Not all was lost after the 6-5 finish to the 2020 Auburn football season. While the old coaching staff led by Gus Malzahn was, the fact that the NFL will always have a home for the best players from Auburn was not.
The 2021 NFL Draft saw four Tigers get their name called, and all four of them played pivotal roles for the team the past three years (and in K.J. Britt’s case, four years). Beyond Britt, the receiving duo of Seth Williams and Anthony Schwartz, and safety-turned-NFL linebacker Jamien Sherwood, Eli Stove and Jordyn Peters each got signed to deals as undrafted free agents, though Stove’s NFL dreams are currently on hold due to an injury found during his team physical with the Chargers.
None were selected before the 91st pick, but the 2020 draft featured two first-round picks from the Plains in Derrick Brown and Noah Igbinoghene. In 2019, Jarrett Stidham became the first QB selected from AU since Cam Newton himself in 2011.
We could go on and on through the years, but the point stands that the professional game has always benefitted from Auburn football’s exports.
Things will be no different in 2022.
The only thing we don’t know yet is who exactly could be selected. Fly War Eagle believes these three Tigers have a shot at hearing their names called next April:
Auburn football 2022 NFL Draft hopeful #1: Zakoby McClain
Exclude Zakoby McClain from this list at your own risk. The nation’s leader in tackles does not take kindly to those that openly doubt him.
McClain’s quest for respect will inevitably lead to another dominant season, and with an improved record, NFL scouts should be intrigued by the massive chip on his shoulder and the violence it precedes.