The SEC Blog will be counting down the top 150 players in the SEC every day, concluding on Aug. 30, at the start of the college football regular season.

 

58. Cameron Lawrence, No. 10, Mississippi State Linebacker

2011 stats: 123 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions

 

Strengths

Lawrence is the best player you've never heard of. He finished last season second in the SEC with 123 tackles, and is the conference's leading returning tackler. The 6'2", 230-pound rising senior has a nose for the football, doesn't shy away from contact and is a leader on the football field.

 

Cameron Lawrence recaps the 2012 spring game

Weaknesses

He doesn't have many. The only real question facing Lawrence heading into 2012 is how he is going to handle the spotlight being on him. Former defensive lineman Fletcher Cox grabbed all the attention on the Bulldog defense last season, but now Lawrence is the star along with fellow defensive lineman Josh Boyd.

 

2012 Prediction

Lawrence set the bar pretty high for himself last season, but that doesn't mean he can't do it again. He already established himself as one of the SEC's premier outside linebackers, and he will prove it again in 2012.