The most improved unit on the field for the Tigers will be the defensive line. This group struggled mightily last season with the losses of Fairley, Clayton, Blanc, and Carter. In 2012 the group will have more experience under their belts and are poised to become as one of the best defensive line units in the South.

DEFENSIVE ENDS

Strong Side:

Dee Ford 6-2 237 lbs

Nosa Eguae 6-3 262 lbs

Craig Sanders 6-4 263 lbs

Justin Delaine 6-5 250 lbs

Devaunte Sigler 6-4 295 lbs

Gimel President 6-4 250 lbs

The strong side defensive end spot will produce one of the biggest position battles on the team. Dee Ford looked ready to breakout last season but was kept off the field by the injury bug. Nosa Eguae had a good freshman year but was a bit of a disappointment in 2011. Eguae is more battle tested but Ford has received raving reviews from the coaching staff. Following them in the depth chart is a solid rotational player in Craig Sanders.

Weak Side:

Corey Lemonier 6-4 245 lbs

LaDarius Owens 6-2 255 lbs

Keymiya Harrell 6-4 260 lbs

There were a few bright spots from the 2011 edition of Auburn football. One of the biggest was sophomore Corey Lemonier. Lemonier exploded on to the scene with 13.5 TFL and 9.5 sacks. He made First Team All-SEC and even garnered All American honors from college football expert Phil Steele. Owens has put on a lot of good weight this off season, bulking up to 255 pounds. Chizik even made comments on the vast improvement from LaDarius. Let's hope Owens continues to improve to solidify one of the best defensive line units in the SEC.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

Defensive Tackle:

Jeffrey Whitaker 6-4 303 lbs

Angelo Blackson 6-4 317 lbs

JaBrian Niles 6-2 292 lbs

Jamar Travis 6-0 296 lbs

Defensive Tackle:

Ken Carter 6-4 294 lbs

Gabe Wright 6-3 305 lbs

Devaunte Sigler 6-4 295 lbs

Another area the Tigers will have to improve on to become a contender again is the defensive tackle position. Whitaker put up pedestrian numbers last season but has made strides in the spring. Carter showed some flashes in the bowl game against Virginia. Gabe Wright is predicted by many experts to improve his numbers greatly this season, notably by Phil Steele. Overall, this unit really matured in the Peach Bowl last season and are expected to vastly increase their production.

The Incomers:

Tyler Nero

* * * *

Defensive Tackle

Position Recruiting Ranking: 22

State Ranking: 10

Ht: 6-2

Wt: 285

Strengths: Athleticism, Body Control, Explosion

Areas to Improve: Size

Gimel President

* * *

Defensive End

Position Ranking: 44

State Ranking: 14

Ht: 6-4

Wt: 250

Strengths: Disruptiveness, Strength, Pursuit

Areas for Improvement: Run Defense

Scout Team

Devaunte Sigler So.

Defensive End/Defensive Tackle

Ht: 6-4

Wt: 295

Career Stats: 10 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 sack

Recruiting Ranking: Three Star, #64 National

Scout.com's Scott Kennedy's Breakdown of Sigler:

"Sigler has good size and is a good athlete that posseses good speed and change of direction. He's a good enough athlete that he lines up at linebacker at times, despite having a frame that could make him a defensive tackle one day. Sigler is more of a prospect than a player at this stage of his career, as he seems to lack some basic disengaging skills. Sigler played for a bad HS team, and motivation could have played a factor" - Scott Kennedy

Strengths: Athleticism, Size

Areas to Improve: Disengaging Skills, Quickness off the Ball, Technique

Brian Walsh rFr.

Defensive Tackle

Ht: 6-3

Wt: 307

Career Stats: n/a

Recruiting Ranking: n/a

Note: Preferred walk-on from Central Florida

Jamar Travis Sr.

Defensive Tackle

Ht: 6-0

Wt: 296

Career Stats: 6 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 QB hurries

Recruiting Ranking: Four Star, #29 Position

Scout.com's Scott Kennedy's Breakdown of Jamar Travis:

"A fireplug of a defensive tackle prospect, Travis shows an incredible amount of effort on the field. It's a common site to see him 20 yards downfield in pursuit of a ball carrier. He has a great first step and is outstanding sideline to sideline. With his lack of height, he'll need to learn to play with a little better leverage and occupy a double team without moving backwards, but that's a minor critique. Great Motor." Scott Kennedy - Scout.com

Strengths: Backside Pursuit, Effort, Quickness off the Ball

Areas to Improve: Strength

JaBrian Niles rFr.

Defensive End

Ht: 6-2

Wt: 292

Career Stats: n/a

Recruiting Ranking: Three Star, #31 Position

Scout.com's Scott Kennedy's Breakdown of Niles:

"Niles is a high energy player that makes a lot of plays on 2nd and 3rd effort. He has the size to be a 3-4 end or even a 4-3 defensive tackle. He's thick through the lower body giving him good strength and center of gravity. At times plays a little high and needs to do a better job of disengaging from his blocks, but still makes an impact when he is blocked by keeping his head up and clogging the passing lanes." - Scott Kennedy, Scout.com.

Strengths: Effort, Size, Quickness of the Ball

Areas to Improve: Disengaging Skills, Technique

Justin Delaine So.

Defensive End

Ht: 6-5

Wt: 250

Career Stats: 2 tackles, 0.5 TFL

Recruiting Ranking: Three Star, #31 State

Note: Sustained season ending knee injury against Mississippi State last season

Keymiya Harrell rFr.

Defensive End

Ht: 6-4

Wt: 260

Career Stats: n/a

Recruiting Ranking: Three Star, #27 Position