Over the past couple of seasons, Michigan football boasted one of the most dominant defensive lines in the country. Defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant wreaked havoc on interior offensive lineman, and they should be first round picks in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Michigan defensive line coach Lou Esposito opened up on his unit at a press conference Monday.
Why Michigan’s new defensive line will be ‘exciting’
The most notable defensive linemen returning for the Wolverines are graduate DT Rayshaun Benny, graduate EDGE TJ Guy and senior EDGE Derrick Moore. Michigan also added two graduate transfers in defensive linemen Damon Payne (Alabama) and Tré Williams (Clemson).
Esposito said football is about the Jimmys and Joes, not the Xs and Os.
“I think at the end of the day the biggest thing, and coach Wink (Martindale) says it all the time, the game always has been and always will be about the players,” Esposito said. “We were fortunate to have two really elite, unbelievable players in the D-tackle room, and then you add Josaiah Stewart in there, like that front was really good.
“The exciting part of it is we have some really good players coming back and we’ve added some really good players. And then the other thing is like, some of these young guys that are in the system that have now been here a year are starting to get special and be the players that we thought they were gonna be.”
Given the depth of the Wolverines up front, finding a rotation could be difficult. No matter who starts, it seems Michigan will have tons of talent on the sidelines. Esposito said the Wolverines are figuring out a way to give everyone a chance.
“… It’ll be more of waves than it’ll be, hey we’re gonna ride these guys out and let them play as long as they can… we’re being very systematic in how we do our rotations,” Esposito said. “I tell them all the time, they’re all starters. Depending on what period (of practice) you watch, one group will be in with the ones and the next group is in three plays later, and that’s how we’re going to have to train those guys.”
With several different rotations, the staff will be able to see how each player works with one another. Esposito said the defensive line has to work together, much like the guys they line up against.
“One, it gives guys a bunch of reps, and two, you start to see combinations happen,” Esposito said. “Because just like you talk about an offensive line (like) you gotta have five guys gelling, you gotta have those guys up front (on defense), whether we’re playing four down linemen or five down linemen, you gotta have those guys knowing who they’re playing with, and those guys have been doing a great job of that, so we’re excited about it.”
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