Former Auburn Offensive Lineman Lends High Praise to Keldric Faulk

This former member of the Auburn Tigers knows Faulk quite well from his time as his teammate

Auburn's Keldric Faulk came into the draft, garnering more attention for what he could bring to an NFL team | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

As the 2026 NFL Combine continues to roll on, a few notable names from the Auburn Tigers have made their presence known. One such player, Keldric Faulk, entered the combine as a near-consensus first-round pick, and he has been showing off, earning himself a top-five ranking among defensive ends and edge rushers.

One of Faulk’s former teammates, offensive lineman Dillon Wade, had high praise for Faulk in a recent interview.

“Keldric, I watched him develop from a freshman to where he is now,” Wade said. “Keldric is a big, strong, physical presence, and watching him play football is a great honor.”

Auburn offensive lineman Dillon Wade speaks with media at the 2026 NFL Draft Combine. 🦅🏈

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Faulk, who is the only Tiger to enter the 2026 NFL Draft as a junior, has been highly decorated for as long as Wade has known him. Throughout his illustrious career with the Tigers, Faulk managed to string together All-SEC Freshman honors, SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors and was ESPN’s 18th-best player in the top 100 headed into 2025, all while accumulating a host of other awards, honors and mentions.

Throughout his three-year career at Auburn, Faulk put up an impressive 110 total tackles, 74 solo tackles and 10 sacks. He also defended six passes and forced a fumble, though he did not recover it himself.

Faulk has landed in the first round of many significant mock drafts, and his combine measurables certainly back up those opinions. At 6-foot-6, 276 pounds, Faulk’s athleticism score, as determined by Next Gen Stats, ranks as the sixth-best in the draft.

Lance Zierlein, an NFL analyst, had high praise for Faulk when he evaluated him during this year’s NFL Combine.

“Faulk has a long, developing frame, good movement skills and the potential for odd or even fronts once he gains more muscle mass,” Zierlein said. “He’s a culture player with high character who earns a grade bump based on his age (turns 21 in September), traits and advanced foundation. A fluid athlete with good movement skills, he works around blocks with finesse... His toughness and mentality suggest he’ll play through blocks more consistently in an NFL environment.”

This year’s NFL Draft is scheduled for April 23 to April 25 in Pittsburgh, and will be the beginning of perhaps the most notable Auburn defensive career since Derrick Brown made headlines as a first-rounder to the Panthers in 2020.