Film Room: Derek Mason's 'top-down,' off-man pass defense

Roger McCreary says Auburn's new defense is "way different" than the past. Here's a deep dive into what he means and how it could look on Saturdays this fall.

DC Derek Mason (Todd Van Emst/Auburn Athletics)

For the last eight months, the topic of changes between Auburn’s new defensive scheme under Derek Mason and the one it ran under Kevin Steele has mostly been focused on the differences up front.

That makes sense, as there’s a lot going on there. The Tigers are going to use a three-man front, especially on early downs, with a base that looks a lot like the traditional 3-4 alignment. The rushers on the outside are now no longer defensive ends and Bucks, but rather more of an outside linebacker type with the “Edge” designation on the official roster.

But what hasn’t been discussed quite as much are the changes coming to the back of the defense.

Auburn star cornerback Roger McCreary gave more insight into those changes Wednesday morning, when he was interviewed by media members for the first time since the end of the 2020 season.

“I feel like this defensive scheme is way different from Coach Steele’s,” McCreary said. “We are playing, like, mostly…