In spring I like to look at talent evaluation and new players showing out rather than performance of the units.
On the new player show out level I thought this spring was deceptively very exciting, though muddied by OL struggles and inconsistent play.
First, the defensive front seven looks like it has a pool of players that will mature and be good at some point. Might not be next year, but I can see it coming. Cerge-Henderson, Glanton, and Kallon all looked good (height and gets some push in the center of the pocket). Dion Branch will contribute and looks rotation ready. Sellers--a project--likely won't play next year, but he clearly has made strides and looks like a future contributer. Merriweather did some nice things and moved well. St Amour is more ready to be in the rotation. Add in Gamble and hopefully Antonio Simmons and there is some hope on the DL with DT's going 4 deep, Keshun & Amour rushing (and maybe Simmons), then Branch, Rook, Merriweather, and sometimes gamble at SDE. Still a question mark? Absolutely. But at least there is more hope, especially combined with the emerging strength at LB.
At LB I saw depth, athleticism and pass rushing ability. Bridges looked VERY fluid and nice to see Cooksey bringing some heat. Part of the reason the line struggled is these guys' rush, especially Bridges. Michell & PJ look solid and there is heated competition for the other spot. Curry is the real deal, Jackson looked good stopping the run, T. Lewis looks ready, and in general I thought the LB corps played fast and looked fundamentally solid. Alexander is still not playing fast but is making progress. Good competition and perhaps a better rush from this position than last year.
DB I am not worried about. Top 3 corners look ready as do safety starters. If we get a rush these guys are plenty capable.
On offense not all was bleak.
Jarrett and Mills showing out is a BIG DEAL. Taquon Marsall is a BIG DEAL.
Mills is smooth, powerful, physically mature, instinctual, and talented on the perimeter as well as up the middle. Even looked natural as a receiver. HOLDS ONTO THE FOOTBALL right out of the box. Looks like a guy who will do everything above average and pile up yardage. Nice explosion out of his stance too.
Jarrett proved his film was not a fluke. He is small, yes, but man is he athletic. He will be a very dangerous guy at A back running and passing. Combo him with Lynn Griffin and JJ Green (who both look physical and good putting a foot in the ground and accelerating for yards), then add in Lynch and Searcy and you have a very stout 5-man AB rotation with run/pass abilities.
Taquon is obviously raw and running around helter-skelter in both the running and passing game. But for a guy who just got moved he looks fantastic, and it's clear he can create on his own. I noticed he didn't fumble at all. I like Jordan and see him as the clear #2 right now. However Marshall should develop quickly and it will be an interesting competition.
I thought MLD did some nice things at receiver and the fact that QBs were targeting him shows they have confidence in him. I was pounding the table on this guy's versatility based on his HS film and recall a font dressing me down with the simple line: "MLD is a B-back." No, he is a versatile skill athlete who could also play S or LB, as well as BB, WR, & AB. He lined up at WR in HS a fair bit actually.
On the downside for the spring the probable loss of Chris Griffin is just awful for us. This guy was a good lineman as a frosh and figured to be a big part of what we do in 2016. Whitley was promising as well, so losing both those guys is a big deal. Doesn't matter how good our skill guys are if the line isn't solid. We are already behind the 8-ball.
We could be anything from a .500 team to a really good team next year. To be really good the OL will have to rally and stay healthy, the defensive front seven will need to continue to mature and have 2014-type luck staying healthy. Skill guys look pretty good on both sides but won't look good without decent play in the trenches.
