Even though Auburn's defensive line will basically have a whole new look thanks to the NFL Draft and graduation, there are several players returning from last year's group that could make the position a strong point of the defense.

All across the board, every position for the Tigers took a hit in the offseason. The defensive line is one of those areas that was hit especially hard. Lombardi Award winner Nick Fairley left for the NFL, while Antoine Carter, Zach Clayton, Mike Blanc, and Michael Goggins all graduated. They combined for 169 tackles, 52.5 tackles for a loss, 20.5 sacks and 57 quarterback hurries. The line took another hit in February when position coach Tracy Rocker left for the same position with the NFL's Tennessee Titans. Rocker came to Auburn when Gene Chizik was hired in 2009. Chizik hired former Auburn standout Mike Pelton as Rocker's replacement. Pelton coached the defensive line at Vanderbilt the last two seasons, and held the same position on Chizik's staff at Iowa State from 2007-08. Before his time at Iowa State, Pelton spent six years on the staff at Troy. While at Troy, Pelton mentored defensive linemen Demarcus Ware and Osi Umenyiora. A six-year veteran, Ware is a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro linebacker with Dallas. Umenyiora is a two-time Pro Bowl defensive end for the New York Giants. Last year, Auburn's success on defense started up front with the defensive line. Although several freshmen saw playing time as backups, Pelton has to prepare them to be starters and also get them mentally ready for the tough grind against SEC competition so they can set the tone for the rest of the defense. Despite bringing a proven track record to the Plains, Pelton probably faces the biggest challenge of his coaching career as he tries to rebuild Auburn's young, unproven defensive line. This includes both tackle positions where Auburn has two rising sophomores ready to step into starting roles. Jeffrey Whitaker (Photo courtesy of AUTigers.com) Jeffrey Whitaker and Ken Carter are talented but still raw when it comes to actual game-time experience. Both gained much needed confidence last season but it's still too soon to tell how they will perform during pressure situations. They combined for 13 tackles and a sack in very limited action as backups to Fairley and Clayton. While Whitaker and Carter are projected to start at both tackle positions, highly recruited defensive tackle Gabe Wright could bump one of them out as a starter. Wright didn't arrive on campus until August so he'll have to adapt quickly to the college game. Last season, Wright had 41 tackles, including two for a loss, as a senior in high school. The two end spots fair much better for the Tigers as Corey Lemonier is set to start on the weakside after an outstanding freshman campaign that saw him excel as a pass rush specialist on third down. He earned Freshman All-SEC honors after making 17 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss and 2 sacks. Junior Dee Ford could make a push for playing time as a backup to Lemonier. Ford had a very productive spring which translated into earning defensive MVP honors after the A-Day game. Nosa Eguae (Photo courtesy of AUTigers.com) Craig Sanders was a standout on special teams last year but is expected to provide depth at end along with junior college transfer Joel Bonomolo and redshirt freshman Justin Delaine. The starter on the strongside and leader of the line is sophomore Nosa Eguae. Eguae is the most experienced player on the line with 11 starts for the Tigers last season. That's 10 more starts than the rest of Auburn’s projected starting linemen combined. Last year as a redshirt freshman, Eguae started the fourth game of the season and held the job the rest of the way. He finished the year with 22.5 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Phil Marion Next week: Linebackers Quarterbacks and Wide Receivers Running Backs Offensive Line