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SEC Football 2017 preview

By Nicholas Ian Allen

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 03: Calvin Ridley (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 03: Calvin Ridley (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 03: Minkah Fitzpatrick (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 03: Minkah Fitzpatrick (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

SEC Defensive Player of the Year

DB Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama

LSU pass rusher Arden Key might be the best pound-for-pound player in the SEC, and Key is capable of putting up a huge number of sacks (he led the league with 1.1 sacks per game in 2016) for one of the top defenses in the league, if not the country. However, the junior also missed spring practice to take some time away from the game. Though it would be silly to predict Key’s production will drop significantly, Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick is the safer bet to win SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Fitzpatrick intercepted six passes last season, and has returned four picks for touchdowns in his two seasons in Tuscaloosa (two each year), making him one of the best defensive playmakers in the country. Last year, Fitzpatrick recorded 66 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack and seven pass breakups. He was named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press, among others, and was an All-SEC selection by both the AP and the league’s coaches.

The 6-foot, 201-pound junior safety is also one of the top pro prospects in the SEC as well. NFL Draft Scout ranks Fitzpatrick No. 9 overall, first among free safeties and second among all defensive backs, among the Top 1000 draft eligible players for the 2018 NFL Draft. Phil Steele also ranked Fitzpatrick as the best draft eligible free safety in the country in his preseason magazine. ESPN’s Todd McShay pegged Fitzpatrick as the No. 2 safety in the nation behind FSU’s Derwin James.

A former five-star recruit, Fitzpatrick has elite raw talent, and has shown a tendency for making big plays on the defensive side of the football. Though he’s athletic enough to play corner, because he starts at safety, opposing offenses struggle to game plan around him. Therefore, it’s reasonable to expect another All-American season, making Fitzpatrick the favorite to win SEC Defensive Player of the Year honros.