{"id":258837,"date":"2025-12-16T09:17:37","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T14:17:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=258837"},"modified":"2025-12-16T09:17:37","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T14:17:37","slug":"auburn-sends-two-elite-stars-towards-nfl-2026-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/12\/16\/auburn-sends-two-elite-stars-towards-nfl-2026-nfl-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"Auburn Sends Two Elite Stars Towards NFL 2026 NFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Auburn<\/a> football consistently contributes to the NFL Draft<\/a> pipeline. Now, the team is stirring up controversy once more, as the Tigers are losing two elite players who pursued different paths but ultimately arrived at a similar destination. Jeremiah Wright<\/a>, an offensive lineman,<\/a> and Keldric Faulk<\/a>, a defensive end<\/a>, have both declared for the 2026 NFL Draft, marking the end of their significant Auburn careers.<\/div>\n
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While roster changes have become the norm in college football, these departures hit differently. Neither move came from the transfer portal. Instead, both players earned their exits through development, patience, and production. For Auburn, it’s another reminder that the program can still shape NFL-caliber talent, even during transition years.<\/div>\n
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Auburn Tigers interim head coach DJ Durkin hugs offensive lineman Jeremiah Wright (77) during a senior day ceremony before Auburn Tigers take on Mercer Bears at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Jeremiah Wright’s Long Road Finally Pays Off<\/h2>\n
First, Jeremiah Wright’s story is all about persistence. Wright spent six seasons at Auburn, enduring multiple coaching changes, injuries, and position switches. Early on, Wright faced limited playing time. Then came the setbacks, including a torn ACL that could have ended his run. Instead, Wright responded by grinding harder.<\/div>\n
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Eventually, everything began to align. In the past couple of years, Wright settled into the right tackle spot, taking the field week after week\u201424 games without missing a start. His consistency gave Auburn’s front line some much-needed stability, showing grit and focus every snap. The numbers backed it up: a solid 68.3 mark from PFF matched what fans could see firsthand, while his 33 pancake blocks topped the roster, proving he packs serious power.<\/div>\n
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Just as important, Wright earned respect inside the locker room. In his announcement, he thanked Auburn for helping him grow on and off the field, calling the support “unmatched<\/em>.” That maturity matters at the NFL<\/a> level, especially for linemen, who often develop later in their careers.<\/div>\n
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As he heads toward the draft, Wright profiles as a durable interior lineman with SEC<\/a> experience and real upside for teams looking to build depth up front.<\/div>\n

Keldric Faulk Leaves as Auburn’s Defensive Tone-Setter<\/h2>\n
Meanwhile, Keldric Faulk recently exited as one of Auburn’s most elite defenders. The Alabama<\/a> native embraced the responsibility of playing for his home-state school and turned that pride into performance. In his three seasons, Faulk totaled 109 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks, consistently disrupting plays at the line of scrimmage. What separates Faulk, though, is effort. He plays fast. He plays violently. And he never takes a snap off. Those traits helped him emerge as a leader on defense and caught the attention of NFL evaluators.<\/div>\n
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Faulk credited Auburn’s coaching staff for pushing him daily, noting how accountability and trust shaped his game. Now, that development shows up on draft boards. He currently sits at No. 16 overall on Mel Kiper’s Big Board<\/a>, putting him firmly in the first-round conversation.<\/div>\n
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Faulk\u00a0brings<\/span>\u00a0power<\/span>,\u00a0quick<\/span>\u00a0movement<\/span>,\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0adaptability<\/span>\u00a0to\u00a0NFL<\/span>\u00a0squads<\/span>.\u00a0Given<\/span>\u00a0a<\/span>\u00a0solid<\/span>\u00a0match<\/span>,\u00a0he’s<\/span>\u00a0got<\/span>\u00a0what<\/span>\u00a0it<\/span>\u00a0takes<\/span>\u00a0to<\/span>\u00a0contribute<\/span>\u00a0fast<\/span>\u00a0on\u00a0game<\/span>\u00a0days<\/span>.<\/div>\n

Why It Matters<\/h3>\n
Ultimately, Wright and Keldric Faulk’s leaving for the NFL Draft sends a simple message. Auburn players who remain committed, embrace coaching, and persist in their hard work can achieve success at the highest level of the league. The Tigers lose experience, leadership, and toughness. But they also gain credibility. And for Wright and Faulk, the next chapter is just beginning. The draft process awaits. The film speaks loudly. Now, it’s time to prove it at the next level.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Main Photo: Jake Crandall\/ Advertiser-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Auburn Tigers have sent their two battle-tested players, Jeremiah Wright and Keldric Faulk, for the 2026 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5700,"featured_media":259165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1647],"tags":[33533,33707],"class_list":["post-258837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-draft","tag-2026-nfl-draft","tag-keldric-faulk"],"modified_by":"Will Koshover, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5700"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258837"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":259167,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258837\/revisions\/259167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}