws. He can make the NFL throws. He’s got to limit some of the mistakes, especially in big moments, but I think that he is a gamer. I think he’s going to do great things in 2025 for LSU.

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10. LT Overton (DL – Alabama) — Jake’s pick

When you look at the size, when you look at the explosiveness, when you look at the versatility, I just love the way the guy plays with his hands. And I think the sky’s the limit for him.

9. LaNorris Sellers (QB – S. Carolina) — Blain’s pick

He can get a little more consistency in the short to medium game. I think that comes with experience, but I don’t think there’s a ceiling for this guy, I really don’t. I think he’s the best running quarterback in the SEC, and has one of the best deep balls in the SEC.

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8. Jake Slaughter (OL – Florida) — David’s pick

He was only penalized twice a season ago and didn’t allow a single sack. If you’re a young quarterback like DJ Lagway, you like to have a guy like Jake Slaughter playing center for you.

7. John Mateer (QB – Oklahoma) — Jake’s pick

Some people will think I’m crazy, but I think this guy is that talented. I get that physically, LaNorris Sellers is more dominant than Mateer is, but I think Mateer is more on time right now because of experience. I can’t wait to see him and mix with running back Jaydn Ott. And the offensive line, I think, will be better at Oklahoma.

6. Colin Simmons (LB – Texas) — Blain’s pick

He can do everything you want him to do. Could probably be the signal caller on the defensive. He can put his hand down, can get into coverage, and can tackle in space. 

5. Ryan Williams (WR – Alabama) — David’s pick

Eight hundred sixty-five yards a season ago. That was on 48 catches for an average of 18 yards per reception. Eight touchdowns. To go with those numbers, we saw what he was able to do at the end of the Georgia game last year.

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4. Keldric Faulk (DE – Auburn) — Jake’s pick

Look, Auburn doesn’t have the best roster in the league obviously. But I think Keldric Faulk could end up being the number one defensive lineman in the Southeastern Conference. You look at what he can do on the edge. You can move him inside. He’s incredibly versatile.

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3. Kadyn Proctor (OL – Alabama) — Blain’s pick

Tackle out of Bama, 6’8, 340 pounds. I mean, that dude’s basically the mountain from Game of Thrones. A little bit of inconsistency last year, but I think you’re going to see that fixed this year, especially with the offensive line they’re going to have. I think Kadyn Proctor will probably be the number one tackle taken in the SEC in the NFL draft.

2. Dylan Stewart (DE – South Carolina) — David’s pick

At 6’5, 245 pounds, he’s going to put on even more weight than he did a season ago, entering his sophomore year. I just think that he’s going to be one of the best football players in the conference, and his game is going to transition to the NFL.

1. Anthony Hill Jr. (LB – Texas) — Jake’s pick

He’s a home wrecker. He’ll wreck a whole game. I think he could be the first guy taken in the NFL draft from the SEC. I love his versatility. I love his experience, but I love his size. He is basically Fred Warner running around. I would love to build a team and a defense around this guy.

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