How Auburn Tigers Can Replace Keyron Crawford After Raiders' Selection

Another Auburn Tigers defenderis officially off the NFL Draft board, as Keyron Crawford finally heard his name called in the third round of this year’s draft. He was the second Tiger to be picked up in this year’s draft, joining fellow edge rusher Keldric Faulk.

Pass rush just got personal.

We have drafted Keyron Crawford with the 67th pick.

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/DSq6lwTlKH
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) April 25, 2026

On Friday night in Pittsburgh, Crawford was selected with the third pick of the third round by the Los Angeles Raiders. He was the 67th overall pick in this year’s draft.

Crawford, who came into college football as a three-star prospect, originally spent two seasons at Arkansas State before transferring to Auburn ahead of his junior season. He was also a three-star in the Transfer Portal when Hugh Freeze acquired him for his 2024 roster.

The edge rusher’s best collegiate season, at least by counting stats, actually came before his time at Auburn, as he accumulated 44 tackles, 22 solo tackles and 5.5 sacks in his sophomore season at Arkansas State, which may have been the reason he decided he was ready for SEC-level competition, as well as why he was a big pickup for Hugh Freeze.

Crawford wasted no time in making his presence known on the Plains, as in his first season with Auburn, he managed to string together a 22-tackle, 16-solo-tackle season, including PFF Team of the Week honors for his performance against Kentucky.

His second, and final, season with the Tigers was where he generated some NFL buzz, though, as he put together a near career-high 36 tackles with a career-high 28 solo tackles, as well as forcing the first two turnovers of his career with a forced fumble and even an interception.

In his senior season with the Tigers, Crawford netted PFSN First-Team All-SEC honors as well as PFF Third-Team All-SEC honors, so it is understandable that he has generated some significant buzz and was swept up in this year’s NFL Draft.

The Tigers will now be without their two leading edge rushers in the 2026 season, as Keldric Faulk, another top-tier Tiger, was taken with the 31st pick of the first round by the Titans. So, how can the Tigers replace such top-level talent?

Alex Golesh has gone to work to fill in many gaps on his roster, and the edge rushing room is no exception, but several key Tigers from last year’s defense are sticking around for this season, so it will likely be a mix of new talent and returning Tigers.

On the returning talent front, the Tigers still have Jared Smith, who is currently expected to be one of the starters off the edge despite his youth, but the former four-star talent could be a dynamic piece for DJ Durkin in 2026. Another young player, JJ Faulk, the younger brother of first-rounder Keldric, is expected to begin to make strides at starting time in the upcoming season.

Chris Murray, who played for the Tigers last year after transferring in from Sam Houston State, was approved for an extra year of eligibility recently, so he may also be a key piece in the Tigers’ rotation.

The transfer portal, though, is where Golesh may have found his best pieces for the upcoming season, at least in terms of prior success and experience. Senior Ole Miss transfer Da’Shawn Womack is perhaps the most highly anticipated piece of this unit for the upcoming season, as he managed to put together 27 tackles, 14 solo tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in his most recent season.

Clearly, there are plenty of edge rushing options for the Tigers in 2026, though it will certainly be a challenge to replace NFL-caliber talent like Faulk and Crawford.

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