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The SEC's 25 best players: No. 16

Auburn's Chris Davis made the return that will live in infamy against Alabama, but Odell Beckham Jr. completed missed field goal returns for 109-yard touchdowns before it was cool. He beat Davis to the punch by a couple of months, accomplishing the feat in a Week 2 win against UAB -- the most memorable highlight in an electric season by Beckham.

No. 16: Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LSU

2013 summary: Not only did Beckham finish fourth in the SEC with 88.6 receiving yards per game (on a total of 59 catches for 1,152 yards and eight TDs), he was also the SEC's No. 3 kickoff return man (26.4 YPG) and finished fourth in punt return average (8.9). Beckham finished second nationally in all-purpose yards (178.1) and earned third-team All-America honors as an all-purpose performer.

Most recent ranking: Not ranked in the 2013 preseason countdown

Making the case for Beckham: The 2013 Paul Hornung Award winner -- which goes to the nation's most versatile player -- capped a standout junior season with a ridiculous one-handed catch against Iowa in the Outback Bowl. Many of the other 58 catches he made during the season were also impressive, with Beckham becoming one of the league's most memorable offensive playmakers in recent memory. He posted five 100-yard games as a receiver -- including a 179-yard, two-touchdown performance against Mississippi State and a 204-yard, two-score outing against Furman -- and also had four games where he totaled more than 100 yards in kickoff returns. Some NFL team is going to be extremely happy to get the early draft entrant onto its roster in a couple of months.

The rundown:

No. 17: Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri, Jr.

No. 18: T.J. Yeldon, RB, Alabama, So.

No. 19: Jarvis Landry, WR, LSU, Jr.

No. 20: Cody Prewitt, S, Ole Miss, Jr.

No. 21: Nick Marshall, QB, Auburn, Jr.

No. 22: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama, Jr.

No. 23: Gabe Jackson, OG, Mississippi State, Sr.

No. 24: Kenny Ladler, S, Vanderbilt, Sr.

No. 25: E.J. Gaines, CB, Missouri, Jr.