2014 SEC Top 100 Countdown: No. 69 Montravius Adams, Auburn

SDS talent evaluators Jon Cooper and Brad Crawford spent several months breaking down last year’s highlights, incoming talent and projected 2014 impact following spring practice to compile a list of the SEC’s Top 100 players heading into fall. Athletes were selected by position then ranked overall counting down to No. 1.

Stick with SDS throughout summer and get in on the action using the hashtag #SDSTop100 as we unveil a new player daily leading up to opening night on Aug. 28.

69. Montravius Adams, Soph., DT, Auburn



This sophomore’s got the ideal body for an SEC defensive tackle — 6-foot-4, 306 pounds — and as a true freshman in 2013, bullied his way to 20 tackles and seven quarterback hurries despite being a situational player behind several seniors.

It didn’t take long for Adams, one of the nation’s top defensive players in the 2013 signing class, to relish in the roar of 87,000 strong after registering his first career sack in the second half of last year’s opener against Washington State. He’s Nick Fairley without the nasty, an immovable object in the center of an agile defensive line for the defending SEC champions.

Admittedly, it’s strange to see a burly interior rusher sporting a single digit, No. 1 in Adams’ case, a specification often reserved for freaks off the edge but he can handle those expectations of being the center of attention. Auburn defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson coached South Carolina’s Melvin Ingram, a player Adams mirrors, to All-American status in 2011 and there’s enough upside to do the same with this run-stopper in the fall. Both Ingram and Adams prefer strength over technique and rarely allow running backs to wrestle out of their grasp.

With increased snaps, Adams’ numbers will rise and he’ll finish second only to Carl Lawson in sacks on the Plains.

2013 statistics: 20 tackles, 7 QBH

2014 projection: 32 tackles, 5 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 10 QBH

Photo Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports