AUBURN | The NCAA granted student athletes a mulligan this fall, not counting the season against their eligibility.
That gives Auburn’s seniors an opportunity to return and play for a fifth season. There are three that could benefit the most starting with a couple of defensive linemen.
Big Kat Bryant came into the season as a second-team All-SEC defensive end but injuries limited him to just 17 tackles and three sacks in 10 games. That comes a year after totaling 16 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 13 games.
Bryant’s work ethic, toughness and leadership are all strong traits, but that’s not the kind of production that’s going to attract a lot of attention from NFL scouts. Another year getting bigger and stronger in the weight room followed up by a healthy and productive graduate season could really pay dividends for Bryant in the 2022 NFL draft.
Injuries really slowed DaQuan Newkirk during his first two seasons at Auburn after transferring from junior college, coming into this season with just 12 career tackles. He earned a starting position at defensive tackle this fall and totaled 28 tackles, 3.0 tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sacks in 10 games.
That’s pretty good production for an interior player, but you wonder what he could do in 2021 with a season of experience under his belt and a full and healthy offseason. The former high school running back could have the athletic potential to be more of a playmaker for AU’s defensive line.
Jordyn Peters’ situation is interesting. He was a key backup safety this fall along with a special teams standout and leader. He performed well when asked to start in the Iron Bowl this season and has now played in 50 career games with four starts.
Peters could really benefit returning if there’s a starting position open for him to win. Both of AU’s starting safeties, Jamien Sherwood and Smoke Monday, are juniors. If one chooses to enter the draft, Peters would be a favorite to win a starting position and potentially have a strong finish to his college career.
None of the three players have made their intentions known at this point. The deadline to declare for the 2021 NFL Draft is Jan. 18.
