Editor's note: This is Part II in a weeklong series looking at the five most pressing concerns Auburn faces this offseason.
AUBURN, Ala. -- Tre Mason will be missed. The junior running back finished with 1,816 yards, breaking Bo Jackson’s all-time single-season rushing record at Auburn. After the season, he declared for the NFL draft in hopes of taking advantage of the success.
However, Mason won’t be the first Auburn player to hear his name come off the board in May. He’ll likely go in the second or third round, but his teammate and fellow underclassmen Greg Robinson is a projected top-10 pick. The 6-foot-5, 320-pound offensive tackle was just as instrumental as Mason in the Tigers’ No. 1 rushing offense, and he’ll be even more difficult to replace next season.
Robinson was fairly unknown before the season. He started last year as a redshirt freshman, but nobody outside of Auburn knew his name. Now he’s considered one of the top players in the draft, and ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has him going No. 9 to the Buffalo Bills in his latest mock draft.
“Robinson has the physical tools and proven level of performance against SEC competition of a potential star at the next level,” Kiper said. “And the Bills must protect the investment they have in E.J. Manuel, who has had issues staying healthy.”
Whether Robinson is taken by the Bills remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: He won’t be blocking for Nick Marshall next season.
Auburn returns four starters from an offensive line that many thought was the nation’s best by the end of the season, but the loss of Robinson creates a gaping hole on the left side. The search to find his replacement is just as important, if not more important, than finding a running back or group of running backs to pick up where Mason left off.
The Tigers do have options at left tackle.
Redshirt freshman Shon Coleman served as Robinson’s backup last season and is in next line to take over. He has seen his share of battles. The former cancer survivor played for the first time in nearly four years when he took the field against Arkansas State early in the season.
Though it might be Coleman’s job to lose, he’ll have plenty of competition. Head coach Gus Malzahn said both Patrick Miller and Robert Leff will have an opportunity to win the starting job at left tackle.
“We’re going to open that dude up and see who wins the job,” Malzahn said. “The good thing is that we have a little bit of depth at that [position] and have some experience.”
Miller had started 14 straight games at right tackle dating to 2012, but he lost his job to redshirt freshman Avery Young after having to sit out for off-the-field issues midway through this past season. Now he’ll try and win the starting job on the left side.
Young, an ESPN 150 recruit in his own right, is expected to start next season at right tackle, but he could be an option at left tackle.
“We haven’t gotten there yet,” Malzahn said earlier this month. “As we get done with recruiting, we will start thinking more personnel-wise.”
The answer might still be out there on the recruiting trail. ESPN 300 offensive lineman Braden Smith (Olathe, Kan./South) visited the Plains over the weekend, and Auburn is also in the mix for junior college offensive tackle Jordan Prestwood (Tampa, Fla./Arizona Western).
Whoever wins the job might hold the key to replicating last season’s success on offense.
Read Part I: Finish strong
