Defensive Position Group Breakdowns, Projected Starters, and Grades

# Defensive Line

I feel like the defensive line has received a lot of scrutiny over the past couple years, as our run defense has been less than flattering. The Davis twins in particular seemed to rub some people the wrong way with the single-game suspension, unnecessary penalties, and general friction that seemed to exist between them and the coaching staff at times. In my opinion, I think the Davis twins performed well despite playing outside of their ideal scheme, and Darrion Daniels was very valuable both as a leader and as a run stuffer in the middle of the defense. It became more apparent last year that the d-line wasn’t necessarily the main problem when it came to defending the run. I think losing these starters is tough, especially considering Khalil Davis was our only consistent pass rusher on the team last year. But despite losing some talent, I think this room is well equipped to start this season without a drop-off in production.

Ben Stille, Damion Daniels, and Deontre Thomas have the most snaps to their name out of all the returning guys. Stille has been a consistent but unspectacular rotational player for us. Similar to the Davis twins, he isn’t the perfect fit in a odd front defense, especially as a defensive lineman. I’d be shocked if he isn’t at the very least an “*or*” starter on the depth chart to begin the year, but I think there are some functionally stronger guys that might pass him by, especially if they can also show some promise as pass rushers. Damion Daniels has flashed when he’s played, as he’s a very strong dude that can blow up runs in the backfield. Coach Tuioti has mentioned that stamina is something he has needed to work on, as he struggles playing several downs in a row without getting gassed. Assuming he has improved in this department, I have no worries about the nose guard spot; I think he can play up to the level of his brother. Deontre Thomas is definitely a good depth piece on this line, but he might fall into that “master of none” category.

Jordon Riley and Nash Hutmacher are notable newcomers to watch out for. Riley immediately flashed in the brief spring the Cornhuskers had, as players and coaches brought up his name immediately during press conferences. He’s a massive dude, and the ideal size that we need at the position. I think he will likely play all three spots on the line, and it sounds like his disruption as a run defender could potential earn him a starting role. Nash Hutmacher seems to be a fan and coach favorite already. He’s another massive human being on the line, and he’s a workout demon as well. His physical development is already far ahead of most true freshman, so he’s likely to get some significant snaps this year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t even redshirt. Guys like Hutmacher and Riley could really help against the Wisconsins and Iowas of the world.

Ty Robinson and Keem Green are the guys that I think will really determine how good this line can be. Both are big guys that are hard to move, with great athleticism for their size. Both have upside as pass rushers, and that is important considering the loss of the Davis twins, as well the fact that we haven’t been able to find an edge rusher that can actually win one-on-one against offensive tackles.

As a whole, the defensive line appears to have outstanding depth, as I haven’t even mentioned guys like Pheldarius Payne, Casey Rogers, Tate Wildeman, Mosai Newsome, and others. I think when we see the 2nd group rotate in for drives during these games, I don’t think there will be as much of a drop-off compared to last year. Losing our starting three is tough, but I think this group might be the deepest on the team and is fully prepared to be a rock solid unit for this defense.

*Projected Starters:* ***Ty Robinson*** *or* ***Ben Stille*** *(DE),* ***Damion Daniels*** *(NG),* ***Jordon Riley*** *or* ***Keem Green*** *(DE)*

*Position Grade:* ***B+***

# Outside Linebacker

There’s no doubt about it, the second level of the defense was the weak link last year, and OLB has been nothing short of atrocious for us. Since the days of Randy Gregory, we haven’t had a legit edge rusher that can help bolster our pass rush. I know Erik Chinander is an aggressive coordinator that likes to blitz frequently, but it seems clear to me that the last couple of years, he blitzes out of necessity more than anything else. Right now, we are a defense that is virtually incapable of getting even occasional pressure while rushing four, and that, along with our special debacles, is why Jovan Dewitt was (probably) let go.

One player that has perplexed me has been Caleb Tannor. I feel like he has all the athleticism, natural ability, and length to be a really good edge rusher, but he just hasn’t put it together yet. I don’t know if it’s an effort issue or what, but I feel like he has massive upside as a player, and it’s a shame he’s barely even flashed for us. Maybe a change in coaching turns the light on for him, but his first two years haven’t been promising.

Garrett Nelson is obviously someone that excited fans with his mentality and high effort, but he wasn’t very good when he played last year. Much like everyone in this room, he needs to be assignment sound, especially as a contain player and as a read key on option plays. It feels like our OLBs are exploited with option plays, because they love to crash down to try to blow up the running back, leaving the QB with tons of space to run with it. It feels like these guys in general just get impatient being on the backside, and feel the need to go for TFLs instead of carrying out their assignment.

