Zion Puckett, an Auburn safety who participated in the Music City Bowl on December 30, said on Tuesday that he plans to join the 2024 NFL Draft.
Puckett has spent the previous two seasons as Auburn’s starting safety and has participated in 33 games with the Tigers in his three seasons. Having completed his fifth year at Auburn in 2023, Puckett was eligible to return for 2024 due to a combination of a redshirt year and the COVID-19 epidemic.
But without Puckett, Auburn will now have to replace all of its starting safeties—Jaylin Simpson and Puckett, who intend to forgo their remaining eligibility and enter the NFL Draft—with Nehemiah Pritchett and DJ James, who are both out of eligibility and headed to the NFL Draft.
Similar to Puckett, Simpson stated that he intends to play professionally but will nevertheless participate in the bowl game.
It appears that Auburn has a fairly well-defined plan for the cornerbacks. Returning defensive back Keionte Scott stated that he will switch from playing nickel to outside cornerback, while as a true freshman, rising sophomore Kayin Lee performed admirably in several starts outside. Donovan Kaufman, a junior defensive back, will probably take over Scott’s prior nickel role.
Much more dubious is the safety posture. Auburn lacks a clear internal option in defensive back Caleb Wooden, a sophomore versatile back.
Puckett remarked, “Once we’re done, I think Caleb Wooden is one of them.” “And Terrance Love, I believe. Those two, in my opinion, will make up a solid secondary for the remainder of the game. They’ll do a fantastic job of just standing behind us, in my opinion. I believe that the leadership that we demonstrated will be very beneficial.
Laquan Robinson, a junior college transfer from Holmes Community College and the best junior college safety prospect, has committed to the Tigers as of right now.
Auburn is still putting a lot of effort into pursuing KJ Bolden, a Florida State commit and five-star safety. Bolden intends to participate in National Signing Day on Wednesday by signing. Getting his signature would be a huge talent boost for a safety group that is severely short on expertise.
Leave a Reply