Auburn Football: 5 Bold predictions for Tigers in 2018
3. The Tigers’ pass rush takes a significant step back
Auburn lost Carl Lawson and Montravius Adams to the NFL a year ago and didn’t miss a beat. The Tigers replaced that duo (responsible for 13.5 sacks in 2016) with Jeff Holland and a host of talented defensive lineman. Holland tallied 10 sacks, but there wasn’t another pass rusher that reached more than 3.5 sacks.
They were able to reload last time, but this time they don’t have anyone of that caliber to fill the void. Holland was an All-SEC first team selection. The Tigers had one other pass rusher named to one of the All-conference team, linebacker Tre’ Williams was an All-SEC second team selection. Williams was a senior last season and will be out of eligibility in 2018.
Auburn lost two of their top 12 leading tackles a year ago. That limited amount of turnover was a large part of what enable the Tigers to continue their dominance in the trenches. Deshaun Davis and Derrick Brown each tallied 3.5 sacks, but neither has the game-changing talent of Holland or Lawson.
In 2017 the Tigers finished fourth in the SEC in sacks and sixth in tackles for a loss. They’ll finish outside the top half in both of them next season as they adjust to some new faces in the front seven.