aubiefifty 18,231 Posted August 4, 2021 Share Posted August 4, 2021 auburnwire.usatoday.com Where Auburn stands in each of ESPN's 'Position U' rankings Lance Dawe 4 minutes A hotly contested topic in college football is which school can officially claim the title of “DBU,” meaning which school consistently puts out the best NFL-caliber talent at the defensive back position. Auburn has never been in the running for DBU, but has certainly been in the running for other positions, such as RBU (running back university), QBU (quarterback university), and oddly enough KU (kicker university). Here is where Auburn ranked at every position in ESPN’s latest “position U” rankings. Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports Auburn currently has two QB’s in the NFL, and both are on the same roster. 2015 NFL MVP Cam Newton enters his second season with the New England Patriots in search of some the mojo that made him so special just a few seasons ago. Stidham is now buried on the depth chart behind veteran Brian Hoyer and first-round pick Mac Jones. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports ESPN decided to only look at players that have been developed since 1998 in their position U rankings. Had they decided to include the 1980’s in their research, Auburn probably would have been much higher on this list. Kerryon Johnson and Peyton Barber are the two former Tiger running backs that are still active in the NFL. Other greats since 1998 include Rudi Johnson, Cadillac Williams, Ronnie Brown, Kenny Irons, Ben Tate, Michael Dyer, Tre Mason, Cameron Artis-Payne, and Kam Pettway. Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports There isn’t enough recent history at the wide receiver position for Auburn to be considered for the top 10 in ESPN’s rankings. Auburn has had a difficult time producing high-caliber NFL receivers that can stay in the league in the Gus Malzahn era. Even if Seth Williams and Anthony Schwartz explode onto the professional scene, it might not be enough for Auburn to crack the top 10. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) The tight end position is a hot button issue within the Auburn fanbase. Could we see a resurgence at the position under Bryan Harsin? Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports Auburn has had 14 offensive linemen drafted since 1998. Four of them were first-round picks. Texas sits at the end of ESPN’s list at no. 10. The Longhorns have had 10 offensive linemen drafted since 1998, and only one of them was a first-round pick. What am I missing here? Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports Derrick Brown. That is all. Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports K.J. Britt was selected in the fifth round, No. 176 overall in this year’s draft, making him the highest-selected Auburn linebacker since Will Herring (161st overall in 2007). Of course, only one other Auburn linebacker was taken in that span, so it’s not saying much. For a school that gave us Takeo Spikes, Karlos Dansby, and Aundray Bruce, the recent era of linebackers has been awfully disappointing. -David Hale, ESPN Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports Auburn has had decent success at defensive back as of late, but nothing overly special that would quantify a top 10 DBU ranking. Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports Wes Byrum, Cody Parkey, Daniel Carlson. Auburn should be top five at least. Kicker might be the least desirable position group but this ranking was quite honestly ridiculous. Auburn hasn’t had enough recent success at punter to qualify for punter U. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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