The Auburn Tigers have churned out a load of defensive standouts through the decades, but these five stand out more than most.

Deciding which Auburn defender stands as the best of all-time is akin to figuring out which Bentley you prefer. No wrong answers, just a truckload of possibility. Struggling years or not, Auburn University churns out defensive players left, right, and center.

The list contains just five names with certain parameters. First, from 1982 to the present. Next, nothing the players accomplished during their time in the NFL counts, and it should not. The list centers around what people accomplished during their time on the Plains. In reverse order, the five most impactful defenders in Auburn football history.

5. Nick Fairley (DL, 2009-2010)

Despite just 27 career games as an Auburn Tiger, Fairley makes the list. In 2010 Fairley authored one of the most dominant seasons in program history. 24 tackles for loss combined with 11.5 sacks, and a BCS Championship garners this spot.

Unblockable for an entire year, Fairley did for the front seven what Cam Newton did for the offense in 2010: placed the burden of expectation on his back. Only once during that run did Fairley fail to register a sack or tackle for loss, a 49-31 win against Georgia.

4. Quentin Groves (Edge, 2004-2007)

Somehow, the BCS snubbed an undefeated team with an all-time great defense. During their undefeated season, Auburn’s defense put the clamps on everyone they lined up against. How else do you explain a defense holding opponents to 14 or fewer points an astonishing 11 times.

That starts upfront with Groves living in the backfield, making life miserable for tackles and quarterbacks alike. During his stay, Groves tallied 26 sacks, good enough for first (tied) all time. Furthermore, wrecking the run game with 38 tackles for loss carries considerable weight. He doesn’t get the acclaim that such a storied career should grant him.

Groves passed away way too soon in 2016from complications from Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

3.  Derrick Brown (DL, 2016-2019)

Imagine a building with mobility, a condo with agility. Through his 53 games at Auburn, Brown terrorized opposing linemen with jolting power and constantly-churning feet. He disrupted rushing attacks with his ability to quickly stack, shed and make the play.

35 tackles-for-loss do not just happen. Brown didn’t save his best outings for the overmatched teams. For example, in 2019 when LSU hung video game numbers, Brown and Auburn held them to 23 points. For context, no other team held Joe Burrow and company to fewer than 36 points. Crushing the pocket and constricting the run game on a consistently elite level earns Brown a spot.

2. Carlos Rogers (CB, 2001-2004)

Ball skills rank among the definitive traits of a cornerback. Over his 44 starts for the Tigers, Rogers made sure that opponents knew what they had in store. 40 deflected passes stand out. When trying to build from the ground up, corner play holds the key to success.

In 2004, Rogers pulled off the triple crown of accolades, landing All-SEC and All-American status while being the first Auburn defensive back to win the Jim Thorpe Trophy. Seven Tiger cornerbacks currently play in the NFL. Rogers opened the door for the nation to see Auburn as more than a front-four heavy school.

1. Tracy Rocker (DL, 1985-1988)

While Fairley demonstrated elite single-season play, Rocker is the most consistently dominant defensive lineman in school, probably SEC history. Despite weighing between 285-290 pounds, Rocker knifed into the backfield with one-step explosion, fast hands and the will to push through blocks and make plays.

Yet, Rocker destroyed the run and pass with the same ferocity. Both his 364 tackles, 46 tackles for loss, and 21 sacks all rank in the top ten. Those 364 jumps off the page considering that teams often doubled Rocker and he played with his hand in the dirt.

That hustle combined with his talent earned him three All-SEC nods, the conference player of the year, two-time All-American status, the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award.