There are 24 total former Auburn players on NFL rosters as it stands.
NFL cut-down day is always brutal, but fear not, Tigers fans — plenty of former Auburn players survived and will represent the Plains in the NFL every Sunday.
As Auburn Undercover writer Nathan King points out, you may not see some familiar names on this list. Players that could end up on practice squads (like Zakoby McClain) and players that are injured and will be on IR (like Smoke Monday) will not appear on this list — it is only for every Tiger that finds themselves on a final 53-man roster and is not injured or on a team’s practice squad.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at all 24 players on NFL rosters that used to be Auburn Tigers in their college days:
Check out the list of undrafted free agents that made an active 53-man roster heading into the 2020 NFL season
In any year, it’s an uphill battle for undrafted free agents to make the initial 53-man roster for their respective NFL team. It’s even more difficult to accomplish during a pandemic, without the benefit of OTAs, minicamps and preseason games.
But that hasn’t kept a long list of those undrafted hopefuls from accomplishing that feat this year.
This year’s group features players from college football programs both big and small, across all positions, and many with the opportunity to make an impact for their team from Day 1. Check out the list recently compiled by What’s On Draft’s Mark Jarvis and shared by Draft Countdown’s Scott Wright:
Depth, or a lack thereof, might mean more in the 2020 NFL season given COVID-19. What teams face questions about roster depth?
Football fans across the planet are hopeful that a 2020 season will take shape, one way or another. However, in a COVID-19 world, what that season looks like, if it happens at all, remains to be seen.
One thing that the global pandemic might do to NFL teams is test their depth. As we learn of reports from college teams, and even NFL franchises, of players testing positive for COVID-19 and facing mandatory quarantine times, we can only speculate about what could happen in a potential 2020 season. What happens if some teams face an outbreak? What teams are ready to contend with the loss of players during such a situation?
That might test the depth of NFL rosters in the season ahead.
It is certainly a dark topic to consider, but one that we are forced to confront in this new world.
NFL seasons are often struggles of attrition, and some rosters are deeper than others. Given these facts, what teams might face an uphill climb if their depth is tested?
11. Atlanta Falcons
(Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)
Last year the Atlanta Falcons rode a strong second half to a 7-9 finish, which sounds disappointing until you consider the team started the 2019 campaign with a 1-7 record. Many of their flaws were on the defensive side of the ball, and their first two draft picks in 2020 reflected that fact, as they added cornerback A.J. Terrell from Clemson and defensive lineman Marlon Davidson from Auburn.
Injuries also took their toll in 2019 on both sides of the ball. Atlanta lost one of their two first-round picks from 2019 on the offensive line, when Chris Lindstrom was placed on Injured Reserve prior to their Week 2 meeting against the Philadelphia Eagles. They also lost safety Keanu Neal for the season prior to their Week 4 outing against the Tennessee Titans. Losing top-flight players is one way to test a team’s depth, and the record speaks for itself with the Falcons.
Offseason additions such as Hayden Hurst and Todd Gurley (who also has a checkered injury history) have bolstered the roster somewhat, and they still have Julio Jones, one of the game’s most dangerous receivers. But if they run into injury problems like they faced in 2019, that might put some huge hurdles in their way in a division that seems a bit tougher than it did a season ago.
As we look ahead to the 2020 NFL season, what teams are best assembled to handle the attrition of an NFL season?
War metaphors when discussing the game of football leave many uneasy. But if there is a phrase that is suitable to what a team undergoes during an NFL calendar year, it is this one: The season is a war of attrition. Players suffer injuries on a weekly basis, and that will test the roster construction of even the best franchises.
What teams are best built to weather such storms? Here are the 11 deepest rosters in the league, along with a few teams that just missed the cut.
1. Baltimore Ravens
(AP Photo/Frank Victores)
Sure, the 2019 season did not end the way the Baltimore Ravens wanted it to. After winning the AFC North, securing the first overall seed in the conference and a first-round bye, the Ravens fell at home to the Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Round. Despite a 14-2 record and the presence of NFL MVP Lamar Jackson on the roster, they were relegated to watching the Super Bowl from their couches, like so many of us.
However, they remain an extremely deep roster and the moves the organization made this offseason only added to their depth. They addressed needs on both sides of the football, adding to the wide receiver room with Devin Duvernay and James Proche, giving them two solid slot options. They added to the front seven, drafting a pair of linebackers in Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison, and they also added up front, bringing in Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe in free agency and then Justin Madubuike in the draft. This is an extremely solid, and deep, roster as the Ravens look to avenge their 2019 finish.
