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Projecting Auburn’s defensive depth chart following spring practice

brian stultz
·3 min read

Much like the rest of the Auburn program, the Tigers defense is undergoing major changes as Kevin Steele is gone and now it is Derek Mason’s time to lead the unit.

The great thing for Mason is that in two different areas — linebacker and secondary — he has plenty of stars and players waiting to be stars that are ready to put the hard-hitting mantra back in Auburn’s defense.

The only question for this defense comes up front as a lack of depth dots the defensive line.

In Auburn’s annual A-Day Game, it was the defense that looked like it was further ahead than the offense, so let’s take a look at where each position stands and our projected defensive depth chart following spring practice.

Defensive End

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

1. Colby Wooden 2. Zykeivous Walker 3. Caleb Johnson The pressure is on Wooden to force some chaos along the line as the Tigers look for some domination that was missing last season. Walker can be a special player.

Defensive Tackle

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

1. Marquis Burks 2. Dre Butler 3. Lee Hunter OR Zykeivous Walker Burks showed potential last year in limited time with a sack, tackle for a loss and quarterback hurry but will be counted on heavily now.

Defensive Tackle

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1. Tyrone Truesdell 2. J.J. Pegues Along with Wooden, Truesdell is no longer the young guy along the line for the Tigers. Look for him to have a breakout season.

Edge

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1. Derick Hall 2. T.D. Moultry OR Nick Curtis Productive as a sophomore last season with 3.5 tackles for a loss and sacks apiece, Hall might be the foundation for the guys up front.

Linebacker

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

1. Owen Pappoe 2. Chandler Wooten Is the combination of Pappoe and McClain the best linebacker corps in the SEC? If not, they are pretty close. Wooten returning after opting out last season gives the unit plenty of depth.

Linebacker

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1. Zakoby McClain 2. Wesley Steiner McClain was snubbed from postseason honors last season after recording 113 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, three sacks and a forced fumble. Expect him to use that as motivation.

Cornerback

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

1. Roger McCreary 2. Kamal Hadden OR Malcolm Askew McCreary is a pure ball hawk and, after recording three interceptions last season, looks to be even more of a pass interrupter this year.

Cornerback

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1. Jaylin Simpson 2. Eric Reed Jr. OR Marco Domio Simpson flashed promise last season but an injury kept him from having a great freshman season.

Nickel

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1. Nehemiah Pritchett 2. Zion Puckett OR Devin Guice Throwing toward Pritchett was not successful for quarterbacks last season as he recorded 10 broken up passes and an interception.

Safety

Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

1. Smoke Monday 2. Chris Thompson Jr. Monday is the heart and soul of this defense and his return is a major boost for the secondary.

Safety

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

1. Ladarius Tennison 2. Trey Elston Tennison looks to fill the shoes of the departed Christian Tutt.

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