How he stacks up: Yates has Faulk as his No. 22 overall prospect in his most recent list of the Top 50 available in the draft and puts Faulk as the No. 5 pass rusher behind David Bailey (Texas Tech), Arvell Reese (Ohio State), Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami) and Akheem Mesidor (Miami).
Faulk comes In at No. 23 on Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest 2026 NFL Draft Big Board. Fellow ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid lists Faulk as the third best pass rusher in the class behind only Bain and Bailey.
NFL media analyst Daniel Jeremiah has Faulk as the No. 32 overall prospect in his latest Top 50.
"Faulk is a versatile defensive lineman with an ideal frame and length," Jeremiah wrote. "He aligned up and down the front in Auburn's scheme. He lacks ideal twitch and explosion, but he's a very loose, fluid mover. As a pass rusher, he doesn't have an elite get-off but still finds ways to win with a swooping arm-over or steady pocket push. He doesn't always have a plan, which impacts his production.
"Against the run, he can stack and hold the point of attack because of his length and balance. He'll shoot gaps at times and provide penetration to force negative plays. His effort is good, and coaches rave about his character/work ethic. Overall, I was hoping he would play with more ferocity, but there's a lot to dream about with his potential."
What he had to say: "I can play any type of front in any type of system," Faulk said at last month's NFL Scouting Combine. "Just because I had done it all at Auburn. I'm a high-motor defensive lineman. You're going to see everything be aggressive as far as the pass rush and the run game. In the run game you're going to see blocks being shed and people on the ground and you're going to see a lot of TFL's (tackles for losses)."