Auburn football: 5 Tigers who will be selected in 2023 NFL Draft

Auburn football RB Tank Bigsby

Speaking of definite pros, Tank Bigsby has his own professional football future in his hands after a wildly impressive freshman season and a less impressive, but still notably solid, sophomore season. The junior-to-be could decide to make the NFL jump after the 2022 season or go through the process in the spring of 2024.

Battling the beastly defensive fronts at Georgia, Alabama, and Texas A&M proved difficult for Bigsby in his second season on the Plains, but this coming season will prove whether or not he is ready to be an RB1 at the next level. If he doesn’t, there’s always next season, though after flirting with the transfer portal this past winter, the hope is that an OL that maintained most of its key pieces can get the job done enough to set him up for a fruitful professional career.

Auburn football MIKE LB Owen Pappoe

Owen Pappoe was dealing with injuries and possible COVID-19 related issues during the 2021 season, keeping him out of the lineup and from amassing a resume that had NFL Draft scouts drooling for his services.

He could correct that with a stellar 2022 campaign leading the LB group, one that lost Zakoby McClain as an undrafted NFL free agent. Pappoe is currently the No. 7 LB in the 2023 NFL Draft class according to Cam Mellor of Pro Football Network.

Auburn football K Anders Carlson

After Anderson Carlson went down in the Tigers’ unfathomable 43-34 loss to Mississippi State this past November, it wasn’t clear whether or not he’d kicked his last field goal through the goal posts at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

He has not, deciding to come back to Auburn in 2022. This coming season should be his swan song for Carlson, who will be joining his brother Daniel in the league next season. Assuming he can get back to his First Team All-SEC ways, Carlson could be worth a late-round flier to one of the NFL’s 32 franchises in need of a reliable leg.