King: How I voted for All-SEC teams, conference order of finish

 Projected order of finish

West

1. Alabama

2. Auburn

3. Mississippi State

4. LSU

5. Texas A&M

6. Arkansas

7. Ole Miss

East

1. Georgia

2. South Carolina

3. Missouri

4. Florida

5. Kentucky

6. Tennessee

7. Vanderbilt

Champion

Alabama

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All-SEC

Quarterback

1. Drew Lock (Missouri)

2. Jarrett Stidham (Auburn)

Stidham may be the best overall quarterback by year’s end but Lock still possesses the ability to put up insane statistics. According to the Mizzou quarterback, new offensive coordinator Derek Dooley has checked all the boxes needed to keep a powerful offense up and running.

Despite being third in current Heisman odds, Alabama sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was not on the ballot, which came as no surprise, considering he didn’t start a game last year. Still, his untapped potential in a proven dynasty would give him the nod at my No. 3 spot, if I had one.

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Running back

1. Benny Snell - Kentucky

2. Damien Harris - Alabama

3. Aeris Williams - Mississippi State

4. D'Andre Swift - Georgia

Lots of turnover in the running back department throughout the conference, but the consistency always lies at the top. I struggled between Snell and Harris here. Snell deserves the first-team nod, considering his workhorse ability last season, but I believe Harris finishes 2018 with more output. Nick Saban will need to learn how to give his tailback more carries while the distractions under center occur.

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Wide receiver

1. A.J. Brown - Ole Miss

2. Deebo Samuel - South Carolina

3. Ryan Davis - Auburn

4. Emmanuel Hall - Missouri

For all the hype that’s been made around now-Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson, Jordan Ta’amu might be a more gifted passer. It doesn’t hurt that he boasts the top receiving corps in the league by a landslide. Hall will make noise with Lock throwing his passes, and Davis should remain Stidham’s favorite target over the middle.

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Tight end

1. Albert Okwuegbunam - Missouri

2. C.J. Conrad - Kentucky

Conrad was UK’s most efficient player last season, and Okwuegbunam is a 6-foot-5 target who caught a nation-leading 11 touchdowns from a 2018 Heisman contender. We’re good here. (Expect Foster Moreau to be very good at LSU).

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Offensive line

1. Greg Little - Ole Miss

2. Jonah Williams - Alabama

3. Trey Smith - Tennessee

4. Martez Ivey - Florida

5. Garrett Brumfield - LSU

6. Andrew Thomas - Georgia

7. Lester Cotton - Alabama

8. Deion Calhoun - Mississippi State

In a conference suffocated with incredible defensive linemen, it takes a village sometimes along the offensive trenches.

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Offensive line

1. Lamont Gaillard - Georgia

2. Sean Rawlings - Ole Miss

No Ross Pierschbacher is just stupid, right? Go watch film on these two.

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Defensive line

1. Raekwon Davis - Alabama

2. Montez Sweat - Mississippi State

3. Terry Beckner - Missouri

4. Jeffery Simmons - Mississippi State

5. Landis Durham - Texas A&M

6. Cece Jefferson - Florida

7. Marlon Davidson - Auburn

8. D.J. Wonnum - South Carolina

Raekwon Davis could be the best player in the league when January rolls around. The duo at Mississippi State is split by Beckner, who terrorized SEC East offenses to the tune of seven sacks last season, then announcing he would return for more. Some of Auburn’s bench players might be better than Davidson, i.e. Nick Coe, who wasn’t available on the ballot. I believe Coe makes the most noise next year, but the trio of Davidson, Russell and Brown should be enough run-stuffing for an All-SEC unit of their own.

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Defensive line

1. Devin White - LSU

2. De'Jon Harris - Arkansas

3. Tyrel Dodson - Texas A&M

4. Dre Greenlaw - Arkansas

5. Dylan Moses - Alabama

6. Cale Garrett - Missouri

White is the largest no-brainer on the ballot. LSU’s 2017 team MVP with 133 tackles (!) has been NFL-ready for a while. Chad Morris’ best position group shines here, along with Alabama’s Moses and Mizzou’s Garrett, both of whom trended upward from about Week 8 onward.

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Defensive back

1. Greedy Williams - LSU

2. Deandre Baker - Georgia

3. Mike Edwards - Kentucky

4. Marco Wilson - Florida

5. Mark McLaurin - Mississippi State

6. Javaris Davis - Auburn

7. C.J. Henderson - Florida

8. Jamel Dean - Auburn

No Les Miles at LSU, but it’s still DBU. Williams will cover White’s six atop an LSU defense that will frighteningly be more polished in 2019. Baker and Georgia safety J.R. Reed, who we’ll call 8a on this list, have to cash in on their experience, lest UGA’s defense begin to show serious chinks in the Kirby Smart armor.

Auburn and Florida could be the deepest groups next season. More question marks arise when examining the Tigers however, like: Is Javaris Davis able to work alone as a true cover corner?

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Placekicker

1. Rodrigo Blankenship - Georgia

2. Daniel LaCamera - Texas A&M

These two have been dead-eyes for what seems like forever at this point. Another constant: A Carlson will contend for the league kicking crown in 2018. Anders Carlson looks every bit as ridiculous a kicker as his older brother.

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Punter

1. Blake Johnson - Arkansas

2. Corey Fatony - Missouri

Johnson and Fatony are safe picks. However, looking to The Plains again, freshman Arryn Siposs’ Australian roots have the 25-year-old set up for Ray Guy Award success.

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Return specialist

1. Mecole Hardman - Georgia

2. Deebo Samuel - South Carolina

Samuel could come back and break conference records for all-purpose yardage. But Hardman’s end-of-season heroics for Georgia were enough to earn first-team honors in my book.

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All-purpose

Trevon’s game is looking increasingly like his brother Stefon’s. If he continues to grow into what Stefon is, Alabama will have its best special-teamer since Javier Arenas. 

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