Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
By Chris Marler
On Tuesday we talked with On3’s Clark Brooks about where certain players from around the SEC would rank if they had entered the portal. Between LSU and South Carolina alone, there were three players retained that would have ranked in the top ten. Today we look at several other high profile players across the league to see where they would stack up.
LSU CB DJ Pickett – Top 75
DJ is a specimen. Long, tall, and skilled, they don’t build many like him. He was our Freshman All-American Defensive Player of the Year. He was very good in man coverage. He’s CB No. 12 in the early impacts but in the open market could command top eight money and be ranked around the Iowa State pair.
LSU’s DJ Pickett named to 2025 FWAA Freshman All-America Team
More Here 👉 https://t.co/lNdIF4OfRL pic.twitter.com/nDR7fBhdbY
— 104.5 ESPN (@1045espn) January 14, 2026
Ole Miss RB Kewan Lacy – Top 20
Lacy is an impact 5 star and RB2 behind Hardy. There are some efficiency concerns and haters can call him a compiler but he’s a solid tackle breaker and I’ll always bet on that kind of rusher. Would be behind Peak to me.
73 of the 1,567 yards that Ole Miss RB Kewan Lacy ran for this season. One of the early favorites to be RB1 in the 2027 NFL Draft. pic.twitter.com/o9RvW7G54o
— Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) January 11, 2026
Florida RB Jadan Baugh – No. 25
Baugh closed the year well and was slotted as an impact 5 star in the early drafts. Player No. 25. RB3 behind Ahmad Hardy and Kewan Lacy.
Florida RB Jadan Baugh will receive “at least $1 million” for his services in Gainesville in 2026, multiple sources tell @RJ_cfb.
More on why Baugh is one symbol of college football’s new economy 🔗 https://t.co/gi1i6i1M4U pic.twitter.com/OVbZbWi1rq
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) January 6, 2026
Alabama WR Ryan Williams – Top 50
Ryan has lost a lot of steam in my eyes. He was a preseason impact 5 star but just lost his role and never found much of a groove in the back half of season. The drops are well documented. On the open market, he’d be hard to invest in. He still would be a top 50 player, but buyer beware.
RUNNING FULL SPEED. 360 TURN. EYES LOCKED ON THE BALL, SOMEHOW.
RYAN WILLIAMS IS ONLY 17-YEARS OLD.
😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/QyQ5AM8KIa
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) September 29, 2024
Mississippi State QB Kamario Taylor – Top 50=
KT is talented but raw. I do think he should’ve played earlier but Lebby had his reasons to wait. In that offense, he can be electric but still has a long way to go. He’d be between Deuce Knight and Kenny Minchey in the portal.
Kamario Taylor.
He’s special. Build around him. pic.twitter.com/xiiayYANZS
— Tru Maroon Nation (@TruMaroonNation) November 28, 2025
All of this to say just how loaded the SEC remains, and how important it was that these players stayed at their respective programs. A huge reminder that in today’s college football landscape, the biggest wins often happen not in adding talent, but in keeping it.
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