Auburn Football: Defensive Depth Chart Projections – Buck

Raashed Kennion

A name that is somewhat off the radar but could certainly be a factor at Buck in 2015 and beyond is Raashed Kennion.

Kennion was a relatively unheralded recruit in the 2014 class from Jacksonville, Florida, but has a ton of upside. At 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, he has great length that should remind many of Georgia outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, who led the Bulldogs in sacks each of the last two seasons.

“Kennion’s making some progress,” Ellis Johnson said in August. “I think he’d be a role player for us. He’s a really good third-down pass rusher, maybe.”

The true freshman was hampered by injury this season; otherwise he might have been more of a factor. As it was, he played in four games this year, recorded only one tackle and was credited with one quarterback hurry.

The problem, however, was Kennion is a prototypical 3-4 pass rushing outside linebacker and Ellis Johnson ran a 4-2-5 – meaning that his ideal position didn’t actually exist for the Tigers in 2014.

Now, with the Buck, it does… kind of.

“The Kennion kid, he can run, he can bend, he’s long,” defensive line coach Rodney Garner said in fall camp. “He has natural stuff. We don’t know how it’s going to develop, but as far as a speed guy, he is the best speed guy in that young group.”

Kennion is a late-bloomer that will put on some weight in his first off-season on campus. Once he fills out his big frame, and if he can stay healthy, he could be a monster pass rusher.

Next: A True Freshman To Be Determined