College Football: Building a super team position by position
The SEC is a league won in the trenches and the Tigers have found the formula when it comes to churning out elite defensive tackles. As soon as one big man leaves there are two more to take his spot in the middle of the line.
Auburn has to load up to battle teams like Alabama and LSU every season. They’ll never be done recruiting the defensive line, no matter how deep they get at the position.
Gabe Wright and Angelo Blackson gave way to Montravius Adams who was succeeded by current Tiger Derrick Brown. Auburn ranked 29th in the nation against the run, thanks in large part to the success they had up front. The SEC has no shortage of elite running backs, making a finish in the top third all the more impressive.
Brown is the latest in a long line of excellent tackles that go back much further than Wright and Blackson. Nick Fairley was a first round pick in 2011 after posting an unbelievable 11.5 sacks junior season. There are plenty of defensive ends that go through their careers without reaching that number, but Fairley managed all that production from the interior.