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Roster Breakdown: Defensive End

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Manfred_Cane said:
I know Bain was incredible against the run. Does Lowe have the body type to fill that role? Wilson is a straight pass rusher. Lightfoot is super versatile along the front, I'm not sure he has the strength to stand up against the run.
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To answer you question about Lowe.....Yes he most definitely has the body type to fill that role. Lowe was the true freshman I was most looking forward to watching on defense last season. He had earned the right to play a ton of snaps in the off season. When the staff determined that he needed season ending surgery on his shoulder I was extremely disappointed.

Don't misunderstand me, I knew the freakshow we had in Bain/Mesidor and had confidence in Blount/Lightfoot but IMO Lowe would have been a huge key in being able to manage the snap counts for Bain/Mesidor. When it was confirmed that Lowe would miss the season, that was my primary concern as I was not sure that Bain/Mesidor could realistically make it through a long season if we made the playoffs which of course we did. What Bain/Mesidor were able to do last season in terms of both the impact they had while managing to stay relatively healthy was mind blowing with as many snaps as they played.

Now going into next season even with losing Bain/Mesidor, I am extremely bullish on this entire DL and Lowe is one of the many reasons why. At 6'4" 265 Lowe has the ideal size to be effective vs the run while maintaining his first step quickness, bend and closing burst that makes him such a threat as a pass rusher.

As @LuCane mentioned, the list that @DMoney provided above is the type of list that you would expect of a program competing for a national championship. With Blount likely playing a hybrid type role with Wilson, Lowe, Lightfoot and Scroggins at DE with Moten, Scott, Davis and the hybrid Blount at DT, Corey Hetherman will be able to do so many things upfront. He will be able to be very multiple/versatile in his use of different fronts. Factor in the uber experienced Toure/Smith and athletic Wiley/Bonner at LB plus what we return in the secondary and I'm very excited about the defense in 2026.
 
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FrancisSawyer said:
To answer you question about Lowe.....Yes he most definitely has the body type to fill that role. Lowe was the true freshman I was most looking forward to watching on defense last season. He had earned the right to play a ton of snaps in the off season. When the staff determined that he needed season ending surgery on his shoulder I was extremely disappointed.

Don't misunderstand me, I knew the freakshow we had in Bain/Mesidor and had confidence in Blount/Lightfoot but IMO Lowe would have been a huge key in being able to manage the snap counts for Bain/Mesidor. When it was confirmed that Lowe would miss the season, that was my primary concern as I was not sure that Bain/Mesidor could realistically make it through a long season if we made the playoffs which of course we did. What Bain/Mesidor were able to do last season in terms of both the impact they had while managing to stay relatively healthy was mind blowing with as many snaps as they played.

Now going into next season even with losing Bain/Mesidor, I am extremely bullish on this entire DL and Lowe is one of the many reasons why. At 6'4" 265 Lowe has the ideal size to be effective vs the run while maintaining his first step quickness, bend and closing burst that makes him such a threat as a pass rusher.

As @LuCane mentioned, the list that @DMoney provided above is the type of list that you would expect of a program competing for a national championship. With Blount likely playing a hybrid type role with Wilson, Lowe, Lightfoot and Scroggins at DE with Moten, Scott, Davis and the hybrid Blount at DT, Corey Hetherman will be able to do so many things upfront. He will be able to be very multiple/versatile in his use of different fronts. Factor in the uber experienced Toure/Smith and athletic Wiley/Bonner at LB plus what we return in the secondary and I'm very excited about the defense in 2026.
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I don't think it would have mattered who was healthy. I get the feeling Bain and Mesidor were deciding if they were coming off the field the majority of the season and they had no intention of doing so.
 
JHallCanes said:
Blount has to take snaps at DE and DT right?

Heatherman kinda throws some of these positions out the window but still

What he was doing as basically a freshman last year was wild. Animal in the weight room and had #1 recruit trajectory if he had stayed in his class
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He's the run stop DE you need to the run strength. Let Wilson and Lightfoot chase it down from the back side but Blount can set the edge and turn chit in to his help or spill it slowly
 
Also on Lightfoot, you can gain strength without gaining a lot of weight, he has a similar body type to Jason Taylor when he played, and JT was around 245 (Maybe a little taller than Lightfoot though), So I think Lightfoot will get up to around 240, he could also be versatile in a 3-4 defense moving forward in his career.
 
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