JoJo Domann might be this biggest offender in this category. He’s Uber-aggressive in his play style, which does yield some of his highlight TFLs and splash plays. But his desire to freelance has also resulted in some huge plays being given up. The Purdue game-winning touchdown is probably the most obvious instance of Domann’s play style resulting in a crucial play against us. As long as our d-line is better than our OLBs and we don’t have two guys on the edge that can rush the passer, Domann is going to be deployed as our Nickel/OLB against spread teams, and it’s important that he becomes more disciplined as a player. His physical profile isn’t one of a normal OLB in this scheme, and he will never be utilized as a traditional pass rusher. But his athleticism can be useful covering slot receivers, while also being bigger than your typical nickel corner. Javin Wright also seems to be slotting into this Nickel/OLB role, and I’m curious if he might take some snaps from Domann.

Niko Cooper is sort of a dark horse in this room, and although his sack numbers are unimpressive when you look at his numbers from last year, he had some good pass-rushing reps on tape. He seems like a disciplined run defender, and if that continues for the Huskers, he’ll probably take the starting job. Jamin Graham is also an intriguing guy; he’s ridiculously long and pretty fluid as an athlete. The upside as a pass rusher is there, so I am curious to see how far he’s come as far as learning the defense and adding some weight. Jimari Butler and Blaise Gunnerson come in as true freshman, and considering the nature of the room, both could see some playing time this year.

Despite returning some guys who have gotten significant playing time so far, I’m not confident enough to say that this position group is going take a big step forward. The depth isn’t the greatest, and no one has proved that they can rush the passer or play consistent, assignment-sound football. There’s some upside with a couple of these guys, but I think it might be another rough year for this group.

*Projected Starters:* ***Caleb Tannor*** *or* ***Garrett Nelson*** *(OLB),* ***Niko Cooper*** *(OLB),* ***JoJo Domann*** *(Nickel/OLB)*

*Position Grade:* ***D***

# Inside Linebacker

The ILBs struggled last year defending the run, and the Minnesota game might’ve been the clearest example of this. It felt like Collin Miller in particular did not know how to fit outside zone, and it killed us time and time again. Last year, depth felt like an issue, as we really only rotated Barry, Honas, and Miller. Now, even with the departure of Mo Barry, it feels like this room has some really solid depth, and I think there’s potential for the room to be better than it was last year.

Will Honas has the ideal build for an ILB, and he had a solid campaign last year. He was the most assignment sound of the three last year, and takes on offensive lineman with physicality when he has to. When he can get downhill, he has some decent speed, although he’s more of a straight line runner that isn’t as great when having to change direction quickly, much like Mo Barry. He’s fine in coverage, but had the occasional really bad rep (last completion vs. Iowa). Overall, he’s a solid guy that usually knows what he’s doing, and I honestly think we need more of that in our defense.

Collin Miller seems a little more athletic than Honas, and has a nice length and frame for the position, but it was pretty clear that he’s still trying to figure out the position. His eyes can be all over the place at times, and there are plenty of bigger runs last year that happened because of a bad run fit by him. He’s probably our best coverage linebacker right now, Ruud praises his ability to communicate, but I think there’s some talented guys behind him that might be gunning for his spot.

Luke Reimer flashed every time he got on the field last year. He was very impressive in how fast he played, and Ruud seems to have large expectations for him, almost flat-out calling him a future all-conference guy. I might agree with that sentiment; his combination of speed and instincts is something that was missing last year, and if he’s bulked up and shows he can be physical taking on blockers, I think he ends up being a starter outright. Nick Heinrich was a highly sought after linebacker, and stylistically has some similarities to Nick Honas. But his athletic ceiling seems to be higher, and Ruud seems very confident in Heinrich as well.

Keyshawn Greene is a freakish athlete at linebacker that we haven’t had since Lavonte David, and it sounds like it was miracle that we were even able to get him to commit. I think he’ll immediately come in and be the best athlete at the position, and he might even be able to get some notable game snaps. Garrett Snodgrass sounds like the Kade Warner of the ILBs, as he’s been described as knowing the defense better than anyone, while being less athletic than others at the position. Joseph Johnson was listed on the depth chart last year, and got some snaps against Maryland, but I’m not sure that he doesn’t get buried by some of these other guys. And Eteva Mauga-Clements is another athletic guy that I think I’m less high on than others. I expect there to be an adjustment period for him, as he hasn’t played ILB before, and he’s a bit smaller for the position right now. If anything, his tape reminded me more of a JoJo Domann than anything. I think he could potentially have a good 2021 and beyond, but in my eyes, I think he probably won’t take many snaps during games this year, as I think there are other guys in front of him more mentally and physically ready.

The depth is undeniable in this room, and although it was a middling 2019 for them, I think there’s serious potential for some of these underclassmen. I think I’m going to be a little passive when it comes to grading them, but I believe this might be the unit that takes the biggest step forward on the defense. I think you’ll see four or more guys rotating in for drives this year.

