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Pick five great players from the SEC. It's not hard to do. In fact you'll come up with way more than five. Now try to pick just five and justify them as the best five in all the conference. Yeah, it's pretty tough.

It gets even tougher when you figure the number one spot has to go to Darren McFadden, Heisman runner-up, unanimous All-SEC, digital wonder, commander of the "Wildcat" package, driver of the pimped-out Crown Victoria. Humanity Advanced. In 2005, McFadden ran for 1,113 yards, crushing Arkansas' freshman rushing record by more than 450. Last year he ran for more than 1600 yards and 14 touchdowns. And in neither year was he been 100% healthy all the time. By staying relatively healthy this fall, D-Mac will break Arkansas' all-time rushing record, say mid-Octoberish. And he'll be a top-five NFL draft pick should he forgo his senior year.

McFadden is easily the best player in the SEC, and he just might be the best player in college football, so I'm excluding him from the list to make room for other guys who deserve the spotlight. Still, I'm sure I botched something on this list, just feel free to add your picks for the SEC's best in the comments at the end.

We start with a guy who, like most of the players on this list, could have left the SEC for the NFL last April...

1. Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU

NFL general managers dream of 6-2, 300 pound defensive tackles who can both fill space up front and be athletic enough to make tackles. That's why they were all more than a little disappointed when Dorsey turned down a sure shot at the first round to return to LSU. Linebackers and defensive backs normally lead their teams in tackles, and that was the case for LSU last year with safety LaRon Landry making 74 stops for the Tigers. But third on the team was Dorsey with 64 to go along with 3 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss. Offensive coordinators know they have to run the ball to both sides of the field, but running at Dorsey is basically futile. Don't even try to man block him unless you want to give your offensive guards an inferiority complex. You can try to double team him, but he'll probably just clog the hole with bodies or split the double team and make a tackle. Like a great shut-down corner, Dorsey can take away a whole portion of the field and force teams to call plays they really don't want to call. And that makes him one of the best in the conference.

2. Felix Jones, RB, Arkansas

This hardly seems fair. The guy who is the second-best running back in Fayetteville is also possibly the second-best running back in the whole conference. Playing in McFadden's shadow last year, Jones was a 1000-yard rusher in his own right, scoring six touchdowns on the ground and another three receiving. He also had a higher per-carry average (7.6) than McFadden (5.8). Felix Jones is also scary as a kick returner. His 24 yard/return average last year was down from the ridiculous 31.9 average he had as a freshman. Against three of the five best rush defenses Arkansas saw last year (Auburn, LSU, and Wisconsin), Jones did some of his best work (104, 137, and 150 yards respectively). Even against USC Jones averaged nearly seven yards per carry and only Florida's fifth-ranked rush defense stymied Jones (13 carries, 57 yards in the SEC championship game). With defenses keying extra hard on McFadden, expect big numbers again from Jones. Just don't think that McFadden is the only reason for Jones' success.

3. Percy Harvin, WR, Florida

How Percy Harvin was left off the coaches' preseason All-SEC first team is still beyond me. Name a coach who wouldn't love to have Harvin at his disposal. Name a team that Harvin wouldn't start for. In fact, name a team whose status wouldn't be raised just by having Harvin on their roster. LSU would be preseason #1. Tennessee, South Carolina, or Georgia would be SEC favorites. Even the perennial doormats of the conference would be virtual bowl locks and potential dark horses to get to Atlanta. Really, can you imagine Vanderbilt with Earl Bennett and Percy Harvin? How about Kentucky with Andre Woodson throwing to Harvin, Keenan Burton, and Jacob Tamme, with Rafael Little in the backfield. Ole Miss with Percy Harvin would be... well, there's only so much one man can do. Harvin averaged over 11 yards per play as a freshman in 2006, getting almost equal touches rushing and receiving. Harvin seemed to progress as the year went on, gaining over 80 yards four times in his last five games and over 100 twice, including 167 against Arkansas in the SEC championship. Harvin might not be NFL-ready right now like some guys in the league, but as a college player he's easily one of the most dynamic playmakers in the SEC.

4. Jasper Brinkley, LB, South Carolina

What did Jasper Brinkley mean to South Carolina's defense last year? Brinkley finished the season with 107 tackles. The next leading Gamecock, Marvin Sapp, had 51. So yes, Brinkley finished with more than double the tackles of his next best teammate. But besides his value to his team, Brinkley is one of the most impressive players in the whole SEC. His 107 tackles were fourth among all SEC players and second among returning players this year. Brinkley was also second among returning players in tackles for loss, racking up 14.5 (!). He can disrupt the passing game, too, both as a pass rusher and defender. Plus, there's this: Brinkley will be joined in the linebacker corps this season by his twin brother Casper. So that will be fun to watch, too.

5. Quentin Groves, DE, Auburn

Other than Arkansas' Jamaal Anderson, Quentin Groves was probably the SEC's most dangerous pass rusher in 2006. With Anderson moving on to the NFL, Groves should have that honor to himself this season. As an freshman, Groves came in and made 23 tackles, 7.5 of which were sacks. That total slipped to a "mere" six sacks in 2005, but Groves went on a tear last year with 9.5 QB sacks. Groves is just four sacks away from being Auburn's all-time leader, and with the Tigers' schedule front-loaded with non-conference teams and Mississippi State, he should have the record by October. Like many guys on this list, Groves could have gone to the after last season, but decided to come back for one more year.