Keldric Faulk Scouting Report: Does Auburn Edge live up to Top-15 Hype?
Keldric Faulk declared for the 2026 NFL Draft this week. James Foster breaks down his game in-depth.
With the 2026 NFL Draft quickly approaching, I’ve decided to start releasing individual scouting reports on players who have already declared. Today, we’re starting with Auburn EDGE Keldric Faulk, who is consistently selected at the top of mock drafts.
Does he have the skills to merit getting selected that high?
Faulk’s General Scouting Report
Draft Age: 20.6
NFL Comparisons: Andre Branch/Mykel Williams
Keldric Faulk is a prototypical DE with an imposing frame and long arms. Despite starting 32 games in three years at Auburn, he’s still one of the youngest players in the 2026 class.
Faulk is an NFL-ready run defender who should immediately find a role on early downs. He has a sturdy anchor to set the edge, powerful hands to shed blocks, and impressive pursuit range for his size. During the last two seasons, he has led SEC defensive linemen with 72 run tackles.
Faulk has an effective long-arm, which could improve from good to great with more consistent pad level. While his power profile gives him a solid floor as a pocket-pusher, I’m much more skeptical of his ability to win the outside track in the NFL.
With a mediocre first step and below-average bend and arc speed, he lacks the juice to threaten the corner vs. more athletic tackles. He showed encouraging technical development from 2024 to 2025, but must continue to improve his hand-fighting skills.
CONSENSUS
As of Dec. 13, Faulk is the seventh-ranked player and second-ranked edge rusher on the consensus board.
STATS
Faulk had modest pass-rushing production in 2025, recording 31 pressures, two sacks, and a 9.9% pass-rush win rate. That’s a severe dropoff from his nine-sack sophomore year, but considering how many of those were unblocked, I fully expected his sack production to regress to the mean.
Faulk played multiple positions on Auburn’s defensive front, lining up at 2-4 Tech on 30.3% of snaps this year. This hybrid deployment was not conducive to pass-rushing success and is important context when comparing Faulk statistically to other edge prospects.
It’s so much easier to win off the edge than from the interior, so it would be unfair to hold Faulk to the same standard as someone like Rueben Bain Jr., who played 95.2% of his snaps at 5-9 Tech.
Last year, Faulk’s pass-rushing efficiency was directly related to his alignment width. His pressure rate was just 2.6% from the interior and 4.1% when aligned over the tackle (4-Tech). But on 179 pass rush snaps from outside the tackle, he had a 15.1% pressure rate, which ranked in the 73rd percentile for qualifying edge rushers.
Faulk has ranked near the top of the league in most run defense metrics since becoming a starter. During the last three years, he has led FBS edge defenders with 62 run stops.
ATHLETICISM
Though Faulk moves well for his size, he’s a mediocre athlete relative to most edge prospects. His stride length allows him to cover more ground with fewer steps, which offsets his lack of burst and results in a decent overall get-off.
According to in-game tracking, Faulk’s 2.8 average get-off yards ranks in the 61st percentile for edge rushers. His bend, arc-speed and lateral quickness, however, are sub-par.
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