ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

The best 5 players in the SEC weren't overly difficult to select, but slotting them within those top 5 spots was one of those things that tugged at you for days.

I challenge any conference in America to come up with a top 5 as accomplished, talented and prolific as this one.

We start with a guy who's only played in the SEC for one season, but what an impact he had in that first season. I realize that A.J. Green's numbers were better a year ago, and I also realize the coaches selected Green as the Freshman of the Year in 2008.

It's more about Julio Jones, who's about as close to being the perfect specimen for a receiver that I've ever seen come into this conference.

So here we go with the top 5. We'll unveil both the No. 1 and No. 2 choices on Friday.

Jones

No. 5: Julio Jones, WR, Alabama -- Where do you start with Jones? He's 6-4 and 210 pounds, has great speed, equally great strength and catches everything that comes near him. The body control he's shown to go up and get the football and the adjustments he makes when the ball's in the air are spectacular. And then when he does catch the football, there's not a player in the SEC who's more difficult to tackle in a one-on-one situation. Go back and count how many times Jones went down on the first hit. You won't be counting for long. He finished third in the SEC last season with 924 receiving yards and averaged 15.9 yards per catch. That's despite the Crimson Tide finishing ninth in the SEC in passing offense. You want toughness? Jones played with a cracked bone in his wrist for most of the season. Alabama coach Nick Saban will tell you that Jones goes as hard in a normal practice as he does on third-and-8 in the SEC Championship Game. This is a league full of special talents, but Jones has few peers.

Here are the links to Nos. 30-26, Nos. 25-21, Nos. 20-16, Nos. 15-11, No. 10, No. 9, No. 8, No. 7 and No. 6.

• No. 6: A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
• No. 7: Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama
• No. 8: Trevard Lindley, CB, Kentucky
• No. 9: Greg Hardy, DE, Ole Miss
• No. 10: Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida
• No. 11: Eric Norwood, OLB, South Carolina
• No. 12: Antonio Coleman, DE, Auburn
• No. 13: Ciron Black, OT, LSU
• No. 14: Terrence Cody, NG, Alabama
• No. 15: D.J. Williams, TE, Arkansas
• No. 16: Rennie Curran, LB, Georgia
• No. 17: Joe Haden, CB, Florida
• No. 18: Michael Smith, RB, Arkansas
• No. 19: Charles Scott, RB, LSU
• No. 20: Malcolm Sheppard, DT, Arkansas
• No. 21: Brandon LaFell, WR, LSU
• No. 22: Jeffery Demps, RB/WR, Florida
• No. 23: John Jerry, OT, Ole Miss
• No. 24: Chad Jones, S, LSU
• No. 25: Geno Atkins, DT, Georgia
• No. 26: Anthony Dixon, RB, Mississippi State
• No. 27: Javier Arenas, CB/RS, Alabama
• No. 28: Micah Johnson, LB, Kentucky
• No. 29: Dexter McCluster, RB/WR, Ole Miss
• No. 30: Myron Lewis, CB, Vanderbilt