Tank Bigsby, Anders Carlson receive NFL Combine invites
At least two former Auburn standouts are headed to the NFL Combine.
Running back Tank Bigsby and kicker Anders Carlson both shared on their Instagram stories that they have received invites to the NFL Combine. This year’s NFL Combine will be held in Indianapolis from Feb. 28 to March 6.
Read more Auburn football: ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has Auburn’s Derick Hall as a 1st-round NFL Draft pick
How Hugh Freeze is changing Auburn football’s recruitment of QBs
Breaking down Auburn’s additions, losses and remaining needs after 1st transfer window closes
Bigsby and Carlson are sure to be joined by other former Auburn teammates at the annual scouting showcase, but they’re the only ones to disclose so far that they have been invited to participate in the event.
Bigsby was Auburn’s starting running back for each of the last three seasons, and he ran for 2,903 yards and 25 touchdowns during his time on the Plains. A former four-star recruit out of LaGrange, Ga., Bigsby was the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2020, when he rushed for 834 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 6 yards per carry in 10 games during the pandemic-impacted season.
He followed it up with 1,099 yards and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore, becoming the first Auburn player to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in a season since Kerryon Johnson in 2017, even though his average yards per carry dropped to 4.9 that season. Bigsby opted to return to Auburn for his junior season, notably deciding not to transfer from the program, and he proceeded to rush for 970 yards and 10 touchdowns on 5.4 yards per carry during the Tigers’ 5-7 campaign.
Bigsby declared for the NFL Draft in December, choosing to forego his senior season. According to The Athletic’s NFL Draft expert, Dane Brugler, Bigsby is the No. 6 running back prospect in this year’s NFL Draft. class.
Carlson spent six seasons at Auburn and served as the Tigers’ starting placekicker for each of the last five years, missing time at the end of the 2021 and 2022 seasons due to injury, including a torn ACL that sidelined him down the stretch of the 2021 campaign.
The younger brother of former Auburn kicker and current Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson, Anders Carlson finished his career on the Plains at No. 2 on the school’s all-time scoring list (410), behind his older brother, and fifth in SEC history in scoring. He’s also second in program history in career made field goals (79) and third in career PATs made (173). For his career, Carlson was 79-of-110 on field goal attempts and 173-of-176 on point-after tries.
Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.