We’re taking a look at each position group as Auburn prepares to open spring practice on March 16. The sixth of a 10-part series looks at the defensive line.

Auburn’s defensive line will have a distinctly different look this season, as the Tigers must replace a lot up front following the departures of reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year and unanimous All-American Derrick Brown, Marlon Davidson and Nick Coe, as well as Gary Walker.

It’s a lot of production to replace, though the Tigers return a pair of starters in Big Kat Bryant and Tyrone Truesdell, as well as some experienced role players who will be tasked with stepping into bigger parts this offseason.

Projected depth chart:

Defensive end

Derick Hall, sophomore, 13 tackles, 1.5 for a loss, two quarterback hurries

Big Kat Bryant, senior, 16 tackles, two for a loss, 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups, nine quarterback hurries

Zykeivous Walker, freshman, four-star signee, No. 77 overall recruit in 2020 class

Defensive tackle

Tyrone Truesdell, senior, 31 tackles, five for a loss, three sacks

Jaren Handy, sophomore, seven tackles, one for a loss, one quarterback hurry

Defensive tackle

Daquan Newkirk, redshirt senior, five tackles, two for a loss, one sack, one forced fumble, one quarterback hurry OR

Coynis Miller Jr., junior, four tackles, 0.5 for a loss, two pass breakups

Caleb Johnson, redshirt sophomore, six tackles, two for a loss, one sack

Buck

Big Kat Bryant, senior, 16 tackles, two for a loss, 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups, nine quarterback hurries

T.D. Moultry, senior, four tackles, one for a loss, one sack, four quarterback hurries

Derick Hall, sophomore, 13 tackles, 1.5 for a loss, two quarterback hurries

Colby Wooden, redshirt freshman, four tackles, 0.5 for a loss

Romello Height, freshman, three-star signee

Departed:

Derrick Brown, 55 tackles, 12.5 for a loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles, four pass breakups, two quarterback hurries

Marlon Davidson, 48 tackles, 12.5 for a loss, 7.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one pass breakup, five quarterback hurries

Nick Coe, 15 tackles, three for a loss, three quarterback hurries

Gary Walker, one tackle, one pass breakup

Due to arrive in the fall:

Jay Hardy, four-star defensive end

Dre Butler, four-star JUCO defensive tackle

Daniel Foster-Allen, three-star defensive end

Marquis Burks, three-star JUCO defensive tackle

Outlook:

Replacing Brown and Davidson in a single offseason is no simple feat; Brown was a unanimous All-American and a soon-to-be first-round NFL Draft pick, while Davidson was a four-year starter who also garnered All-America honors and could earn his way into the late first round as well. Losing Coe, who was the team’s most productive pass-rusher in 2018 but fell out of favor last season, is also tough considering his talent and upside.

All that to say that Kevin Steele and Rodney Garner have been prepared for this. As Steele has noted several times in the past: If you’re waiting until players are gone to find their successors, you’re not doing your job; it’s something the coaching staff plans for years ahead of time.

Garner has been successful recruiting along the defensive line over the years, and there’s no shortage of talent available for Auburn up front on defense entering 2020. Even if it may not have the experience of Davidson or the generational talent of Brown, the Tigers should be in good shape along the line this season given Garner’s propensity to rotate at least eight players up front to develop depth.

Replacing Brown could be the most difficult aspect, but the Tigers return three veteran contributors who will likely be leaned upon to fill the two defensive tackle spots. There’s Tyrone Truesdell, who started nine games at tackle alongside Brown last season, as well as Daquan Newkirk and Coynis Miller Jr. Newkirk returned from a second Achilles injury last season to play in 12 games and make one start at tackle, and if he can make it through this offseason healthy, arguably the strongest player on the Tigers’ roster — in competition with Truesdell for that claim — could be a prime candidate to take a big leap in 2020.

“Man, he’s a straight animal,” Davidson said about Truesdell at the NFL Combine. “He is. Probably the strongest man in our weight room, to be honest with you. Him and Daquan Newkirk. Those guys are impressive. Tyrone Truesdell, he’s going to be a big help for us at defensive tackle after this year playing alongside Derrick and me; he was a great help this year, and it was his first year truly playing playing, but next year I think he’s going to take the step to be the best up front.”

Miller, meanwhile, has not started a game at tackle but he has been a key backup each of his first two seasons and is another player who, if he can put everything together, could be a factor in the middle of the line as a junior.

Auburn also returns Big Kat Bryant as the starter at Buck, where he got the nod in all 13 games last season, as well as rotational pieces in T.D. Moultry — who has still yet to make everything click and reach the potential those within the program believe the former four-star prospect has — and Derick Hall, who is a viable option this spring to earn the starting job at defensive end following Davidson’s departure. Hall appeared in 10 games last season and got his first career start at defensive end against Alabama in the Iron Bowl. Bryant, whose ability to get to the backfield but not finish with sacks last season was similar to Davidson’s story in 2017 and 2018, could also see time over at end this spring, while freshman early enrollees Zykeivous Walker — the second-highest rated signee in the Tigers’ 2020 class, with a skillset comparable to Davidson’s — and Romello Height will get an early jump on a chance to crack the rotation.

Other role players will also have a chance to earn spots in the deep defensive line rotation this spring, with Colby Wooden coming off a redshirt season in which he battled mononucleosis, sophomore Jaren Handy looking to build off his late-season uptick in playing time, and redshirt sophomore Caleb Johnson trying to carve out a niche as well.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.