Gus Malzahn is hoping this will become a pattern.

For the second consecutive draft, his Tigers tied the program's most draft picks in the modern era with six. This year, Derrick Brown (first round to the Carolina Panthers), Noah Igbinoghene (first round to the Miami Dolphins), Marlon Davidson (second round to the Atlanta Falcons), Jack Driscoll (fourth round to the Philadelphia Eagles), Daniel Thomas (fifth round to Jacksonvile Jaguars) and Prince Tega Wanogho Jr. (sixth round to Philadelphia Eagles) all came off the board during the virtual, three-day event. Eight more Tigers were picked up in undrafted free agency.

“The guys that got drafted are not only big-time players but big-time people with high character. They’re going to be very successful in the NFL," Auburn's head coach said Saturday after the conclusion of the 2020 draft.

Since the College Football Playoff era began in the 2014 season — Malzahn's second year as head coach on the Plains — Auburn has had 28 players taken in the draft, the 10th-most in the country since the Bowl Championship Series system was retired.

"Having six players taken for the second consecutive year says a lot about where our program is at right now," Malzahn said. "We’re recruiting talented players with character and we have a staff that is doing a great job developing them. It’s pretty exciting.”

There's no arguing Auburn is producing pro prospects at a higher rate since the Malzahn era began.

His first Auburn draft class was featured in the 2014 draft, and in the seven years since, Auburn has produced 32 NFL draft picks. In the seven years prior to that, 22 Auburn players were drafted. In the seven years before that — the time in which former coach Tommy Tuberville was matched with Malzahn's current number of years as head coach — 23 Auburn players were drafted.

So who's next? Auburn's 2021 draft class looks to be an intriguing blend of rising juniors who could have some tough decisions to make, and some rising seniors who could become surefire pro prospects with standout campaigns this fall.

Let's take an early peek at who from that group could be NFL-ready players.

As it stands a year ahead of time, Williams is the headliner for Auburn's possible 2021 draftees.

A rising junior who figures to be Bo Nix's top target again, the 6-foot-3 Williams led Auburn in receptions, yards and touchdowns last year even with one game missed with a shoulder injury. He's the prototypical archetype for big slot receiver in the pros.

Williams diversified his skill set from Year 1 to Year 2, becoming consistent in shallower, over-the-middle patterns in addition to his usual threat of a deep shot. And despite Auburn's crowded receivers room graduating just two seniors and adding four freshman, the Tuscaloosa product will still be given every opportunity to be the leading pass-catcher.

Next year's draft class is loaded at the top with wideouts, with the likes of LSU's Ja'Marr Chase, Alabama's DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle, Clemson's Justyn Ross, Minnesota's Rashod Bateman and Purdue's Rondale Moore all expected to be high-round selections.

But Williams has found himself a consistent name in early 2021 mock drafts, going No. 20 in the first round in The Draft Network's mock, No. 30 in DraftSite's and No. 18 in Walter Football's. Sporting News has Williams listed as the No. 42 overall player and the fifth-best receiver in next year's group.

McCreary, whom Pro Football Focus called Auburn's most productive returning player for the 2020 season, will undoubtedly be the No. 1 corner in Kevin Steele's defense following the departure of Igbinoghene and Javaris Davis.

And the Mobile, Ala., product will look to continue a stretch of recent draft success for Auburn corners; the Tigers' top cornerback has been selected in every draft since 2016.

Per PFF, McCreary's pass coverage grade was 33rd out of 419 qualifying cornerbacks last season — and that was while he was technically a reserve player behind Davis and Igbinoghene, the latter of whom said fans shouldn't be surprised to see the rising junior McCreary be in a position to make a successful early jump to the NFL after next season.

"I expect Roger — big things for Roger, just me playing cornerback, personally, he had a great season last year, as well," Igbinoghene said at Auburn's 2020 pro day. "He's kind of the same spot I was my sophomore year. So it’s kind of crazy. So I expect big things out of him. I expect him to have an interview with you next year (at pro day), as well."

Ask any Auburn defensive back from last year's secondary who has the scariest potential on the team, and the answer is usually rising junior Jamien Sherwood.

