AuburnFamilyNews.com: Is Carl Lawson Key to Restoring Auburn Pass Rush to Championship Level ?

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Is Carl Lawson Key to Restoring Auburn Pass Rush to Championship Level ?

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Some prognosticators believe the 2016 Auburn defensive line may be the best since Nick Fairley helped the Tigers win the 2010 National Championship. For that to happen, the Tigers will have to have to have two things going for them: one, plenty of depth and two, keep Carl Lawson healthy the entire season.

The Tigers may well have the best depth since the 2013 SEC Championship season. And Lawson is healthy once again. However, he suffered a hip injury in last year’s opener that caused him to miss half of the season and he hasn’t completed a full year since 2013 due to injuries. Nevertheless, he’s already receiving recognition for the upcoming year.

He was named earlier to Athlon’s preseason ALL-SEC Team and yesterday Pro Football Focus placed him on their Top 101 Best Players in College Football for 2016. Despite his history of injuries, PFF is high on the Auburn senior, naming him their 17th highest rated player.

In a release, Pro Football Focus said that …

“When he’s been on the field, he’s shown versatility along the defensive line, capable of holding up against the run while creating pressure both on the edge and from the interior … Last season he picked up three sacks, two QB hits, and 23 hurries on 196 pass rushes, so there’s some projection to his being this high on the list. Lawson joins the plethora of edge rushing talent in the SEC as they compete for All-American honors and NFL draft status in 2017.”

While Lawson was ranked No.17 overall, he was ranked fourth among SEC defensive ends, behind Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett (No. 2), Tennessee’s Derek Barnett (No. 4) and Missouri’s Charles Harris (No. 13). The entire list can be viewed here.

If Carl Lawson can complete his first non injury marred year, there’s no doubt he will be a key cog in restoring the Auburn pass rush to championship caliber level.

The post Is Carl Lawson Key to Restoring Auburn Pass Rush to Championship Level ? appeared first on Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blog.



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