The Greens -- The Defensive Line

Welcome to the suburbs.

Pacific Ave. -- Cam Johnson, DE, senior
Cam Johnson is the key to the defense in 2011.  No candy coating on this --- if he goes down, or can't get the job done in the pass rush, the entire defense is going to struggle.  By that same rationale, if he stays healthy and productive, and takes that "next step" in his progression as a pass rush demon, the defense could be good to quite good.  Put simply, I think he's good enough to take that next step, take his sack total from 6.5 last year to somewhere north of 10 this year, take his TFL total from 14.5 last year to somewhere north of 20 this year, and emerge as a star player and a Friday (2nd/3rd round) draft pick in the NFL.  He's a guy offenses already have to gameplan around, and with better overall coverage in the secondary I think he'll have that extra split second to change all of those near misses from last year into QB-burying sacks this year.  His potential has been crystal clear and readily apparent... and now it's time for him to realize that full potential.  I have faith he'll get it done.

North Carolina Ave. -- Matt Conrath, DT, senior
I loved him as a redshirt freshman and sophomore, the perfect fit as a 3-4 defensive end, with some very Chris Longian moments.  But I thought his move inside to defensive tackle was iffy.  I thought he was too tall and maybe not strong enough at the point of attack.  He sort of proved me right by having a ho-hum season in 2010.  But there is a growing buzz around him these days, as he's really coming on for his senior season, ready to make an impact.  He's good at penetrating the line and making plays in the backfield, and now that he has grown into his body a bit, his height (6-7) could be considered an asset to the line.  I still think he's a 34 end miscast as a 43 tackle, but he's learning the nuances of his new position and should be back to his old playmaking ways this season, ready to go out with a bang.

Pennsylvania Ave. -- Nick Jenkins, DT, senior
He faced a little bit less of a transition than Conrath, going from 34 nose to 43 tackle, but he still had to adapt to the new defense.  This season, I think he's 100% ready to anchor the line with steady play.  He's a block eating big man who is a bit of a tone-setter for the entire defense.  He's a blood-n-guts type whose play is extremely important to the run-stopping effort, an area in which the defense must make marked improvements this season.  I think Jenkins is up to the task.  The Conrath/Jenkins combo in the middle of the d-line is often overlooked, and rarely mentioned as a potential strength of the defense.  I want to change that, and mention this HUGE potential strength.  These are two fifth-year seniors who have benefitted from five full seasons of development in a college-level weight room, and have tasted three full seasons of starting experience heading into 2011.  They are veterans of the defensive line, and should be able to help the unit find and maintain a great level of consistency.  If football games are truly won in the trenches, then Matt Conrath and Nick Jenkins have us poised to do some winning.


Community Chest

• Jake Snyder, DE, sophomore -- A "tough, hard-nosed, blue collar kind of guy" (Mike London's words) who will be the starter at LDE, opposite Cam Johnson.  It is on Snyder to make offenses pay for rolling extra blockers over to Cam's side of the field.  If Snyder can match his good run-stopping ability with a little bit of a pass rush, the entire defense will benefit greatly.  I like the idea of an old-school battler on the left side of the line.
• Will Hill, DT, junior -- He's the toast of the defensive line this offseason, and a guy who will basically push for "3rd starter" status at defensive tackle.  The staff is enamored with his ability to generate an interior pass rush, as evidenced by the great pressure he brought up the middle against BC and VT, once he became a regular part of the rotation.
• Brent Urban, DE, sophomore -- 6-7, 280.  This dude is huge, and should be a regular in relief of Snyder.  He hasn't played much to this point, after redshirting and then fighting through an injury-marred redshirt freshman season in 2010.  His body and frame are ready, but his experience level must catch up.  He's actually one of the guys I'm really excited to see in real live game action this fall.
• Bill Schautz, DE, junior -- Probably the best pure pass rusher behind Cam Johnson, and thus likely the true backup at RDE.  He's been a spring game star, but has yet to notch much action in the base defense during the regular season.  In 2011, he'll get his chance to stake a claim to the starting job at RDE in 2012.  I think Schautz will also take snaps at LDE in the nickel, so keep your eyes peeled and see if he can generate some pressure.
• Chris Brathwaite, DT, redshirt freshman -- I love this guy.  He's a really violent player on the defensive line, the kind of guy blockers hate facing.  As the 4th DT, he might not see a lot of burn this season, but I'll certainly be watching intently whenever #98 is on the field.
• Buddy Ruff, DT, junior -- Back from the dead (aka roster expulsion) and ready to add to the mix at DT.  Reports are that he's emerged as a solid player, adding a level of comfort in case of an injury to a player ahead of him on the depth chart.
• Justin Renfrow, DT, sophomore -- A still-developing big man (6-6, 300) who is probably not quite ready for game action.
• Connor McCartin, DE, junior -- Former linebacker turned rush end.  Might be able to add some juice to the pass rush in nickel situations.
• Stephen Lawe, DE, redshirt freshman -- I think he's probably only a special teams guy this season.

Chance -- I like this defensive line, a lot.  Three senior starters with NFL upside, with plenty of talented depth waiting in the wings.  I think this season we'll see a greatly improved run-stopping unit and a player who can single-handedly destroy gameplans with the pressure he'll bring around the edge.  The pass rush will abandon us on occasion, but with an above-average secondary we'll still see plenty of "coverage sacks."  Cam Johnson blows past the double-digit sack barrier, and the entire d-line emerges as a team strength, much to the surprise and dismay of teams that think they'll still be able to run all over us with ease.  The d-line keeps us competitive in games we should lose, and goes above and beyond to control the triple option and hand-deliver a win against Georgia Tech.

Development -- 2 houses
Without a can't-miss pass rush stud on the roster behind Cam Johnson, I really can't go much higher than this for this season.  I do think this unit has good potential to improve over the course of the season, namely from guys like Will Hill and Jake Snyder improving via extended game action.  But the ceiling here is still somewhat low.