Another pasta of a copy from al.com on a position by position breakdown. Again, more an idea about personnel and depth than anything else. Today is on the defensive ends. I think the author does a god job in analyzing this group. Ford has looked like he's ready to bust out the last 2 years but keeps getting injured. Nosey Eegway really hasn't done much of anything for the time he's been there. Owens is another physical specimen that you hope will step up but we're still waiting. And Craig Showe...err, Sanders seems to be an afterthought at this point. Injuries? Hopefully, the new staff and 2 studs signing will make this group a force for the first time in a while.
AUBURN, Alabama -- Now that the offense has been examined thoroughly, it's time to shift to the defensive side of the ball, where Ellis Johnson and his assistants will be looking for players who can handle the shift to the 4-2-5 defense. Early in the 2012 season, the 1-2 punch of Corey Lemonier and Dee Ford was creating havoc in opposing backfields, but an injury to Ford and Lemonier's subsequent drop in production kept the duo from reaching huge heights.
This is the sixth installment in a series looking at Auburn's personnel as the Tigers prepare to open spring practice on March 27. For a look at how the shift to the 4-2-5 affects the defensive end's responsibilities, check out the series AL.com published earlier this month.
BY THE NUMBERS
•Dee Ford: 34 tackles, 6.5 tackles-for-loss, 6 sacks, 8 hurries
•Nosa Eguae: 23 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss, 1 sack, 2 hurries
•LaDarius Owens: 11 tackles, 3 tackles-for-loss
•Craig Sanders: 9 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss•Keymiya Harrell: 2 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss, 1 sack
THE DEPARTED
•Corey Lemonier: 34 tackles, 5.5 tackles-for-loss, 5.5 sacks
SPRING CAST
•Nosa Eguae, Sr.
•Dee Ford, Sr.
•Craig Sanders, Sr.
•LaDarius Owens, Jr.
•Justin Delaine, Jr.
•Keymiya Harrell, So.
•Gimel President, R-Fr.
ON THE WAY
•Carl Lawson, Fr.
•Elijah Daniel, Fr.
BURNING QUESTION
-- In a defense built around pressure from the edges, can somebody like Nosa Eguae or LaDarius Owens show the kind of pass-rush skills to make a push for a starting spot?
BIGGEST RESUMES
Dee Ford emerged as a top-flight SEC pass rusher last season, notching six sacks despite being limited for four games and missing one due to an abdominal injury. Ford's got a quick first step, burst around the edge and a relentless motor, but he's had problems with his durability in his time at Auburn, and his reckless pursuit sometimes puts him out of position. Nosa Eguae, of course, was a two-year starter at power end in Ted Roof's defense. A stout player against the run, Eguae hasn't shown the kind of burst off the edge needed in Ellis Johnson's defense, and he'll have to prove he can be the kind of disruptive rusher off the edge to earn more than a spot role as a senior.
FLASH OF POTENTIAL
LaDarius Owens seems to have the speed and quickness to be an effective pass-rush threat -- a former high school linebacker, Owens got most of his disruption in 2012 by subbing as a standup linebacker -- but he hasn't been able to put it together on the edge yet. Owens has good speed and a solid first step, but he's not polished as a pass rusher and struggles at times to hold his ground at the point of the attack against SEC offensive tackles. With two years left, Owens needs to take a big step this offseason to find a role going forward.
ON THE WAY
Auburn wanted to add impact pass rushers who can play in Johnson's scheme, and the Tigers made good on their goal by landing Carl Lawson and Elijah Daniel. Lawson was one of the highest-rated recruits in the country, a premier pass rusher with good speed and exceptional strength who had 27 sacks as a senior. Lawson, the centerpiece of Auburn's defensive class, has the potential to start right away. Daniel, on the other hand, has more length than the 6-3 Lawson, and he has enough athleticism that he actually played linebacker in high school.
FACTS OF LIFE
-- The last time an Auburn defensive end with 10 sacks or more was when Antonio Coleman hit the barrier on the nose in 2009, although Corey Lemonier came within a half-sack of the feat as a junior.
QUOTABLE
-- "Our ends probably, in technique, will play a wider alignment, they'll be more up the field, a little bit more of an aggressive technique than playing on an offensive lineman or on a tight end. We still want big, physical guys, but there's a premium now on the fast-twitch or first-step guys. It doesn't matter how strong they are in the upper body and their hips, if they can't create issues on the edge." -- defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson
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