Auburn Players in the NFL: 2018-19 Recap
As the NFL Draft unveils its stage in the Music City on Thursday, SportsCall has gone back to review what took place in the 2018 season from Auburn's perspective. Thirty one (36 total) former Tigers recorded a snap last season as a handful look to add their names to the list in 2019.
Montravius
ADAMS
DT - Green Bay Packers
Adams elevated his game in Year 2 seeing action in every game of the season. The second year player was in on 20 percent of the defensive snaps and 17.4 percent of the special teams snaps. Adams turned in his first career start in Week 16 versus New York then followed that up with a seven-tackle performance in the regular season finale versus Detroit.
Cameron
ARTIS-PAYNE
RB - Carolina Panthers
Artis-Payne contributed the majority of his snaps on special teams (27.27%) this season. With 16 carries and 56 yards, Artis-Payne found the endzone in final regular season game versus New Orleans.
Peyton
BARBER
RB - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Starting every game of the season, Barber had his best season as a pro. His 871-yard season ranked 19th in the league. His five rushing scores give him nine touchdowns in his three-year career.
Daren
BATES
LB - Tennessee Titans
Though only seeing 3.8 percent of the Titans' defensive snaps, he was an integral part of the club's special teams unit. Bates topped all other contributors on special teams snaps being on the field for 83 percent of the plays.
Angelo
BLACKSON
DT - Houston Texans
A key part of the defensive line rotation, Blackson recorded a snap on 40 percent of the defensive plays in 2018. Blackson, by far, had his best season as a pro with four starts and heavy contributions in the other 12 outings. He also recorded 87 special teams snaps.
Josh
BYNES
LB - Arizona Cardinals
One of the focal points of Arizona's defensive unit, Bynes found himself ranked in the top 10 in the league in total tackles for the first six weeks of the season. From Week 3 to Week 10, Bynes played 100 percent of the defensive snaps with all starts at middle linebacker. Bynes' highlight of the season was achieving a scoop and score from 23 yards out versus San Francisco in Week 6. He missed the final five games of the season after being placed on injured reserve because of a thumb injury.
Daniel
CARLSON
K - Oakland Raiders
After a shaky start in his first two games with Minnesota, Carlson was cut and then signed with Oakland with his first action coming in Week 8. After missing a 45-yard field goal in his second start with Oakland, Carlson went on to drill 15 in a row to end the season. His 94 percent accuracy rate tied him for fourth in the league among all eligible kickers.
Sammie
COATES
WR - Houston Texans
Despite just one catch on the year, Coates played in 12 games with 137 snaps on special teams. He signed with Kansas City in February for the 2019 season.
Shon
COLEMAN
OT - San Francisco 49ers
Coleman did not record a snap in 2018, as he found himself on the inactive list for the majority of the season.
Blake
COUNTESS
DB - Los Angeles Rams
Whether returning kicks (17 returns for 419 yards) or bringing down the ball carrier, Countess was a mainstay on special teams for the Rams. His 75 percent (356 plays) participation on that side of the ball ranked third on the team. Countess started the final game of the regular season at free safety versus San Francisco (two tackles and an interception).
Carlton
DAVIS
CB - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Battling injuries throughout the year (back & knee), Davis still managed to start 12 games and record 40 tackles (36 solo stops).
Casey
DUNN
OL - Washington Redskins
Dunn participated in two games (Green Bay & Carolina) this season, all on special teams. He was placed on injured reserve in mid-December.
Dee
FORD
LB - Kansas City Chiefs
Ford finished the season with 13 sacks tying for seventh in the NFL. His seven forced fumbles tied JJ Watt for the league's lead. Ford's best game of the season occurred versus Denver when the fifth-year player recorded three sacks and forced two fumbles. Ford started both playoff games for the No. 1 seed Chiefs. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl. Ford was franchise tagged after the season and then was later traded to San Francisco.
Rudy
FORD
DB - Arizona Cardinals
Ford heavily contributed on special teams for the Cardinals, as his 286 snaps ranked sixth on the team. He started one game at safety versus Denver finishing the day with three total tackles. He concluded the season with nine tackles.
Corey
GRANT
RB - Jacksonville Jaguars
Grant's season was cut short because of a foot injury placing him on the injured reserve list in the first half of the season. Before his injury, Grant saw the field in five games with his lone start coming against Tennessee (six carries for 11 yards). Grant set a career high with six receptions for 56 yards in Jacksonville's upset win over New England.
Josh
HARRIS
LS - Atlanta Falcons
Harris missed the first game of the season with a hip injury snapping a 103 consecutive game streak dating back to 2012, his rookie season. After Week 1, Harris played the next 11 games before having to be placed on injury reserve. Before last season, Harris inked a deal to stay with Atlanta until 2021.
Jeff
HOLLAND
LB - Denver Broncos
Holland saw the field in the final three games of the season with his best performance coming in the season finale when he finished with three tackles versus the Chargers.
Joshua
HOLSEY
DB - Washington Redskins
After spending the first 13 games on the physically unable to perform list, Holsey saw his first action versus Jacksonville. Unfortunately, his first game of the season would be his last, as he suffered a torn ACL.
