Alabama Football: Top Defensive Players Tide Will Face in 2015

For all the transition the SEC has gone through the last few years into a league more known for offense than defense, the latter side of the ball still has its fair share of talent.

Alabama will see a lot of that talent this year.

Last week, we brought you the best quarterbacks Alabama will face this year. Now, let’s look to the other side of the ball at the best defensive players lining up against the Crimson Tide in 2015.

Michael Caputo, S, Wisconsin

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Alabama will start the season against one of the Big Ten’s best.

As a junior safety last year, Michael Caputo led Wisconsin in tackles (106) and grabbed an interception. His play made him a consensus second-team All-Big Ten team honoree and landed him on the Football Writers Association of America's second-team All-American list.

The Crimson Tide’s wide receivers don’t yet know who will throw them the ball in the season opener at AT&T Stadium, but they’ll have their hands full in the Badgers secondary.

Carl Lawson, DE, Auburn

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2014 was supposed to be Carl Lawson’s year after a massive freshman year in 2013. But an ACL injury ended those hopes before it could even begin.

Head coach Gus Malzahn told AL.com’s Wesley Sinor that Lawson is “back to 100 percent,” and that’s huge news for an Auburn defense getting a retool in 2015.

New defensive coordinator Will Muschamp turned Dante Fowler into a top-five prospect. Now he’ll try to do the same with Lawson (6'2", 257 lbs), who has a similar build and skill set to the Florida standout.

Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee

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While a certain other freshman SEC defensive end (more in a minute) got the headlines last year, Derek Barnett quietly put together one of the top rookie seasons in the league in Knoxville.

Barnett recorded 20.5 tackles for loss, including 10 sacks to make just about every national All-Freshman team and a handful of All-SEC teams.

He should have a major role for head coach Butch Jones again in 2015, and watching him square off against Cam Robinson will be appointment viewing.

Jordan Jenkins, LB, Georgia

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Another top-notch pass-rusher Alabama will face this year comes between the hedges in a rare road trip to Athens.

Jordan Jenkins was a stud for the Bulldogs defense last year, coming in second on the team in both tackles for loss and sacks. After the big season he had, coaches named him the Most Improved Player for the 2014 season.

Alabama will want to control the game in a tough road environment against one of the country’s top teams by running the ball and running the clock. Jenkins will try to make sure the Crimson Tide can’t do that.

Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Ole Miss

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Very rarely does a slam-dunk, No. 1, 5-star recruit live up to all of the hype placed on him coming out of high school. Robert Nkemdiche was just that, per 247Sports, and whether he did so is still up for debate.

Regardless, he has turned into a very, very good player in the middle of Ole Miss’ defense, which is the ultimate goal anyway. His impact doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet, but since he does draw so much attention from defenses in the form of double-teams, his influence is unquestionable.

And Rebels coach Hugh Freeze thinks he’ll make a big jump in Year 3.

“If you watched us practice this spring, I’m feeling really, really good about Robert,” Freeze told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Michael Carvell. “I hope that’s because he has continued to develop. I think moving inside was a little change for him. That takes a learning process. I see him understanding it more and more and more as he plays in it.

Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M

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For all the defensive woes Texas A&M had last season, the Aggies boasted arguably the best freshman player in all of college football.

In his first year, Myles Garrett broke Jadeveon Clowney’s SEC freshman sack record, notching 11. The team named him its Defensive MVP, and Garrett was a consensus freshman All-American.

He should be even better under defensive coordinator John Chavis and will give Alabama fits when it travels to College Station in October.

Marc Torrence is the Alabama lead writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes and reporting were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Follow on Twitter @marctorrence.