Position pecking order No. 7: Ends, edge rushers
This week at AuburnSports.com, we're kicking off another rankings series, this time with the goal of determining the pecking order of 11 Auburn position groups.
We know who Auburn's most talented and most valuable players for this coming season are. But just how much a difference do they make when it comes to their position room as a whole? Are they one of a number of standout performers at their position, or are they the outlier?
Likewise, Tiger fans are well aware of what the most inexperienced or unproven spots on the field are.
Our staff ranked the 11 position groups on the roster based on a number of criteria. The staffer who voted a particular position the highest will have to defend his reasoning.
NO. 7 (of 11): DEFENSIVE ENDS, EDGE RUSHERS
VOTES: Jay G. (4), BMatt (8), J-Lee (9), Nate (5)
Marlon Davidson was the perfect defensive-end complement to consensus All-American defensive tackle Derrick Brown last season — a strong and versatile Robin to Brown's physically dominating Batman.
He'll be missed by the Tigers' defensive front almost as much as Brown will. But the optimism is that his understudy, Big Kat Bryant, can make a similar jump like Davidson did heading into his senior campaign.
It's been well documented by not only those at Auburn, but Davidson as well: the All-American defensive end didn't finish plays as well as he could have in 2018, and once he developed his game and athleticism another step, he turned into a monster.
Bryant had just two tackles for loss last season working at both end and Buck edge rusher. He doesn't need to be Davidson, but he does need to see a large improvement. At 6-foot-5 with sharp quickness and pursuit, Bryant has the tools to put it all together in 2020, hence why he's appeared on many preseason All-SEC lists.
Auburn knows what it's getting at Buck, as Gulf Port native Derick Hall returns after an eye-opening true freshman campaign in which he outplayed former 5-star T.D. Moultry and 2018 All-SEC defensive end Nick Coe.
As is similarly the case with the defensive tackles, the Tigers boast a handful of inexperienced but nonetheless talented depth pieces, such as second-year players Jaren Handy and Colby Wooden, and newcomers Zykeivous Walker, Dre Butler, Daniel Foster-Allen and Romello Height, all of which were highly sought-after recruiting targets who bring plenty of versatility to the end and edge positions.
Why No. 4? (Jay G.): Auburn's situation at defensive end (and Buck) lacks the kind of star power we've seen in the past. Kevin Steele won't be able to lean on an experienced, dominant pass rusher this season the way he did a few years back with Jeffrey Holland and Carl Lawson. Senior editor Bryan Matthews feels that the Tigers' lack of a pass rusher in 2019 was the one thing missing — and I agree with him wholeheartedly. Twenty-eight sacks with that caché of talent just wasn't enough.
So why am I so bullish on this group now that its headline player, Marlon Davidson, is gone?
I like Big Kat Bryant for starters. He was playing with more purpose last season and showed that he has the athletic ability to play the difficult Buck position, which requires run support, coverage support and pass rush. This is the season he puts it together.
Jaren Handy was surprisingly good as a true freshman last season; PFF graded him as the Tigers' fourth-best defender among players with at least 50 snaps last season. Another freshman, Derick Hall, earned 200 snaps and showed that he belongs on an SEC. Colby Wooden's season was wrecked by mononucleosis, but he remains a real talent. I still don't know what to make of T.D. Moultry, but I know that he can be terrific if he fuses his remarkable talent with the passion that makes the great players great. It's all about mentality for him.
The newcomers, Zykeivous Walker and Romello Height, were both four-star guys with elite offers. Now it's up to Rodney Garner and Al Pogue to take this mass of talent and distill from it a couple reliable pass rushers and at least four guys willing to fight every single day for control. Garner won't accept anything less. Never has.
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