AUBURN, Ala. -- The summer enrollees have arrived, and after looking at who will make an early contribution on offense for Auburn, it’s time to turn our attention to the defense.

DT DaVonte Lambert: Auburn has enjoyed as much success as any program with junior college players, and last year was no different. Nick Marshall, Cameron Artis-Payne and Ben Bradley all came in and made an impact in 2013, and it looks like D'haquille Williams and Derrick Moncrief are well on their way to doing the same this year. You can go ahead and add Lambert to that list. He wasn’t able to enroll early, but he’s on campus now and that’s all that matters. Lambert, the top defensive tackle in the 2014 ESPN Junior College 50 rankings, had 36 tackles, eight sacks and four fumble recoveries last year at Georgia Military College. He’s listed at 6-foot-3, 290 pounds and has the size, strength and ability to play early on the defensive line.

LB Tre' Williams: After missing the entire spring, linebacker Anthony Swain will reportedly be back with the team this summer and will join Cassanova McKinzy and Kris Frost, the projected starters at linebacker for Auburn. That news would seemingly hurt Williams’ chances of playing early, but don’t count him out. Williams not only is good enough to play as a freshman but to push for a starting spot. He finished with 119 tackles as a high school senior and earned all-state honors. After signing day, Gus Malzahn called him one of the keys to this class, a guy who has great potential and someone who will make an immediate impact. It’s now up to Williams to come in, learn the defense and make his presence felt.

CB Kalvaraz Bessent: Auburn’s 2014 class is full of instant-impact defensive backs, including cornerback Nicholas Ruffin and safety Stephen Roberts, but based solely on talent, the one most likely to see the field early is Bessent. The 6-foot, 170-pound cornerback initially committed to Alabama but flipped to the Tigers midway through last season. He’s an athletic prospect with outstanding ball skills. He’ll be on “probationary status” this summer after having a run-in with the law in March, but if he can do all the right things from now until the season opener, there’s a strong chance he’ll be in the mix for playing time. If not, don’t be surprised if Roberts or Ruffin emerges in the secondary. All three are good enough to play early.