All Things 2019 Gophers Fall Camp Thread

[Section2]

I am hopeful that Mafe, Ottomewo and Devers will be able to get to the QB due to Panagos and his hand fighting techniques he's shown them but I definitely understand your reserve for judgement.

I definitely wouldn't say that it will be the best pass rushing D-line we've had in decades or anything. I don't even know it if will be better than the 2013 line with Hageman, Cochran, Botticelli, Roland Johnson, Amaefula and the Ekpe brothers.

To my recollection, we've never had more than one good pass rusher on a team. I looked up the 2013 team: Cockran had 7.5 sacks (never would have guessed that many), shede, Keith, and Manuel had 2.
This could easily be our best defensive line in decades. Devers flashed big time explosiveness as a FR. Coughlin is maybe our best pass rusher in decades. We maybe don't have great run stuffers (we could, just unproven), but in terms of pass rush, solidly in the conversation for best in decades IMO.

 

[die hard gopher]

To my recollection, we've never had more than one good pass rusher on a team. I looked up the 2013 team: Cockran had 7.5 sacks (never would have guessed that many), shede, Keith, and Manuel had 2.
This could easily be our best defensive line in decades. Devers flashed big time explosiveness as a FR. Coughlin is maybe our best pass rusher in decades. We maybe don't have great run stuffers (we could, just unproven), but in terms of pass rush, solidly in the conversation for best in decades IMO.

Ra'Shede didn't have a ton of sacks that year but had 13 tackles for loss plus 8 passes batted down and an INT and blocked kick. He also had 6 sacks the year before. He commanded double teams and was a first team All Big Ten player and third team All American. Plus as you mention, Cochran had 7.5 sacks and 10.0 TFL's and he was second team All Big ten that year. Plus Roland Johnson, Botticelli and Kieth all had at least 5 TFL's and I believe Botticelli was an All Big Ten honorable mention.

Right now I don't think we have a first team all big ten, second team all big ten and honorable mention big ten guy on our D-line. Carter will probably be a second team All Big Ten but besides that I don't know who steps up to that level of play. Dellatiboudere is pretty much a Michael Amaefela caliber player. A multi-year solid starter but isn't really going to make a ton of plays. I'm expecting Drew-Treadway to be about what Gary Moore was last year, another starting caliber DT but again, isn't really going to make a ton of impact plays or be a disruptor. Same with Renner. Depth is decent with Ottemewo, Mafe, Devers, Schad and Teague but besides Coughlin, I don't see much star power. I think in two years Esezi or Mafe could be a really good player but as of now, I'm thinking they are more just good rotational piece, otherwise they would have beaten out Dellatiboudere.

Don't get me wrong, we can definitely win some games (8-9) and have a quality defense with this line but we need to have good players at LB and in the secondary and well as a good offense which we do. But to take that next level (10+ wins), I'd like to eventually get better starters than Renner, Drew-Treadway, and Winston D. Schad, Teague an Cheyney were all highly recruited and highly rated plus DV Harris, MJ Anderson and Deangelo Carter all had very good offer lists and Ottemowo and Mafe are only RS sophomores so I do think they will eventually be very good in 2-3 years but right now, I think this is a solid line but nothing spectacular.

 

[btowngopher]

I think our DE group may the best we’ve seen in quite a while, DT is still a question mark to me. We don’t have a Hageman, but we also may have better depth than we’ve had in recent memory. I think this group could easily be one of the best Dlines we have seen in a long time due mostly to so much quality depth.

 

[Section2]

Ra'Shede didn't have a ton of sacks that year but had 13 tackles for loss plus 8 passes batted down and an INT and blocked kick. He also had 6 sacks the year before. He commanded double teams and was a first team All Big Ten player and third team All American. Plus as you mention, Cochran had 7.5 sacks and 10.0 TFL's and he was second team All Big ten that year. Plus Roland Johnson, Botticelli and Kieth all had at least 5 TFL's and I believe Botticelli was an All Big Ten honorable mention.

Right now I don't think we have a first team all big ten, second team all big ten and honorable mention big ten guy on our D-line. Carter will probably be a second team All Big Ten but besides that I don't know who steps up to that level of play. Dellatiboudere is pretty much a Michael Amaefela caliber player. A multi-year solid starter but isn't really going to make a ton of plays. I'm expecting Drew-Treadway to be about what Gary Moore was last year, another starting caliber DT but again, isn't really going to make a ton of impact plays or be a disruptor. Same with Renner. Depth is decent with Ottemewo, Mafe, Devers, Schad and Teague but besides Coughlin, I don't see much star power. I think in two years Esezi or Mafe could be a really good player but as of now, I'm thinking they are more just good rotational piece, otherwise they would have beaten out Dellatiboudere.

Don't get me wrong, we can definitely win some games (8-9) and have a quality defense with this line but we need to have good players at LB and in the secondary and well as a good offense which we do. But to take that next level (10+ wins), I'd like to eventually get better starters than Renner, Drew-Treadway, and Winston D. Schad, Teague an Cheyney were all highly recruited and highly rated plus DV Harris, MJ Anderson and Deangelo Carter all had very good offer lists and Ottemowo and Mafe are only RS sophomores so I do think they will eventually be very good in 2-3 years but right now, I think this is a solid line but nothing spectacular.

In terms of a second pass rusher, Boye and Devers could be the best we've had in decades. Carter is as good as we've had in a long time. Schad and Renner can be good pass rushers. Not sure on Esezi, more of a run stuffer I think. Boye was outstanding in the spring, haven't heard much from him in camp, but everyone is raving about Devers. I think off the field is the reason he hasn't played more past couple seasons.

 

[die hard gopher]

In terms of a second pass rusher, Boye and Devers could be the best we've had in decades. Carter is as good as we've had in a long time. Schad and Renner can be good pass rushers. Not sure on Esezi, more of a run stuffer I think. Boye was outstanding in the spring, haven't heard much from him in camp, but everyone is raving about Devers. I think off the field is the reason he hasn't played more past couple seasons.

I mean anything is possible and I am definitely hopeful on Mafe, Ottomewo and Devers but they could very well end up being nothing more than a Hank Ekpe or Gaelin Elmore type of player. People had just as high of expectations for those guys as they do for our current DE's. Right now based on what we've seen from them, I don't think there is a reason to think they will be the best we've had in decades. They could be good but that is a bit outlandish based on what we've seen so far from them.

 

[btowngopher]

I mean anything is possible and I am definitely hopeful on Mafe, Ottomewo and Devers but they could very well end up being nothing more than a Hank Ekpe or Gaelin Elmore type of player. People had just as high of expectations for those guys as they do for our current DE's. Right now based on what we've seen from them, I don't think there is a reason to think they will be the best we've had in decades. They could be good but that is a bit outlandish based on what we've seen so far from them.

I mean the bar is not really that high.