Auburn EDGE Keldric Faulk among Pro Football Focus' top-50 players list
Earlier in the week Keldric Faulk was revealed as one of the top ten defensive players in the latest EA Sports College Football video game. On Friday night he landed on another list. Pro Football Focus released their top 50 players for the upcoming college football season. Faulk ranked No. 30 among the best players in the nation. PFF mentions in the ranking that he improved with an 83.3 overall rating and was one of the best against the run.
Auburn is going to need Faulk to make a huge jump as a pass rusher in 2025. He had seven sacks last season. That was an improvement of only collecting one in his freshman season in 2023. The number of sacks will not be the key indicator of his effectiveness. It will be more important on the number of quarterback pressures Faulk and the rest of the defensive line can get. What helps that unit is the Tigers have an experienced group of defensive backs who can cover their receiver long enough for the pressure to get home.
As the ranking for PFF states, Faulk is a good player against the run. Auburn ranked sixth in the SEC as a team allowing 117.8 yards per game on the ground. They were ninth in the conference with just 28 sacks.
Faulk has been getting plenty of praise this offseason. PFF earlier in the offseason rated him as a top three defensive lineman in the country. He has also appeared in many mock drafts as a first-round draft pick. It will be interesting to see if Faulk can live up to those expectations this season.
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 Phillip on Twitter @PJordanSEC
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
30 minutes ago
- USA Today
Steelers legend Troy Polamalu, Jalen Ramsey go viral in worlds collide video call
Steel sharpens steel — the perfect description for the viral virtual meeting of new Steelers CB Jalen Ramsey and Pittsburgh's legendary safety, Troy Polamalu. On Saturday afternoon, ex-Steelers safety turned ESPN analyst Ryan Clark posted a screenshot of a surprise video call between Ramsey and Polamalu on social media — captioning the moment: "Connecting the Greats!! One Steelers legend and the next!" The post garnered praise and excitement from Steelers fans on social media — and not long after, Ramsey would thank Clark in the comments of his Instagram post for orchestrating the call: "Man, I appreciated that big bro @realrclark … Much love! I can't wait to be a part of something special!" The video call wasn't just a symbolic passing of the torch — Ramsey is expected to make an immediate impact throughout the Steelers secondary. His versatility allows him to line up outside, in the slot, and even at safety — a position Polamalu knows all too well. After the Steelers traded All-Pro Minkah Fitzpatrick to acquire Ramsey and TE Jonnu Smith, Pittsburgh could lean heavily on Ramsey's ability to play deep — but signing a veteran free-agent safety isn't entirely out of the question. For up-to-date Steelers coverage, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
NFL Draft buzz is continuing to build for Oklahoma Sooners defensive leader as he plans to put himself in first-round conversation
NFL Draft buzz is continuing to build for Oklahoma Sooners defensive leader as he plans to put himself in first-round conversation originally appeared on A to Z Sports. The Oklahoma Sooners haven't produced a first-round defensive prospect in the NFL Draft since Kenneth Murray in 2020. Murray was Oklahoma's first defender to be selected in the first round since Gerald McCoy in 2010, a statline the Sooners would like to change moving forward. Advertisement They could begin turning around the process in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft with one of their best playmakers, who decided to return to the Sooners for this season after heavily weighing entering the NFL last year. Pass rusher R Mason Thomas has continued to build up steady buzz for next year's draft as summer scouting has gone on, and the NFL scouting world has taken notice. Pro Football Focus's Trevor Sikkema wrote up Thomas and described him as a "potential impact player in the NFL". "Thomas' measurables may seem as though they would pigeonhole him into a stand-up outside linebacker role. He can certainly shine there, and does align in that technique at times, but he also produces with his hand in the dirt pre-snap. That role allows him to get incredibly low and almost always win the leverage battle at contact, loading all of his weight onto his quads for maximum explosiveness in his first step off the ball. Big offensive linemen tend to struggle to mirror and stay in front of him. And his fast and active hands only compound the issue for helpless blockers, especially if he deploys a two-handed swipe to stay clean and attack the outside shoulder." Additionally, Sikkema noted that Thomas had hit 22 plays where he was clocked over 15 mph. Sikkema wasn't the only draft analyst to take note of Thomas this week, however. Advertisement Daft On Draft's Cory Kinnan also wrote about the standout Sooner, saying Thomas has him "reconsidering just how high he would draft his role." "The Oklahoma defensive line has the chance to be extremely good in 2025. They have explosive playmakers off the edge and absolute stalwarts along their interior. The headliner is R Mason Thomas, who may make me rethink how high I would take a designated pass rusher (DPR). He's explosive as heck off the ball and has not seen a corner he cannot bend and take. With quality wins against Will Campbell, Kadyn Proctor, and more, Thomas could be the next in a line of Oklahoma DPRs to make an NFL impact behind the likes of Ogbo Okoronkwo and Nik Bonitto." While no analysts have outright made the claim he should be a first-round pick, he's firmly put himself just on the outside fringe of round one. Both Sikkema and Kinnan called him a potential DPR in the NFL, but that role has evolved and been selected earlier and earlier in recent years. James Pearce Jr. was selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, with Donovan Ezeiruaku following shortly after at 44th overall. In 2024, Chop Robinson was also selected in the first round, 21st overall. None of these players were considered particularly good against the run to be a true "three-down" pass rusher, thus falling into that DPR category. If Thomas stays healthy for another season and continues to grow his game, why can't he be next? Advertisement Related: Could the Oklahoma Sooners be getting a massive recruiting win for elite blue-chip talent sooner than later? View the original article to see embedded media. This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
7 hours ago
- USA Today
5-star WR Calvin Russell announces college commitment
As is always the case in the world of college football, the 4th of July holiday weekend is stacked with commitments of top-ranked players in the nation. We saw several 5-star players announce their commitments ealier in the week, and that continued on Saturday with the announcement fro 5-star WR Calvin Russell. While the Oregon Ducks were among the top schools for Russell, the No. 21 player and No. 3 WR in the class, per 247 Sports, they ultimately were unable to land him. On Saturday night, Russell announced his commitment to the Syracuse Orange. Russell took an official visit to Oregon in June and had the Ducks among his top schools. Still, the Ducks weren't a strong contender late in his recruitment as Syracuse and Michigan got into a bidding war over the top-tier prospect. Meanwhile, the Ducks — who landed 4-star WR Messiah Hampton last month — are considered the favorite to land 4-star WR Jalen Lott when he announces his commitment in a few days. Following the recent surge in commitments, Oregon now boasts the No. 10 class in the 2026 cycle and is likely to improve it further with a few more commitments on the horizon. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
