D
LB: As mentioned Keontra Smith, Flagg, and a bunch of JAGs
DL: DTs are solid. No one great but we have some fringe NFL players here
S: Bolden can be great. Just needs his head snapped. Balom gone for the foreseeable future. Kitchens and Williams look serious. Gurvan Hall was a miss pure and simple.
RB-Chaney was and is the guy if he’s healthy. Rooster would have been super useful against Bama.
WR: These guys can play. Should have had 2 more TDs against Bama. X and Smiff can play.
TE; Spread Mallory wide. He can’t block.
OL: Scaife and Gaynor need to be benched. Can’t complain about the others. Good not great
LB- Jennings and Steed are Jags however I'm not ready to put Brooks, Cave or even Huff into that category. In terms of the freshmen I have never been big on Troutman. I don't see him playing a meaningful down from scrimmage. He is a special team player all the way. I am high on Tyler Johnson. He won't contribute this year but Johnson is an explosive plus athlete who will find a home somewhere.
DT- I agree that we are very said here and I expect this group to continue to gel. Im not as down on Nesta as some here. I think people were expecting Warren Sapp. I know what to expect from him. Ford and Miller are very solid. You say we lack a great player but I disagree. Jared Harrison-Hunte is developing into a star right before our eyes. I cant wait to see him continue to improve and show out against our remaining schedule. Elijah Roberts will be a good one and Leonard Taylor is a dominant DT waiting to happen.
DE- While there isn't a superstar here in the mold of Jaelen Phillips or Greg Rousseau, we have a 4 man rotation of solid to potentially very good football players here. McCloud surprised me with his play vs Alabama, DeAndre Johnson is a very good experienced player and Chantz Williams and Jafari Harvey were better than I expected. I think we were so caught up in losing the superstar talent like Phillips and Rousseau that we forgot the skills and potential that C.Williams and Harvey bring. As I said before this unit will get better and better the more games they play. Barring injury I think we may be very pleasantly surprised.
Safety- There is a great amount of talent and depth here. Bubba Bolden is the leader. Bolden needs to get back to being the player he was in the 1st half of last year and I expect him to do just that. Gurvan Hall is a frustrating case because he brings speed, athleticism and talent to the table but for whatever reason it has not translated to the field. Avantae Williams was on the verge of taking his job before the incident. Kamren Kinchens and James Williams played very well and seemed very comfortable on the big stage vs Alabama. They will only get better. Their improvement and the return of Avantae Williams in game 7 will make this unit one of the best going into bowl season.
RB- Cam Harris is what he is and that is a solid utility back with good strength speed and pass catching ability. Unfortunately his vision and contact balance don't quite measure up. He is also a bit stiff and lacks lateral quickness and agility.
Don Chaney is our clear cut #1. He is now healthy and will become more and more involved the next couple of weeks after dealing with a shoulder injury.
Jaylin Knighton is a fast and explosive back who is also adept as a pass catcher. When he gets back from suspension both he and Chaney will make for an electrifying duo.
Cody Brown is a strong power back who runs like a grown man. Has elite contact balance, good vision and speed. Im very high on Brown.
Thad Franklin is a bruising type power back who will likely redshirt.
We are very deep and talented here.
WR- Yes these guys can definitely play! After facing a juggernaut like Alabama with an elite defense, I cannot wait to see this group against the rest of our schedule. Smith, Harley, Rambo and Restrepo are going to be a very exciting group. Add the big strong physical Michael Redding, the electrifying talents of Brashard Smith to go with Brinson and George make this group possibly the deepest we have had here.
TE- Mallory is a huge weapon but Lashlee needs to figure out how to better involve him all through the game. The thought of using Mallory and Arroyo together is an exciting one but can Lashlee exploit this?
OL- Outside of the play of Scaife and Donaldson vs Alabama, I was pleasantly surprised by the rest of the line. Scaife proved he is not a starter here but Justice Olewaseun however proved he is. I believe Donaldson will be fine going forward and believe he struggled with Alabama because of the athleticism of the Tide DTs. I look forward to watching this OL as I expect considerable improvement. Gaynor isn't my favorite but I don't think we have another option this year.
I still think this can be a very good team.
