Braden Smith

Auburn offensive lineman Braden Smith (71) and offensive lineman Austin Golson (73) line up against Louisville during the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

(JULIE BENNETT)

In his debut season as a full-time starter Auburn right guard Braden Smith delivered on the promise he displayed as a heralded recruit.

Smith started all 13 games at right guard for the Tigers last season and is projected to again this fall, which is great news for Auburn's quarterbacks.

According to analytics company ProFootballFocus, Smith was the most efficient pass blocker among SEC guards last season, not allowing a single sack.

"He's one of the better overall offensive lineman in our league," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "He's a good pass protector, a good run blocker and he's got experience. Very athletic, he's very strong and competitive and smart. He's got everything you want."

Smith played all of Auburn's 334 pass snaps (Sean White and Jeremy Johnson combined to attempt 300 passes and were sacked 19 times), according to PFF, which charged the then-sophomore with allowing five hits and five hurries for a total of 10 pressure and graded Smith an SEC-best 97.8 on pass blocking efficiency.

"He's just so physical; everything he does is physical," redshirt-freshman offensive lineman Mike Horton said of Smith. "I call him terminator. Everything he does is full power, full speed, everything. ... I rarely see him mess up, ever. Ever. He does what he does and I'm learning off of him and he's teaching me some stuff."

By comparison, Georgia's Greg Pyke finished second among SEC guard in PFF's grading and gave up one hit and seven hurries but no sacks.

PFF ranks Auburn's offensive line as No. 8 nationally entering the 2016 in large part due to Smith and left guard Alex Kozan.

While Auburn's offense had its worst year in Malzahn's 10 years of college coaching, particularly in the passing game, PFF's analysis does not put the onus on the offensive line, which it charged with an SEC-low 61 total pressures allowed last season.

The high grades from last year don't mean Smith doesn't have room to develop.

Auburn offensive line coach Herb Hand specifically cited finer points of hand placement and footwork as areas where Smith can improve his game.

"The big challenge for Braden right now -- he's a really good player, I mean he's got a chance to be great, he's got a chance to be elite," Hand said. "Sometimes the step from good to great is a lot harder than the step from being kind of average to good. Because you can make major leaps but to really become elite it comes down to the finest details and the minute details and having attention to detail in everything you do.

"The thing that gives him a chance to be special in that regard is his approach everyday, he's got a businesslike approach. He's very focused on where he wants to be and how he wants to get there and he works extremely hard at that and is extremely coachable."