TOP 20: Marlon Davidson
Marlon Davidson's sophomore season was a dud.
Most college linemen would be satisfied with a 42-tackle season, one that included six tackles for loss, but this Auburn junior doesn't qualify as "most college linemen." In terms of talent and skill, he's on par with many of the greats who have worn the Tigers' jersey through the years. Davidson is that good.
Yet he was just so-so last season largely due to a series of physical setbacks. A hyper-extended elbow was a problem throughout the first half of the season. So was a knee injury. He missed the Mercer game with an undisclosed injury and was knocked out of the SEC Championship Game during the first half. He didn't return to full health until the A-Day game.
Davidson is perhaps the most dogged defensive lineman we've ever seen. He views every single snap as evidence of his value as a football player — and he refuses to disappoint. Even if a run goes wide to the other side of the field, Davidson will be on a dead run attempting to create an angle on the run-away back. I say will be because this isn't variable; Davidson does it every single time because he honestly believes he can run down anybody on a football field. It's a humorous sight to observers who believe Davidson's effort is in vain initially, but Auburn observers have seen this play out before in satisfying ways. It's really something to see.
Davidson is, like many of his defensive teammates, an all-business, coachable, introspective person. I sometimes wonder if Davidson would be different without the tragedy he endured in February 2015, when his mother, a caring and engaged woman named Cynthia Carter, died unexpectedly. Davidson responded remarkably well to that situation; eschewing sorrow and loneliness in favor of throwing himself into football to a pretty radical degree. He dedicated everything to his mother. He considered every single day a testimony to the job she did raising him, which turned a responsible boy into an almost maniacally driven young man.
Davidson benefits greatly from his brother, former Auburn lineman Ken Carter, being part of the Auburn staff. The two interact daily. Carter feels like he took too many things for granted during his time on the Plains, but says he doesn't see that same tendency in his kid brother. Still, it's good for Davidson to feel like he has someone in his corner nearby.
Davidson is a tremendous athlete for someone his size. He has a prototypical body for a college end, excellent quickness (if perhaps just short of elite) and, as mentioned, a motor heretofore unseen at Auburn. He's a very valuable player.
There is room for improvement, however. Davidson has just 5 1/2 sacks to his credit after two seasons of college ball, which is half of what you'd expect from someone this gifted. He's still in the process of turning talent into skill when it comes to beating top blockers, though Davidson already is a top-tier run stopper. He is able to maintain and patrol an edge against even the best teams. He's also able to play inside in a pinch — most notably in Rodney Garner's "rabbit" package used on longer third downs.
Davidson's emphasis this season must be on remaining healthy, creating more pressure on opposing quarterbacks and consummating that pressure with sacks. If he pieces together a double-digit sack season to go along with everything else he provides routinely, Davidson will find himself selected near the top of the 2019 NFL Draft.
He's that good — and he's getting better.
ON THE UP SIDE: Motor, versatility, strength, first- and second-step quickness
ON THE DOWN SIDE: Skills, durability
VOTING RESULTS: No. 2 (Jay G. Tate, Jeffrey Lee, The Bunker), No. 4 (Bryan Matthews)
PREVIOUS RANKINGS: No. 2 in 2017, No. 11 in 2016
THE AUBURNSPORTS.COM TOP 20 FOR 2018:
2. Marlon Davidson