Auburn EDGE projected to land with Dallas Cowboys in ESPN's latest NFL mock draft
Keldric Faulk's NFL draft stock continues to rise as the 2025 season draws closer.
The talented Auburn pass rusher received another first-round projection this week as ESPN's Matt Miller pairs Faulk with the Dallas Cowboys at No. 13 overall in his latest mock draft released Monday. Although the draft order for next year's draft will not be revealed until after the 2025 season concludes, Miller used the latest data from ESPN's Football Power Index to build his mock draft.
Miller feels that Faulk would mesh nicely with linebacker Micah Parsons to give Dallas a speedy pass rush game.
The Cowboys enter the season still needing to sign Micah Parsons to a long-term extension. While they signed Dante Fowler Jr. this offseason, Dallas needs more on the edge after passing on the position in the 2025 draft. At 6-foot-6, 288 pounds, Faulk is a versatile player who can play along the defensive line, from 3-technique to a true outside edge. He can generate pressure from inside and out, as evidenced by his 24 edge pressures and five interior pressures last season. Faulk's size and strength would be fun to pair with Parsons' speed.
Faulk ranks No. 16 in Pro Football Focus' Big Board ahead of the 2026 NFL draft after taking a giant step forward in development last season. He improved his season grade from 67.5 as a freshman to 83.8 as a sophomore, and drastically increased his numbers in snaps, sacks, and quarterback hurries. PFF sees high draft potential in Faulk after he finished in the top 20 in several categories last season.
His 83.8 overall PFF grade was more than 16 points better than what he posted as a freshman and is the fifth-best mark of any returning Power Four edge rusher. The former four-star recruit is at his best in the run game, tying for eighth among Power Four edges with 23 run-defense stops last year. Faulk is still developing moves as a pass rusher, but he did show improvement there with nine sacks and 45 pressures last year. Both those figures stood in the top-20 of the Power Four.
Faulk's first-round chatter is music to Auburn's ears, as the program has not produced a first-rounder since 2020. Its current five-year drought matches its drought from 2015-19 for the program's longest since 2000.
Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
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