2 SEC standouts are why league is now best known for edge rushers

It’s unfair. Guys that tall and that heavy aren’t supposed to move that fast.

“When we practice, we can’t get the ball off most of the time,” Texas A&M receiver Ricky Seals-Jones said about Aggies defensive end Myles Garrett. “He’s like a real savage out there,” was how Alabama safety Eddie Jackson described the Tide’s superior DE, Jonathan Allen.

Remember when the SEC was known mostly for its running backs? Now edge rushers are as fast as the guys toting the ball – and they hit three times as hard.

Garrett and Allen lead the SEC’s defensive acumen as the 2016 season looms, each a frightening specimen of athlete and one no quarterback wants to see creeping ever closer to the tackle’s weak side as the cadence is shouted. The duo combined for 24.5 sacks last year, 34 tackles for loss, and have already alerted the NFL to their coming presence.

Garrett is a definite first-rounder in April, with many projecting him as the No. 1 pick. Allen turned down a first-round projection last year to return to Alabama. Each talked about it at SEC Media Days, but kept the NFL in the future.

“I have to do well and play up to my expectations, and, hopefully, exceed those, before I start talking about first-round pick or possible top draft pick,” said Garrett, who also has said he wants 20 sacks this year and to be the No. 1 guy. “We just felt like I would have more upside if I came back, and there were more things I wanted to improve on,” Allen said.

Garrett led the SEC in sacks and tackles for loss while overcoming double-teams. A workout warrior with monstrous power-lift numbers, the muscle on his 6-foot-5 frame hasn’t hurt his speed a bit.

Coach Kevin Sumlin wants Garrett’s work ethic for his entire team and pointed out how Garrett, despite being dominant on the field, is pretty laid-back off it. He traveled to SEC Media Days in flip-flops and a Marvel comic character cap before changing to a suit.

“All he wants is, maybe, his headphones and to know what time practice is, when to go to class, when meetings are and when game time is and where’s the food,” Sumlin said.

And then comes practice, where they have to tell him to get out of the quarterback’s face. After all, they’re teammates.

The shorter and heavier Allen has the same impact at Alabama. He broke up four passes with six quarterback hurries and might be the best senior defensive prospect in the country.

“Jon is very powerful,” Tide tight end O.J. Howard said. “He’s quick off the ball, which is very shocking for his size. It’s like he knows the snap count.”

Allen could have left after a national championship season but elected to stick around. That caused a lot of groans in and outside the Crimson Tide’s locker room – great for what he’ll do on Saturday, bad for what he’ll do the other days in practice.

“He plays like a bull,” Jackson said. “It doesn’t matter who lines up in front of him, he’s going to get past him.”

The two plan to lead their defensive units this season, Garrett hoping for a return to A&M’s outstanding first season in the SEC and Allen wanting to continue the Tide’s dominance.

If their teams resemble anything close to them, no problems.