Auburn CB DJ James Has Been Excellent This Season for the Tigers

Auburn defensive back DJ James has been a shutdown corner for the Tigers this season.

After transferring in from Oregon a season ago, James has continued to play at an extremely high level, and his Pro Football Focus numbers continue to reflect it.

Per PFF, James is tied as the No. 7 cornerback in the nation with Central Michigan’s Da’Raun McKinney. Both have a grade of 86.4. That’s good for third in the SEC behind Alabama corners Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrian Arnold (86.6 and 87.4 grades).

Funnily enough, James is one spot ahead of former Auburn Tigers Kamal Hadden, who transferred to Tennessee and is currently graded as one of the best corners in the nation.

James has only allowed one touchdown this season while picking off two passes. His 89.8 coverage grade is sixth-best in the nation. He also boast an opponent passer rating of 64.5 and has collected seven pass breakups.

He’s one of the reasons Auburn’s PFF coverage grade is 91.1, good for 11th nationally.

Auburn returns home to take on New Mexico State this Saturday, November 18th. Kickoff is at 3:00 pm CT on the SEC Network.

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The Auburn Tigers play their final non-conference game of the season against New Mexico State on Saturday before welcoming Alabama for the Iron Bowl.

The Aggies will enter Jordan Hare Stadium with an impressive 8-3 record and a roster that has Auburn’s attention.

Here’s our staff’s thoughts on the matchup between the Tigers and NMSU this Saturday.

Zac – I think staying healthy is the biggest thing. Auburn respects this NMSU team but they should be able to line up and beat them.

Daniel – My guess would be trying to stay healthy and make sure everyone is good to go for the Iron Bowl.

Jeremy – The offense. Yes Arkansas was the best offensive performance of the season so far, but the Tigers need to prove to themselves it wasn’t a one time thing.

Shel – Further develop passing efficiency and Payton Thorne strengthening connections with receivers. I feel like this is an area that has gotten increasingly better as the season as progressed.

Daniel – I’m going to say no. I think that Freeze will clear the bench which probably means less scoring.

Jeremy – I would normally say absolutely not, but I am inspired by what I saw last week, and I’ll say they come close or eclipse it.

Shel – Yes, I think Auburn will want to show recruits what this offense can be and bring explosive when it should be explosive against New Mexico State is something recruits might want to see.

Steve – Yes, I think this will be similar to the the UMass and Samford games. I look for Auburn to score in the 50s.

Zac – I think Payton starts. Then we see Ashford. Then Geriner. That order is my guess.

Daniel – Thorne, then Ashford, then Geriner and then if we’re lucky, Hank Brown.

Jeremy – Only Payton Thorne should play a meaningful snap. The Robby experiment is over.

Shel – It should go exactly how it went against Arkansas

Steve – I expect Thorne to be the only QB that plays until the game is in hand. Robby and Holden will only get snaps in the fourth quarter.