Insider notes on Auburn: Draft grades for top prospects ft. Eric Singleton Jr., Keldrick Faulk, and more

Auburn comes off a 5-7 season in which all three players drafted from the program were final-day picks. That won’t happen moving forward. In 2005, the school had three players selected in the top 10. Next year, they should have a pair of top-10 picks.

Moving towards the opening of the season, scouts have unanimously projected a pair of Auburn Tigers as early first-round picks, and both are worthy of the ranking.

Keldric Faulk is a dominant front-seven prospect and someone who will be branded as an impact defensive player. Despite having solid talent around him, Faulk is a one-man show who impacts games standing over tackle and out of a three-point stance. He’s quick, fast and very athletic. Faulk blows through double-team blocks on the inside to penetrate the line of scrimmage and rushes the edge with great speed to blow up plays. Yet he also shows ability in pursuit, makes plays in space and drops into coverage. He is very much an Abdul Carter-type of prospect.

One year ago, in my preview of Virginia Tech, I wrote, “Keep an eye on redshirt sophomore Xavier Chaplin, an offensive tackle who is destined to be the next big-time blocker to come out of the Virginia Tech program.”

I was half correct. Chaplin showed incredible improvement last season, and he is a big-time prospect, albeit for Auburn after his transfer. The junior left tackle is mobile, athletic and fundamentally sound. He’s outstanding in pass protection, moves incredibly well on his feet and annihilates opponents blocking in motion. Though he needs to improve his run-blocking strength, Chaplin has a long frame with growth potential.

Eric Singleton Jr. is another transfer set to impact the Auburn offense. The former Georgia Tech wideout is an explosive player with game-breaking speed and the ability to score from any point on the field. He’s also a good receiver who fights to come away with the contested grab and nicely makes underneath receptions. Singleton is small and expected to tip the scales under 180 pounds, which will be a red flag for teams.

Connor Lew is highly thought-of in scouting circles, as he’s a mobile blocker on the pivot who is very effective in motion. Lew has average size and playing strength but fits a zone-blocking scheme.

During my preview of Maryland last month, I mistakenly mentioned linebacker Caleb Wheatland being part of the program and the only Terrapins player with a draftable grade on my board. What I missed was the fact that Wheatland transferred to Auburn in the middle of April. Regardless, he’s a terrific run-defending linebacker who makes a lot of tackles up the field and in pursuit. Wheatland’s skills in coverage are also solid. He’s bigger than former Maryland linebacker Ruben Hyppolite, who was selected in the fourth round by the Bears this past April, though he’s not as fast.

Auburn Prospects
Grade	Rnd	Pos	Full Name	Yr	#
4.15	1st	DE	Keldric Faulk	4Jr	15
4.13	1st	T	Xavier Chaplin	4Jr	65
3.65	3rd	WR	Eric Singleton Jr.	3Jr	1
3.52	4th	C	Connor Lew	3Jr	75
3.36	6th	ILB	Caleb Wheatland	4Sr	43
3.35	6th	RB	Damari Alston	4Sr	0
3.34	6th	G	Dillon Wade	5Sr	52
3.33	6th	G	Jeremiah Wright	5Sr	77
3.28	7th	DT	Quientrail Jamison-Travis	5Sr	97
3.27	7th	DE	Keyron Crawford	4Sr	24
3.24	FA	T	Izavion Miller	4Sr	72
3.18	FA	WR	Horatio Fields	5Sr	5
3.1	FA	T	Mason Murphy	5Sr	76
3.04	FA	TE	Brandon Frazier	4Sr	87
3.01	FA	DE	Chris Murray	5Sr	3