Auburn football: Ranking every five-star recruit in program history

The Tigers’ 2014 recruiting class is probably the best defensive class the team has ever signed. While Adams was the second-best recruit in the state of Georgia, Milton high school defensive end Carl Lawson was right behind him at number three and was the 23rd ranked recruit in the class.

Lawson is one of my personal favorite Auburn players of all time so maybe I’m a bit biased but I think most fans would agree that the 6-foot-2, 257-pound pass rusher had the talent to be No. 1 on this list.

Unfortunately, various injuries kept Lawson from truly reaching his true potential. Nonetheless, when he was healthy, Lawson clearly showed that he could be the best player on the field.

Lawson only played 12 games as a junior but still managed to record 30 tackles, 14 TFLs and 9.5 sacks. He was awarded with All-American honors for his efforts that season.

Athletic and powerful, Lawson is one of the best pure pass rushers that Auburn has ever had. Especially from a talent standpoint.

Injury concerns forced Lawson to drop in the fourth round where he was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite playing limited snaps as a rookie, Lawson was one of the most productive pass rushers in the NFL.

Unfortunately, those injuries have once again caught up to the former Auburn star and he has seen his role on the team shrink in the past two seasons.