Auburn Football: Ranking 10 Best Tigers from 2014 Regular Season

AUBURN, Ala. — While Auburn players, coaches and fans will look back on 2014 as a disappointing season of "what-ifs," it was not a complete disaster for the defending SEC championship squad.

Missed offensive opportunities and sloppy defensive play might have been the downfall to Auburn's once-promising season, but the Tigers were still loaded with championship-caliber talent at several positions.

Several of those players lived up to those high reputations in 2014, and a few lesser-known Tigers joined in to put up impressive numbers in unexpected ways.

Despite an 8-4 record, head coach Gus Malzahn and his staff—which will go through a major change this offseason with the hiring of a new defensive coordinator—have several things to build off of as Auburn looks to get back to Atlanta next season.

With Auburn waiting to hear its postseason fate this weekend, let's take a look back at the top Tigers from the 2014 regular season.

10. DT Montravius Adams

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2014 Regular Season: 39 tackles (8 for loss), 3.0 sacks and 1 interception

Auburn's defensive line had an underwhelming 2014 season as a whole, but Montravius Adams followed up his highly anticipated true freshman season this season with a few strong performances along the front four.

Adams led Auburn defensive line in tackles and tackles for loss this season, and he trails injured defensive end DaVonte Lambert by just a half a sack for that statistical lead. He also snagged an interception against Louisiana Tech, one that came close to a "fat guy touchdown" thanks to a huge effort on the return.

According to AL.com's Joel A. Erickson, Adams played the most snaps out of any Tiger defensive lineman this season. With several seniors leaving from a unit that needs improvement, look for Adams to continue to be a leader for the Auburn defensive line.

9. CB Jonathan Jones

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2014 Regular Season: 34 tackles (1 for loss), 11 pass breakups and 6 interceptions

Like Auburn's defensive line, the secondary also had a subpar season. The Tigers currently rank second-to-last in the SEC for passing yards allowed per game, marking their sixth straight year in the bottom half of the conference in that category.

But Jonathan Jones was a bright spot for Auburn's defensive backs this year. He ranks fifth nationally in passes defensed and sixth nationally in interceptions—despite their struggles on defense in 2014, the Tigers are fourth as a team with 19 picks.

Jones struggled at times with pass interference calls and blown coverages, but his ability to take advantage of opposing quarterbacks' miscues made him a valuable asset for the future of Auburn's defense.

8. K Daniel Carlson

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2014 Regular Season: 17 of 21 in FG attempts, 53 of 53 on XP attempts and 46 touchbacks

Daniel Carlson did not have a solid year punting, but his first season as Auburn's starting kicker will be statistically better than the senior season of former starter Cody Parkey, who is having a fantastic year as a rookie with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The redshirt freshman never missed more than one field-goal attempt in a single game this season and took home two SEC Special Teams Players of the Week awards. Although Auburn fans would have liked to have seen Carlson less in the Iron Bowl, he made sure the Tigers got on the board by hitting all five of his attempts.

On kickoffs, Carlson leads the SEC and is ranked sixth in the country with 46 touchbacks in 2014. While Auburn's punting situation seems to be still up in the air heading into 2015, there should be full confidence in Carlson's ability to lead the kicking game.

7. WR Quan Bray

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2014 Regular Season: 34 catches, 408 receiving yards, 4 receiving touchdowns, 18.13 yards per punt return and 2 punt return touchdowns

Quan Bray had a fantastic start to 2014 in both receiving and punt returning—in the fourth game against Louisiana Tech, he had 189 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns.

While fumbles started to plague Bray in the return game in the second half of the season, he started to become more of a weapon as a receiver. Bray posted more than 60 receiving yards and a touchdown in both shootout losses against Texas A&M and Alabama.

The senior trails Tyler Lockett for the national lead in punt return yards per game by 1.7. If Bray can record a long return or two in Auburn's bowl game, he could finish his Auburn career by accomplishing his goal of becoming the best return man in the country.

6. LB Cassanova McKinzy

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2014 Regular Season: 82 tackles (10 for loss), 1.5 sacks and 1 interception

After leading Auburn in tackles last season, Cassanova McKinzy is in position to take home that honor again in 2014 as he trails defensive back Johnathan Ford by just two tackles heading into the bowl game.

