Advertisement

SEC getting offensive in NFL

By Alex Butler
San Francisco 49ers Perrish Cox defends New York Giants Odell Beckham Jr. who makes a leaping catch for 37 yards in the 4th quarter in week 11 of the NFL season at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on November 16, 2014. The 49ers defeated the Giants 16-10. UPI /John Angelillo
San Francisco 49ers Perrish Cox defends New York Giants Odell Beckham Jr. who makes a leaping catch for 37 yards in the 4th quarter in week 11 of the NFL season at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on November 16, 2014. The 49ers defeated the Giants 16-10. UPI /John Angelillo | License Photo

NEW YORK, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- With breakout stars like Jeremy Hill, Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry and Alfred Blue, one could say that the SEC transition into the NFL has gotten offensive.

And those names are just the LSU players taken in the NFL Draft this year.

Advertisement

Former Auburn Tiger and current St. Louis Ram Tre Mason joins Hill (Cincinnati) atop the rookie rushing leader list. Green Bay's Eddie Lacy (Alabama) and the Rams' Zac Stacy (Vanderbilt) led the rookie rushing class in 2013. Indianapolis Colts running back Trent Richardson (Alabama) finished as the third leading rookie rushing in 2012. Fellow former Crimson Tide star Mark Ingram (New Orleans) also finished third in 2011. Florida's Tim Tebow was the only former SEC player to finish in the top-10 on the list in 2010.

Advertisement

Beckham Jr., who has been getting advice from Michael Jordan and LeBron James, according to ESPN Insider Adam Shefter, may be having the most prolific season of all the rookies. After missing the first four games of the season, Beckham has 79 receptions for 1,120 yards and 11 touchdowns. Hill, who began the season backing up Giovani Bernard, got his first start in week nine and has carried 199 times for 1,024 yards and nine scores this season.

On the receiving side, Tampa Bay's Mike Evans (Texas A&M) and Philadelphia's Jordan Matthews (Vanderbilt) rank fourth and sixth of the top rookies this season, behind Beckham (New York Giants) and Landry (Miami) in the top spots.

Although Houston's Jadeveon Clowney (South Carolina) was the top pick in the 2014 draft, the SEC led all conferences with 49 former athletes selected in the draft. In 2013, the SEC had a record 63 players drafted. Last year the SEC had eleven first round picks, with six selections on the defensive side. The first six picks in the 2011 NFL draft were all SEC players.

In 2012, 26 former SEC players made the Pro Bowl. Last year, 24 former SEC players made the Pro Bowl.

Since 2004, an SEC team has led the nation in defensive points allowed five times. During that same time span, not once has an SEC team led the nation in offensive points scored. Since 2004, the SEC has had just 12 teams finish in the top 10 offenses nationally.

Advertisement

The 2015 NFL Draft will be on April 30. According to most draft analysts, Alabama's Amari Cooper is the top wide receiver prospect, while Georgia's Todd Gurley is the No. 2 running back prospect.

Latest Headlines