Gabe Wright Barry Brunetti

Auburn defensive tackle Gabe Wright (90) stops Ole Miss quarterback Barry Brunetti (11) during the second quarter Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013, at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

--

According to the calendar, spring is still a few weeks away, but the start of Auburn's spring practice looms in a little less than two weeks.

With the start of spring practice on the horizon, we're going to break down an Auburn position group each day for the next two weeks as we get closer and closer to the Tigers' first practice on March 18.

BY THE NUMBERS

Gabe Wright:

Montravius Adams:

Angelo Blackson:

Ben Bradley:

Jabrian Niles:

Brian Walsh

Tyler Nero:

THE DEPARTED

Nosa Eguae:

SPRING CAST

Gabe Wright, Sr.

Jeff Whitaker, Sr.

Angelo Blackson, Sr.

Ben Bradley, Sr.

Jabrian Niles, Jr.

Brian Walsh, Jr.

Montravius Adams, So.

Tyler Nero, So.

ON THE WAY

Devaroe Lawrence, Jr.

** DaVonte Lambert, Jr. -- (Could also play defensive end)

Dontavius Russell, Fr.

BURNING QUESTION

-- Can a group that played solid football in 2013 take the next step and produce a few All-SEC candidates in 2014?

STAR ATTRACTION

In a group that functioned best as a collective whole last season,

Gabe Wright

seems to be the closest to turning the corner and becoming a consistent playmaking force on the inside. Wright, who has incredible quickness off the ball and good penetrating ability, can be a pass-rush force, as he showed in a two-sack performance against Ole Miss, collapsing the pocket up the middle and forcing the quarterback into the defensive ends. But Wright still has a few games where he doesn't make many plays; for Auburn's defense to take the next step, especially with

Dee Ford

on his way to the first round of the NFL Draft, the Tigers need more games like the Ole Miss performance out of Wright.

FLASH OF POTENTIAL

For the first six games of his collegiate career,

Montravius Adams

looked like the freshman class's breakout star, a powerful presence who made 13 tackles in the first six games, but by his own admission, he hit the freshman wall a little bit once teams started paying more attention to him inside, and Adams only had seven tackles the rest of the way. At his best, Adams is a good combination of power and quickness, a player who showed the potential to be a future star despite being a raw prospect last season. If Adams can make big strides in terms of technique and understanding of the game, he can be a force.

WILD CARDS

Jeff Whitaker

, who was forced to sit out the season after undergoing surgery on his knee, will get his first chance to play in

Ellis Johnson

's system, and he's got two years as a starter under his belt, although he's not a prototypical pass rusher. In addition,

Angelo Blackson

and

Ben Bradley

both showed some flashes in the BCS National Championship Game, and with all the experience on the interior of the Tigers' line, there will be no shortage of competition for snaps.

ON THE WAY

Both

DaVonte Lambert

and

Devaroe Lawrence

will add more depth, but the real key might be

Dontavius Russell

, who adds a four-year presence to a position that will graduate a bunch of seniors after the 2014 season. In his first year on campus, Russell -- and the two junior college transfers -- might face a long road to playing time in a crowded group that has a lot of experience, but down the road, Russell's development will be key.

FACTS OF LIFE

-- Wright's three sacks and 8.5 tackles-for-loss are the highest numbers for an Auburn defensive tackle since

Nick Fairley

's dominant 2010 season. In fact, Wright's three sacks are the first time a defensive tackle has produced more than one in a season since Fairley.

QUOTABLE

-- "It seemed like a lot of double teams came to me after I started off with a sack, but it only means that I've got to get better, and they're paying more interest to me." --

Montravius Adams