One of the Tigers' key defensive leaders seems to be a better fit at middle linebacker since switching positions in the offseason with fellow starting linebacker Kris Frost. With Auburn failing to generate enough pressure on the backfield with its front four, McKinzy was effective on blitzes with a team-leading 10 tackles for loss in a dozen games.

There is a slight chance McKinzy could declare early for the NFL draft as a junior, but if he comes back to the Plains next season—under a new defensive coordinator—he would be a part of one of the nation's most experienced linebacking corps with Frost, Justin Garrett and Anthony Swain.

5. WR Sammie Coates

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2014 Regular Season: 30 catches, 717 receiving yards and 4 receiving touchdowns

His cold spells may have been frustrating for Auburn's offense, but when Sammie Coates was hot, he was one of the country's best big-play receivers.

In each game Coates scored a touchdown, he recorded more than 100 receiving yards. After overcoming a midseason injury, he looked full speed in last weekend's game against Alabama, when he set an Auburn record for most yards by a receiver with 206.

Coates' big games place him at No. 3 nationally in yards per catch this season—the same spot he finished last season. The junior Coates has not declared for the NFL draft, and B/R's Matt Miller had him as the No. 9 wide receiver on his latest Big Board before his monster night in Tuscaloosa.

4. C Reese Dismukes

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2014 Regular Season: Rimington Award Finalist

Reese Dismukes entered the season as one of the nation's top centers, and he will finish it in the hunt for the position's top prize, the Rimington Award.

The four-year starter led Auburn's offensive line this season, which is tied for 19th nationally in sacks allowed with 14. Dismukes, who is often referred to by coaches and teammates as "another quarterback" for the Tigers offense, helped Auburn post high numbers again in Malzahn's high-octane system.

A fumbled snap between Dismukes and quarterback Nick Marshall toward the end of an ugly loss to Texas A&M will be a black mark on what has otherwise been a stellar couple of seasons for the center. However, he is still in line to be one of the first centers off the board in the upcoming NFL draft.

3. WR D'haquille Williams

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2014 Regular Season: 45 catches, 730 receiving yards and 5 receiving touchdowns

A late-season injury derailed some of his momentum, but it is safe to say D'haquille Williams lived up to the hype and then some for Auburn in 2014.

The former No. 1 junior college star added a new element to Auburn's passing game by coming up with major catches on intermediate routes. He has made a highlight-reel grab in almost every one of his appearances this season, showcasing elite ball skills on his way to team highs in catches, yards and touchdowns.

Williams looked like a one-and-done player for Auburn throughout the year, but his leg injury might have hurt his draft stock enough that he might stay on the Plains for another season. With the way he has been making plays for the Tigers this season, that would be a huge boost for quarterback Jeremy Johnson moving forward.

2. QB Nick Marshall

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2014 Regular Season: 163-for-271 passing (60.1 percentage), 2,315 passing yards, 18 passing touchdowns, 7 interceptions, 780 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns

While Nick Marshall did not achieve some of the high goals he set for himself and the rest of his team, he followed up a stunning first season on the Plains with an improved second season.

With a greater emphasis on the passing game, Marshall managed to cut down on his turnovers and improve some of the accuracy issues that held him back in 2013. He continued to be a force in Auburn's read-option attack, although his output has been slightly lower this season.

The progression Marshall made was on full display last weekend in the Iron Bowl, when the senior set a school record for total yards in a game with 505 and passing yards with 456—against a highly ranked Alabama defense away from home. The Tigers might be 8-4, but it's not because their signal-caller held them back.

1. RB Cameron Artis-Payne

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2014 Regular Season: 277 rushing attempts, 1,482 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns

One of the main questions heading into the season for Auburn's offense was how it would replace the rushing production of 2013 Heisman finalist Tre Mason.

Heading into the postseason, Cameron Artis-Payne is ahead of the yardage pace Mason set in his record-breaking 2013. Artis-Payne won't have a chance to put up more than 300 yards in the SEC Championship Game, but he could still finish with one of the best rushing seasons in Auburn history.

Artis-Payne, who said in fall practice that he was trying to break the stereotype that he was purely a power back, became more comfortable bouncing runs to the outside. The Tigers leaned on that all-around running prowess as the season went on, and the senior repaid his team's confidence in him with a truly massive campaign on the ground.

All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All recruiting rankings and information courtesy of 247Sports. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com.

Justin Ferguson is Bleacher Report's lead Auburn writer. Follow him on Twitter @JFergusonAU.