Auburn Football Spring Game 2017: 5 things to watch for

2. Replacing Carl Lawson and Montravius Adams

The defensive line was a strength for Auburn in 2016, and defensive end Carl Lawson and defensive tackle Montravius Adams were a big reason why. Both Lawson and Adams were finalists for the Lombardi Award, and both have the talent to be taken in the first round of the upcoming NFL Draft.

Finally healthy, Lawson led the Tigers with nine sacks, 13.5 tackles for loss and 24 quarterback hurries last season. Adams, despite lining up inside more often than not, ranked second with 4.5 sacks, 8.5 TFLs and 15 hurries. No one else had more than 2.5 sacks. Needless to say, both Lawson and Adams will be missed up front in 2017.

Marlon Davidson impressed as a true freshman opposite Lawson at defensive end. Davidson started all 13 games, recorded 38 tackles, six tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Davidson is a legitimate All-SEC candidate.

Jeff Holland moved from linebacker to Buck defensive last season, where he backed up Lawson. Holland played better than he stat line – 11 tackles, two TFLs, two sacks, seven hurries – indicates, and he has the pass rushing skill to take a big step forward in 2017. Tre Threat and Derrick Brown are expected to compete for playing time outside.

Dontavius Russell started all 13 games at defensive tackle, and Andrew Williams is likely to move into the starting lineup next to him. Russell is a quality run stopper, while Williams had 2.5 sacks, including important two sacks against Arkansas and LSU.

Byron Cowart, the top overall recruit in the 2015 recruiting class, has an opportunity to find consistent playing time after moving to defensive tackle this spring. Cowart, who has just 12 total tackles and one tackle for loss in two seasons, could play a similar role to Adams, who often moved around on the line to take advantage of matchups.