Depth chart analysis: Running back

This is the second of a 24-part series that will run up to SEC Media Days detailing Auburn's depth chart heading into the 2014 season. This comes well after the Tigers concluded their 15 spring practices and includes insight from nearly every position coach on the staff.

AUBURN -- There isn't a clear pecking order among the stable of Auburn running backs and that's exactly how Tim Horton likes it.

Auburn's running backs coach has helped guide some of the best tailbacks in the SEC over the years and knows all too well how what can appear to be a congested situation can become a very thin position with only a few small injuries.

Cameron Artis-Payne and Corey Grant are in a dead heat for the starting job and that may not change all season.

The skill sets of the two seniors complement each other so well, with Artis-Payne's power and Grant's speed, it's hard to see one taking a disproportionate edge in carries.

Peyton Barber will also be a factor and then there's the major addition of Roc Thomas to the mix.

The Two-Deep
Cameron Artis-Payne (5-foot-11, 210 pounds, senior)
OR Corey Grant (5-foot-11, 203 pounds, senior)

Gus Malzahn's View
"I think you see the two seniors, they're pretty battle tested. Peyton Barber. It's pretty unfortunate, he had a very good spring and made a very good cut on that first drive (on A-Day), turned his ankle wasn't able to finish. Those three guys, they all had three very solid springs and we feel like we have some quality depth at that position."

Starter(s)
Cameron Artis-Payne ran for 610 yards and six touchdowns last season but ran for just 100 yards and one score in the final seven games. His drop in production was due in large part to Tre Mason's incredible play, and that won't be a barrier to carries for CAP this fall.

Not too put too much weight into A-Day numbers, especially because Artis-Payne was Offensive MVP of A-Day in 2013, but he had another strong spring game outing with 97 yards and a score.

Spring didn't do much to tell the coaches more about Artis-Payne, but it gave him more time to pick up on nuances of the offense.

"You're always getting a better understanding of the offense, that's the biggest thing with me," Artis-Payne said. "You want to know things that we do, what coverages we want to do it against, and that helps you against the defenses that you're going to be playing against in the SEC."

Besides his durability, what made Mason impossible to take off the field was his play on third down. In short-yardage situations it's easy to see Artis-Payne getting the nod.

DEPTH CHART ANALYSIS:QBs

Corey Grant is the fastest player on the team and may be among the fastest in the SEC.

The Opelika native had 647 yards and six TDs, and had a kickoff return touchdown last season. His breakaway speed and cutting ability are what make Grant such a valuable offensive threat and he needs to stay healthy in order to use those skills each week.

"Everybody's doing a great job and the competition is so good," Grant said after A-Day. "It's hard to say (who has the edge)."

Next Wave
Peyton Barber (5-foot-11, 225 pounds, redshirt-freshman) will be a factor after spending the better part of last season being a tackling dummy.

The Milton, Georgia native has impressed the coaching staff on the practice field, now it's a matter of seeing it in games.

Summer Arrivals
Alabama's Mr. Football Roc Thomas (5-foot-11, 202 pounds) and Prattville's Kamryn Pettway (6-foot, 220 pounds) have arrived on campus and will compete for reps as well.

Thomas is expected to contribute immediately and in a crowded backfield, not including Nick Marshall's running ability, it might be tough to split carries so many ways.

With so many players on the depth chart it's hard not to see Pettway as a redshirt candidate this fall.

Quotable
"Everybody knows what Corey can do, he can fly, he led the country in yards per carry last year. So, certain things with Corey are not going to change. He's going to do what he does well, but now he's out of the element of can pass protect, run between the tackles. Cameron, he's a good all-around back. he's a good guy on first down all the way to third down. I think he is a good downhill runner and he'll be good like Tre was in the short yardage but he's leaned up a little bit and showed some quickness and agility in space. They can do a lot of the same things but they still kind of complement each other well to where it's almost 1a and 1b and it may never change. Corey is a little more of a big-play guy, Cam is going to kinda wear on you. I think that's just probably the way it goes." – Rhett Lashlee