Kerryon
JOHNSON
RB - Detroit Lions
It only took four weeks for Johnson to be featured in the starting lineup. Johnson rushed for 101 yards versus New England in Week 3, snapping a 70-game drought without a 100-yard rusher for Detroit. After pocketing seven starts, Detroit decided to reserve Johnson for the future making him inactive after spraining his knee. With Johnson's pace drawn out over 16 games, he would've finished 10th in the league in rushing.
Jonathan
JONES
CB - New England Patriots
Now two-time Super Bowl champion, Jones started five of the first nine games for the Patriots. His three interceptions marked his best outing in his career along with his 56 combined tackles.
Brandon
KING
DB - New England Patriots
King ranked third on the squad in special teams snaps (281) contributing in 15 games. His 12 regular season total tackles tied his career high mark set back in his rookie season in 2015.
Devaroe
LAWRENCE
DT - Cleveland Browns
Lawrence played in the first game of the season and then was inactive or did not see the field for the remainder of the year.
Carl
LAWSON
DE - Cincinnati Bengals
Despite coming away with just one sack in the first seven weeks of the season, Lawson still applied needed pressure to threaten the pocket. Lawson suffered a torn ACL against Tampa Bay in the last game of October ending his 2018 campaign.
Ricardo
LOUIS
WR - Cleveland Browns
---------------------------------------------------- Did not record a stat in 2018 ----------------------------------------------------
Louis did not see the field in 2018 because of nursing a neck injury. He recently signed with the Miami Dolphins this offseason.
Tray
MATTHEWS
DB - Minnesota Vikings/Indianapolis Colts/Green Bay Packers
---------------------------------------------------- Did not record a stat in 2018 ----------------------------------------------------
Matthews signed with Minnesota after the 2018 NFL Draft but was later waived. He then signed with Indianapolis in October before ending up on Green Bay's scout team roster.
Cassanova
MCKINZY
LB - Washington Redskins
McKinzy saw his first regular season action in the ninth game of the season versus Tampa Bay. In only his third outing on the year, McKinzy tore his pectoral which sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
Jonathon
MINCY
DB - Chicago Bears
---------------------------------------------------- Did not record a stat in 2018 ----------------------------------------------------
Mincy did not participate in a game but remained on Chicago's scout team roster for the entire season.
CAM
NEWTON
QB - Carolina Panthers
Despite missing the final two games of the season, Newton managed to throw for 24 touchdowns for the fifth time in his eight-year career. His 3,000-yard passing season streak continues to eight years. Before his last two outings, Newton threw multiple touchdown passes in 11 consecutive games which set a new career high. After his final game of the season versus New Orleans, Newton and the Panthers decided to call it quits for the season in order to nurse Newton's shoulder injury that had been hampering him throughout the season.
Cody
Parkey
K - Chicago Bears
Personally, Parkey hit the most field goals in a single season (23) since his rookie year with Philadelphia (32). Also handling kickoff duties, Parkey ranked second in the league with 65 touchbacks.
Greg
ROBINSON
OT - Cleveland Browns
In his first season with Cleveland, Robinson saw action in every game starting the final eight. Once implemented into the starting lineup, the entire unit only surrendered five sacks which was the best in the league. Cleveland inked a deal with Robinson to keep him on board for at least another season.
Chad
SLADE
OL - Houston Texans
---------------------------------------------------- Did not record a stat in 2018 ----------------------------------------------------
Despite not playing a snap in a regular season game in 2018, Slade pocketed his fourth consecutive year with Houston. He signed on with the New York Giants for 2019.
Braden
SMITH
OT - Indianapolis Colts
Though being drafted strictly to play guard, Smith saw all of his rookie action at right tackle. Filling in for the injured Joe Haeg, Smith became a mainstay at right tackle helping guide the Colts back to the playoffs for the first time since 2014. From Week 4 to 15, Smith played in 100 percent of the offensive snaps then later starting in both playoff games. Smith was part of a unit that went from worst in the league in pass protection to the best (2017: 56 sacks given up; 2018: 18). Smith was one of the easiest selections for the NFL's all-rookie team.
Neiko
THORPE
DB - Seattle Seahawks
Thorpe was one of the more important pieces to Seattle's special teams success contributing on 266 snaps which ranked third on the team.
CJ
UZOMAH
TE - Cincinnati Bengals
Uzomah turned in his best season as a pro producing more in 2018 than he did in his first three seasons combined. He played a vital role in Cincinnati's production on the receiving and blocking end. Starting 15 of 16 games, Uzomah saw 64 targets reeling in 43 of them (67.2%).
Jermaine
WHITEHEAD
DB - Green Bay Packers/Cleveland Browns
Whitehead started two games at safety for the Packers last season before ending the 2018 season with the Cleveland Browns. Whitehead helped pave way for Packers' Week 1 victory over Chicago with a key pass breakup late in the fourth quarter. His special teams contributions didn't go unnoticed, as he saw the field for 230 snaps.
Gabe
WRIGHT
DT - Oakland Raiders
Wright began the preseason on Miami's roster but was later cut then was signed the next day by Oakland. Wright recorded his lone tackle on the season versus Denver in Week 16.
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