*Projected Starters:* ***Will Honas*** *or* ***Nick Heinrich*** *(ILB),* ***Luke Reimer*** *or* ***Collin Miller*** *(ILB)*

*Position Grade:* ***B-***

# Secondary

I think this is the best unit on the team by far. It’s a great combination of talent, experience, and leadership, and although some worry about the depth, I think the fact that these guys cross-train at corner and safety will prevent that from being an issue.

Dicaprio Bootle has been a solid player for a while now. He’s got great speed and can be sticky in man coverage. Where he struggles is in press coverage and on 50/50 balls downfield. When he’s lined up in front of receivers, he doesn’t use his hands much at all, and he can get beat off the jump against talented receivers that can haul ass downfield. And he often times struggles to get his head turned around on these 50/50 balls, resulting in DPIs or just a missed opportunity at an interception. Despite his problems with size, that doesn’t show up when he’s tackling or defending the run. He is very physical when engaging with blockers, and can make some big hits on ball carriers that are bigger than him, as he forced 3 fumbles last year. When he took snaps at safety during the last few games of the season, he looked really, really good, and I wonder if that is his position if he makes it to the NFL. He was aggressive in defending the run when his assignment dictated that, and he showed tremendous range as a single high safety. I’m curious where Bootle starts this season, because he really impressed me at safety, and his main weaknesses aren’t a problem when he lines up there.

Cam Taylor-Britt was put into a tough situation having to replace Deontai Williams at safety, and though he did well, I think corner is his natural position. He was also clearly playing injured most of last year, which led to some of his struggles tackling in open space. I’d like to see him play outside corner full time next year, as I feel like he’s got the size and athleticism to cover receivers of all types. Not to mention, he might be the biggest leader on the defense. That was clear even when he was a freshman; he just has a natural ability to grab guys attention.

To me, Braxton Clark looked really good every time he saw the field. He moves well for being 6’3″, and the few times I saw him targeted downfield, he would look back for the ball and position himself well to defend the pass. I think he comes in and fills Lamar Jackson’s role without any drop-off, and I think if there’s anyone on this defense who is really being slept on, it’s him.

Deontai Williams is a tremendous talent that was deeply missed last year. I think he was in for a breakout year last year before the injury, and I think he’s going to get some serious NFL attention this year. He’s a super rangy safety that can be an elite single-high player. He’s got the coverage ability to stick with slot receivers, and the ball skills to rack up INT’s. He’s a super aggressive tackler with a head hunter mentality, even if that aggression can lead to some missed tackles. I think the one area he needs to work on is his tackling technique. But to me, his debut season in 2018 showed enough flashes that I think he’s going to be a star for us. And the coaches seem to agree with that sentiment.

Marquel Dismuke is a solid player that finally worked his way up to being a starter after years of riding the bench. He’s assignment sound, and coaches have mentioned how he’s a great teacher for the other DBs in the room. I think he clearly lacks great athleticism, which holds him back a bit, and puts a target on his back in coverage. I mentioned that I thought that Bootle might be playing more safety this year, and I feel like if he does, Dismuke might see his snap totals drop. I think in base packages and nickel packages where JoJo is your nickel, you want your best four defensive backs on the field, and I feel like Clark, Taylor-Britt, Bootle, and Williams are those guys. I’m curious how that plays out, though.

Myles Farmer seems to always receive praise for Coach Fisher, and I think he’s a big dude that could see some playing time in specific packages. At worst, he’s good depth in case we lose someone to injury. Quinton Newsome is in a similar boat, but I heard he got injured, so I guess his status is in the air. Eli Sullivan played some significant time early last year and is another depth piece. Nola Pola-Gates was a big recruiting get, and sounds like he’s recovering well from his surgery last year, so he provides some depth at corner. Tamon Lynum and Ronald Delancey are true freshman corners that ideally get to sit and develop, but considering all the transfer portal announcements in this secondary recently, they are a couple injuries at corner away from having to see the field.

Overall, I think this secondary will have a ton of talented starters all across the board. I think the depth concerns at corner are legitimate, but even with that, I still think this is the most talented position group on the team. I see NFL futures for a good amount of these guys, and I’m not sure I can really say that about many other spots. Look for Deontai Williams to be the team leader in INTs and produce a First-Team All-B1G season.

*Projected Starters:* ***Braxton Clark*** *or* ***Dicaprio Bootle*** *(CB),* ***Cam-Taylor Britt*** *(CB),* ***Deontai Williams*** *(S)*, ***Dicaprio Bootle*** *or* ***Marquel Dismuke*** *(S)*

*Position Grade:* ***A***

View Reddit by UnderwhelmingOrgasm – View Source