Auburn coach Hugh Freeze’s excitement about his offensive line grew stronger ahead of the Tigers’ fall camp.
With four of its five possible starters eligible for the 2026 NFL draft, Freeze received an NFL grade on each one of his veteran linemen.
The results exceeded his expectations.
“I think we’re in the best position we’ve been there also. I actually got an NFL grade back from the first guy that’s been here, and he has all five of those guys draftable, that are projected to be starters, plus [Izavion Miller],” Freeze said Wednesday.
Miller will be in an important position battle during camp as AL.com did not project him to start during the position preview series. However, the fact that Miller remains in NFL draft conversations highlights the overall talent level of this group.
Auburn signed experienced tackles Mason Murphy and Xavier Chaplin out of the transfer portal, adding to the corps of Dillon Wade, Connor Lew and Jeremiah Wright.
Wright, Wade and Murphy are all entering their last season of college football. Chaplin still has eligibility after this season concludes. But another dominant season could lead him to enter the NFL draft process early.
“We kind of block out the outside noise. Just trying to motivate, keep going and push each other to be better than we were last year,” Wright said. “We know our goals that we want to reach and that’s what we’re aiming for.”
Despite Lew just being a sophomore, his stellar play has already built his stock for the 2027 NFL draft, when he becomes eligible.
Freeze talked about the expectations from his offensive line this season and how the success of the offense ultimately starts with them.
“I think there’s high, high expectations on that group to be able to run the football and protect the passer,” Freeze continued. “Obviously, protection is not always just the o-line. We’ve got to get our (running) backs, tight ends to be convinced that they’re a huge part of that too and our quarterback setting it the right direction. There’s no running from it. We’re not going to understate it. We expect that group to be a solid group for us.”
Auburn returns back to practice Thursday afternoon as fall camp is officially underway for the Tigers.
Jerry Humphrey III covers Auburn sports forAL.com. You can follow him on X at @Jerryhump3or email him at JHumphreyIII@al.com.
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