This appears t0 he a year when truly most all positions are open. The first and most important is the quarterback position. I understand that most think Thomas will be the pick, but I think he has some good competition. Unless one of the QBs steps up and takes solid control in the Spring, this position may go into the fall to be settled.
At A Back, I think Days, Hill, and Perkins will get a lot of looks, all three may wind up as lead players. At B Back, I think Laskey has it sewed up, but there will plenty of attention given to Custis. If Custis becomes the backup, he will be considered as a threat duing the year. If he is redshirted, he probably is not a great back but a good one.
No problem on the offensive line as there are plenty of candidates, although it will be interesting to see if Devine becomes a starter, or a major substitute.
On defense, I think we have all the elements in place physically, if they are coached correctly. Since we do not have the "so called" proto-typical interior defensive linemen, we do have enough quantity to produce a good defense if their talents are used in the correct scheme matching their talents. The linebacker positions should be in good hands with plenty of good ones available. The same with the defensive backs.
The big problem I see with the defense cannot be assessed until the games begin in the Fall. This hinges on the defensive coaches. The two most prominent items are (1) playing more players (frequent substitution to keep everyone fresh) on the defensive line, and (2) playing the receivers tighter on 3rd and long. These two items must improve or the results will be the same porious defense as each game progresses.
