Hey gang! Don’t forget that spring practice starts next week. And what kind of blogger would I be if I posted some thoughts on the offensive side of the ball, but not the defensive side of the ball? Well, I can tell you that I would not be a very good blogger. Not very good at all. Before we get to that, let’s get to the spring schedule just to remind you that spring practice is basically here.
Practice #1: March 15th
Practice #2: March 16th
Practice #3: March 23rd
Practice #4: March 24th
Practice #5: March 26th
Practice #6: March 27th
Practice #7: March 30th
Practice #8: March 31st
Practice #9: April 2nd – Scrimmage #1
Practice #10: April 6th
Practice #11: April 8th
Practice #12: April 10th
Practice #13: April 13th
Practice #14: April 15th
Practice #15: April 17th – Spring Game
| Depth Chart | 1st String | 2nd String | 3rd String |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defensive End | Tyree Wilson | Philip Blidi | L.B. Moore |
| Defensive Tackle | Tony Bradford, Jr. | Gilbert Ibeneme | Devin Drew |
| Nose Guard | Jaylon Hutchings | Nelson Mbanasor | Troy Te’o |
| Will Linebacker | Colin Schooler | Brandon Bouyer-Randle | Bryce Robinson |
| Sam Linebacker | Jacob Morganstern | Kosi Eldridge | Tyrique Matthews/Derrick Lewis II |
| Mike Linebacker | Riko Jeffers | Krishon Merriweather | Jesiah Pierre |
| Spur Linebacker | Adam Beck | Dadrion Taylor | Nate Floyd |
| Safety | Marquis Waters | Cam White | Xavier Martin |
| Safety | Eric Monroe | Malik Dunlap | Seth Collins |
| Cornerback | Demarcus Fields | Adrian Frye | Cameron Watts |
| Cornerback | Dadrion Taylor | Rayshad Williams | Jonathan Davis |
I feel pretty good about the first string, but it’s a me, not a very good dart-thrower throwing darts, but trying to use some educated guesses.
I think that Wilson is the starter at defensive end, with Blidi as a solid back-up and I’m throwing darts with Moore getting the third team reps. I think that Moore is going to grow into an end, that’s my hope.
At tackle, Bradford seems like a lock, with me not being sure if the staff sees Ibeneme as a tackle or a guy in the middle, but this is sort of how I see it. Drew is probably more defensive end, but there’s kind of a lack of spots so we’re trying to fit him in somewhere.
At nose guard, Hutchings is the starter and then I tend to think that Mbanasor, who was injured all of last year, in the middle and I would prefer that Troy Te’o not have to play, but he played admirably as there simply not anyone else that could play that spot.
There are some real additions in terms of freshmen with DeMeco Roland at tackle, E’Maurion Banks, Charles Esters, and Isaac Smith. I don’t know where they’ll end up, but for now, they’re freshmen who need to figure some things out.
At linebacker, I also think this is your starters and I feel pretty good about that. Beck at the Spur linebacker is a guess, Patterson has preferred to go smaller here, but Beck is a good football player and this team needs more football players on the field.
Schooler is the best of the bunch and Jeffers needs to get better (no offense). Oh, and Pierre is the 4-star transfer from Florida and have him on the third team. Not sure what’s wrong with me, but based on position, I’m not sure where he moves up a spot.
The secondary is also a spot where I think there are some serious questions. Waters, Dunlap, and Williams are all transfers and I think that Waters is sort of penciled in as a starter and I’d like to see the staff start Dunlap too, but am afraid that the staff loves Monroe despite the fact that he played pretty terribly (according to ProFootball Focus).
I think that Fields and Taylor are the likely starters with Frye being that third starter and the hope that Williams gets some play there as well (otherwise there is no reason for Williams to transfer from UCLA).