Wednesday Answer: One of Rank

When I published this question yesterday, I was thrilled that y'all would have to answer it. I mean, it's incredibly difficult, and certainly somewhat arbitrary. I just like to make people evaluate things they wouldn't necessarily choose to on their own.

Then I realized I had to answer the question myself.

I thought about hiding the article, but it was too late. So... here goes.

1. Laremy Tunsil

If we're evaluating on-field impact, it has to start with Laremy. He has been the starting left tackle essentially since he arrived at Ole Miss. He has allowed one sack. He's still not an elite run blocker, but he's improving there.

But the big reason he's #1 is that without him, this offense would be in big, big trouble. We saw it last season when he missed the Egg Bowl, and that was with two proven tackles other than Tunsil. The offensive line has improved a lot over the last few weeks, but there's no way they could handle playing without Tunsil. He literally makes some teams just give up on getting any pressure on his side.

2. Robert Nkemdiche

He disrupts a huge percentage of the snaps he plays. He has to be double teamed every down, and he regularly fights through double teams. He allows the defense to effectively rush just three players at times, and when the defense brings a blitz, the offense has to settle for very quick releases.

While Ole Miss has depth at the position, they don't have depth at the position that's capable of what he does.

3. Laquon Treadwell

Laquon has been very good during his career at Ole Miss. When teams are foolish enough not to double team him, Bo throws to him nearly every chance he gets. He's huge with great hands. When we can get the ball to him in space, he makes corners look silly after the catch.

Treadwell demands double coverage on every single play, and that opens things up for everyone else. He's not a flashy receiver. He's not exceptionally fast. He's just great at playing football... and he's huge.

4. Tony Conner

It's tough for me to put Tony Conner last of these four because he might be my favorite of them. I love what he brings as an enforcer who cleans up in the flats and stops outside runs. He can cover slot guys as well as a corner, and he's 6'0" 220.

The only reason he's not higher is that he doesn't impact every play in the way the others do. If the play goes to the other side of the field, Tony Conner is out of it. That's not the case with the others (usually).

All four have been exceptional, and they all deserve to be named All-SEC at the end of the year. I'm sure one or two will be slighted, but they've already lived up to and exceeded my expectations.