Auburn's Faulk a Top 10 Pick in NFL Draft, Per CBS

Auburn Tigers edge rusher Keldric Faulk has been a popular man this offseason as one of the top players in college football for 2025.

On Monday, CBS Sports’ Mike Renner sang Faulk’s praises, describing the junior as a top 10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, making Faulk the only edge rusher Renner deemed worthy of such praise, despite a class that Renner described with much excitement.

“This upcoming edge class is BIG,” Renner wrote. “Not only in terms of talent, but quite literally in terms of size. I wouldn't be surprised if, come draft day, we see five first-round defensive ends who tip the scales at more than 270 pounds. Compared to the zero we saw last spring and one in 2024 (Darius Robinson Jr.), it will feel like we've turned back the clock 30 years!”

With all that said, though, Renner's No. 1 at the position is Faulk.

“When you have the kind of length, explosiveness and strength that Faulk has, evaluators will be lining up to see what your future holds," Renner wrote, despite indicating that Faulk may not be the top edge rusher in the class if it were based off of pure performance from last season.

Renner even compared Faulk to a former top 10 pick at the position.

“Faulk reminds me a bit of former top-10 pick Tyree Wilson, although the kind of things it took Wilson until his redshirt senior season to do, Faulk was doing as a true sophomore last year,” he wrote. "There's still an undeniable looseness to his game that needs to be refined, but once it does, look out."

Faulk is certainly the Tigers’ most well-known defensive player at the moment, but will he live up to the hype? The edge rusher seems comfortable in the spotlight. Last year, he made headlines as the youngest Tiger to represent the university at SEC Media Day, at just 18 years old.

There, Faulk discussed balancing being a highly touted draft prospect while trying to help Auburn right the ship after recent lackluster seasons.

"I take every day and deal with it every day like I've been doing. I don't worry about the NFL or worry about any of that," he said. "I worry about the 2025-2026 season with the Auburn Tigers."

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