Like McCreary, Sherwood has been a backup for the past two seasons, as he and fellow junior safety Smoke Monday have waited patiently while learning from Daniel Thomas and Jeremiah Dinson.

Now Sherwood, the highest-graded freshman defensive back in the country by PFF in 2018 and one of Auburn's most consistent defensive players last season, gets a chance to run the show on the back end of Auburn's defense.

At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, the Sunshine State native isn't afraid to drop the hammer in the box in run coverage, or break up shots down the field in the passing game. Even as a backup, Sherwood had the fourth-most pass breakups on the team last season with five. McCreary had the most with nine. Sherwood's four tackles for loss were the third-most in the secondary behind the starting safeties.

Monday could easily have a chance to leave early with a standout 2020, as well.

"We've got guys who have been watching and learning, maturing — same thing on the back end,” Auburn senior linebacker Chandler Wooten said last week. “A lot of guys back there are playing, Smoke (Monday) and (Jamien) Sherwood and Roger (McCreary)— all of those guys, they've got experience."

In a year where Auburn had to replace all three of its starting, senior linebackers, the play of K.J. Britt elevated the group to even greater heights.

After 68 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles, Britt was named first team All-SEC at year's end. His 31 run-defense stops were the most in college football, according to PFF.

Britt was already a big leader for Steele's unit in 2019, but with Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson off to the league, his senior presence both on and off the field for the Tigers will be crucial for sustaining a high level of production for the defense yet again.

"That’s my main concern right now just being more versatile," Britt said two weeks ago of what he'd like to improve on. "Just opening it up, my range. I look at myself as a leader and I’m pretty sure my teammates look at me as a leader. Leaders got to lead."

It's Big Kat's D-line now.

Bryant has been patiently waiting his turn to be the alpha of Auburn's defensive line. He watched as Jeff Holland was a pass-rushing machine his freshman year, and Davidson and Brown did, well, what Marlon Davidson and Derrick Brown do his sophomore and junior seasons.

Heading into his senior season, Bryant is in a similar position that Davidson, his mentor at defensive end, was at this time last year — he's getting plenty of pressure on the quarterback, but not enough sacks for his liking.

Bryant led Auburn in quarterback hurries last year with nine, with 1.5 sacks and two tackles for loss.

He and defensive tackle Tyrone Truesdell — who could also be an NFL player one day, seeing as he's prepping to be a multi-year starter on a Rodney Garner defensive line, which usually leads to pro success — will be the leaders up front for Auburn in the 2020 season.

Filling the shoes of Brown and Davidson will take time — and no one is expecting Bryant to do what they did — but he's not one to shy away from the task.

“In high school, I was that big recruited guy. I want to be the big fish,” he said in 2019. "... I'm ready to take that next step ahead. I want to be the next Derrick Brown.”

Obviously, anyone on Auburn's roster a redshirt sophomore and up could have a breakout year and become an NFL player. There are always a few players that are surprises.

• WR Anthony Schwartz will be a starter again for Auburn next season as a junior and will hope to improve his game further as Bo Nix becomes a better quarterback, too.

• DL Tyrone Truesdell will be a second-year starter at defensive tackle, and with the other DT spot currently up for grabs, Auburn will look to the senior for consistency.

• WR Eli Stove has been a shifty and reliable weapon for Auburn, and he finally got fully healthy last season. He'll be a veteran presence in the wideouts room next year.

• DL Daquan Newkirk is one of the most physically imposing players on the Tigers' roster. Derrick Brown said last year that Newkirk was the only one in the weight room who could bench more than him. The JUCO product will compete for the second DT spot alongside Truesdell.

• S Smoke Monday was mentioned with Sherwood. He'll be half of that starting safety duo and will look to ride his pick-six heroics in the Iron Bowl into a standout 2020 season.

• LB Zakoby McClain is also a name that's now synonymous with Iron Bowl heroics for Auburn. Though he wasn't technically a starting linebacker last year, "Ricochet Rabbit" has proven time and time again to be one of Auburn's most fearless and hardest tackling weapons on the defense. He'll be a junior next season in Auburn's rotating linebacker lineup, but he'll likely benefit the most from waiting until he can be a starting senior leader in 2021.

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