A snippet from Rutherford for all the posters who are predicting our whole starting dline get drafted.
The starting D-Line is good and will make our O-like much better for having to work against them on the regular. Now if we have any injuries on either line...
Honestly, I really like our defense outside of the huge ?? at CB.
D-Line starting group is the best group on our defense, but also the thinnest as we dont really have any experienced depth there. If Tuttle stays healthy, he will be drafted in the top 3 rounds. He is so good. Kongbo and Phillips are also very suited to being 3-4 DEs. I expect big things from that starting group.
LB is solid and has a few exchangeable pieces. Getting Taylor away from the OTs so that he can utilize his athleticism even more to get to the QB is a no brainer. We know what we have if we get a healthy Kirkland and Bituli. Sapp makes plays even if he doesnt have prototypical size. The addition of Peterson and possible emergence of guys like Ignont and Bates has this group as probably our deepest.
Safety has a star in Warrior and then a couple guys that can fill that other spot I think Theo Jackson could be a player there, he has looked pretty good so far. TKjr is a leader and if he can get healthy and regain some of his lost speed with better S&C could make things happen. Abernathy is not very physical, but he is very athletic.
At CB Buchanan has been consistent, but I have no clue what we have there after that. We have a lot of guys that could be the man, but I really just dont know who is going to be the one to step up and who will be ready to be the third man up. There is talent available, but this far maybe due to schemes it has been squandered. Pruitt likes for his CBs to play more press man. I tend to like tight man coverage more myself, so this is good with me. Its much better than the near 10 yards of buffer our DBs have given WRs over the last couple years. Our guys have to get used to this philosophy change though because if you allow the WR to release from the line of scrimmage too easily they will burn you.