Two Auburn Tigers Crack PFF’s 2026 NFL Draft Big Board
Just over a week after the 2025 NFL Draft, Pro Football Focus has released its 2026 NFL Draft Big Board, highlighting the top 200 NFL prospects ahead of this college football season.
Although Auburn hasn’t had a player drafted in the first round since 2020 (Noah Igbinoghene/Derrick Brown), edge rusher Keldrick Faulk is listed as PPF’s No.16 prospect.
Fellow Tiger Connor Lew also cracked the list, earning the 54th spot on the list.
Faulk, an incoming junior, has been effective since arriving on Auburn’s campus as a true freshman. The 6-foot-6, 270-pound pass rusher started in 12 games last season, finishing the year with seven sacks (top 10 in SEC), 11 tackles-for-loss and 45 combined tackles. As a freshman, he started in eight games, racking up 35 tackles and one sack while being named to the All-SEC Freshman team.
Last season, Faulk earned an 83.8 player grade from PFF, which would make him the second-highest-graded returning edge rusher in the SEC.
Lew, another player who has started since their true freshman season, has been incredibly reliable throughout his first couple of years with the Tigers.
The incoming junior started every game last season, finishing the year as PFF’s 20th-best center. Through 442 pass-blocking snaps, Lew gave up just one sack and only nine pressures. During his first season with Auburn, he played in nine games, making the All-SEC Freshman team after not allowing a single sack through 181 snaps.
The Tigers kick off their season on Friday, August 29, when they face off against Baylor.
Auburn Tigers fans have reason to be excited about the future, as two of their own have landed on Pro Football Focus’s initial “Big Board” for the 2026 NFL Draft. This early recognition highlights the potential of these young athletes and offers a glimpse into the talent brewing on the Plains.
While the specific names and rankings aren’t detailed in this snippet, the fact that PFF, a highly respected analytics site, has identified two Auburn players this far out from the draft speaks volumes. PFF’s evaluations are based on in-depth analysis of player performance and statistical data, giving weight to their projections.
This early inclusion on a prominent draft board provides valuable exposure for these Auburn stars. It puts them on the radar of NFL scouts and analysts, and will undoubtedly fuel anticipation among the Auburn faithful. As the 2024 season unfolds and these players continue to develop, their stock on future draft boards will be closely watched. This is a positive sign for the program and a testament to the talent being cultivated under the Auburn coaching staff.
