With the countdown to the start of the college football season closing in on two months, ESPN’s Southeastern Conference blog is ranking the top players in the league by position. On Wednesday, they tackled defensive end.A pair of Wildcats — Bud Dupree and Za’Darius Smith checked in at No. 4 and No. 10. Here’s what Chris Low had to say about them.4. Alvin “Bud” Dupree, Sr., Kentucky: Having successfully made the transition from outside linebacker to end last season when Mark Stoops and his staff arrived, the 6-4, 267-pound Dupree has finished in the top 10 in the SEC in sacks each of the past two seasons. He’s the essence of consistency and has made at least three tackles in each of the 26 games he’s started in his college career.10. Za’Darius Smith, Sr., Kentucky: The other half of Kentucky’s talented end tandem, the 6-6, 264-pound Smith made a big impact a year ago after coming over from junior college. He finished with six sacks and had a sack or tackle for loss in six games. Junior college players typically make a big jump in their second year in the program, which means Smith could really take off in 2014.Considering many of the 10 players on this list are likely to star on Sundays in the not-too-distant future, that’s high praise for the two cornerstones of Mark Stoops’ second UK defense.Link: Ranking the SEC defensive ends