aubiefifty 16,740 Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Linebacker a position of strength for Auburn this spring James Crepea | jcrepea@al.com We're taking a look at each position group as Auburn prepares to open spring practice on Feb. 28. The eighth of a nine-part series looks at the linebackers. Projected depth chart: Middle linebacker Tre' Williams, senior, 67 tackles with 3.5 for loss in 11 games Darrell Williams, junior, 52 tackles with three for loss in 13 games K.J. Britt, freshman Strong-side linebacker Deshaun Davis, redshirt-junior, 63 tackles in 13 games Tre Threat, sophomore, three tackles in 13 games Richard McBryde, redshirt-sophomore, two tackles in nine games Weak-side linebacker Montavious Atkinson, junior, 30 tackles with 4.5 for loss in 12 games Cameron Toney, senior, two tackles in six games Chandler Wooten, freshman Josh Shockley, junior, played in 13 games Departed: T.J. Neal, 29 tackles in 12 games; Greg Hall Jr., one tackle in 10 games Due to arrive in the fall: T.D. Moultry Outlook: The core of Auburn's defense in 2017 might be its linebacking corps. With starters Tre' Williams and Deshaun Davis as well as key contributors in Darrell Williams and Montravious Atkinson all back, what was a position with great uncertainty last off-season is now one of strength. What Auburn does need to focus on at linebacker in the spring is developing quality depth, particularly as Tre' Williams is set to leave after the upcoming season. Auburn spring position preview: QB | RB | WR | HB/TE | OL | DL | Specialists K.J. Britt and Chandler Wooten both being early enrollees will help to that end. One or both should get a look at the spot behind Atkinson, who was one of the pleasant surprises of the entire defense in 2016. Spring won't be a good litmus test of major schematic changes necessarily, as any new blitz packages won't be seen publicly, but the Auburn linebacker corps has not been terribly productive as pass rusher in recent seasons. With the Tigers having to make up for the loss of Carl Lawson and Montravius Adams on the defensive line, it's not unreasonable to think linebackers could be called upon to help make up the difference. From a leadership standpoint alone, Tre' Williams and Davis are the leading candidates to take over as defensive captains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgufcm 4,096 Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Where in hot heck did he get that projected depth chart? Deshaun was our starter at MLB last year. Tre and Darrell played OLB when we had three on the field. I don't expect that to change unless we shift to some four LB sets with Tre shifting to the second ILB spot. Anyway, I do agree that it should be a position of strength so long as the depth holds up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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