With two starters and one reserve selected in the 2018 NFL Draft, Alabama will need players to step up to not only fill starting roles but also provide depth along its defensive line this season.

Isaiah Buggs and Raekwon Davis are returning starters, and Quinnen Williams seemed to make a case for the first-team nose tackle vacancy left behind by first-round draft pick Daron Payne. But as for players coming off the bench behind that trio, that’s where things get murky.

After the A-Day Game, Nick Saban rattled off some of the players that can affect the passer for the Crimson Tide. He mentioned essentially all of the starters along the defensive front seven, including the trio of outside linebackers that should see plenty of the field this fall in Christian Miller, Terrell Lewis and Anfernee Jennings. But he also brought up a need for depth.

And sophomore LaBryan Ray was the first -- and only -- name that came to the 12th-year coach’s mind.

“We’re athletic and faster. We just need more depth,” Saban said. “We don’t have a lot of quality depth at a lot of positions on defense, and I think that’s going to be real key for us to be able to develop that and improving some of the players that we have who made a lot of progress in the spring. I think LaBryan Ray made progress. But we’ve just got work to do when it comes to depth on defense.”

Ray saw the field in six games last year as a true freshman before suffering a foot injury that left him limited down the final stretch of the season. In those six contests, though, the former 5-star recruit contributed five tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack as a reserve.

He entered the spring as someone expected to assume a larger role with so many departures, and the Madison, Ala., native did not disappoint. Davis, Williams and Miller each recorded two sacks for the first-team defense, but Ray and fellow sophomore Christopher Allen did the same for the second team in the 24-12 loss to the Crimson team April 21.

In total, Ray recorded four tackles, all of which were behind the line of scrimmage, as well as two quarterback hurries and one pass breakup in the public scrimmage to end the spring.

Alabama DE LaBryan Ray

His experience last season and in the spring should help him take that next step in 2018.

“It means a lot for down the road,” Ray told BamaOnLine this past postseason. “It’s going to be good for me because hopefully I’ll be able to go through this process again and with that, I’ll be more ready and know what’s going to come from the College Football Playoff.

“It’s helped me a lot. Not only mentally but physically. Physically, you go out there and you’re doing things as far as -- I remember the first time I got in here, the speed of the game. And overall your technique, you have to keep improving. I think I’ve been doing a good job of that. But there’s still a long way to go.”

Learning from Payne, Davis, Buggs and the rest of Alabama’s 2017 linemen aided Ray during his first year at Alabama, where he was asked to contribute one year earlier than expected.

“I learned a lot,” Ray said. “They taught me a lot, took me under their wings and, along with Coach (Karl) Dunbar, they taught me so much, whether it’s tape or stuff from the field. So, it’s been a blast working with them, that’s for sure.”

Saban admitted Ray, and even Allen, was forced into action because of the many of injuries to the Tide’s linebackers. Had it not been for that, the first-year duo would have likely redshirted.

But in hindsight, the in-game experience will benefit Ray as he takes on a larger role this fall.

“With Isaiah Buggs and Raekwon Davis set in stone as starters at end, it would be easy -- if unwise -- to discount the importance of Ray for the upcoming season,” BamaOnLine senior analyst Travis Reier said. “Depth in the pass rush is critical to the overall success of the defense, and that’s exactly what Ray will be expected to provide in 2018.

“Fast forward to a year from now and we’ll be talking about Ray as an every-down guy.”

Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).