Good news, Virginia football fans! The defensive line returns six of its top eight performers from 2014.
Unfortunately, the two defensive linemen that left (I’m counting Max Valles as a defensive end because he spent most of his snaps there and I’m the writer of this blog) produced 15 of our 33 sacks (45.5%), were the focus of every opposing offensive coordinator’s game plan, and caused every opposing quarterback to get closer to his daily step goal. Harold is now a key cog in the San Francisco 49ers’ rebuilding effort and Valles is in Oakland trying to do whatever one does as a member of the Oakland Raiders. Regardless of whether you agree with their decisions to leave, neither is going to help us in 2015.
The cupboard isn’t necessarily bare. The unrelated Moores (Mike and Kwontie) that are likely to start at end looked like they belong at this level in 2014. The tackle spot is deep enough that presumptive superstar Andrew Brown (the guy who looks most like an NFL player of anyone on the roster) is a backup, with returning stalwart David Dean and run-stuffing all-glue guy Donte Wilkins the likely starters. There is talent. There’s no question of that. The question for the 2015 defensive line is if there are playmakers.
Let’s talk defensive ends. I think we’ll see the traditional ends get more snaps at those spots (even when we go to the nickel) because of the inexperience at linebacker.
Mike Moore had three sacks in 2014 after totaling two in his first two seasons in town. He still sometimes struggles with pursuit angles (so frustrating to see after he beats his man), but he’s shown the physical ability to get into opposing backfields, a skill that most of his teammates have yet to exhibit and one that is half the battle (even if you miss the quarterback by two yards, the play is still disrupted). Moore is the most proven end we’ve got, and I think he’s the most likely candidate to provide even a facsimile of what we saw from Harold and Valles last year. Unfortunately, he’s not nearly as fast or slippery as either of those guys.
Kwontie Moore wasted two years on the bench listed as a middle linebacker before surfacing at defensive tackle last year. He showed flashes there (a sack against Kent State, a ferocious hit and forced fumble against Miami) and now has lost some bulk and moved to end for what appears to be his senior year (there’s some talk that he’ll get a medical hardship and another year). I’m rooting for Q to put it together.
Everyone else is a wild card. Trent Corney is a Marvel character athletically, but he’s always been that and he’s never been able to put it together enough upstairs to get onto the field consistently. Darrious Carter and Chris Peace are athletic kids that could emerge as pass rush specialists but are probably too small (235ish pounds) and inexperienced (redshirt freshmen) to make too much of an impact. Devil’s advocate: Max Valles was thrown onto the field as a freshman and basically just told to run at the quarterback, and that worked pretty well. We’ll see.
The tackles are exciting. Being confronted with our depth is like Harry and Marv entering the McAllister house. David Dean and Donte Wilkins are the red-hot doorknob and blowtorch to the scalp and then when you think you’re done with them, Andre Miles-Redmond is some broken Christmas ornaments and big Andrew Brown is a paint can swinging at your face.
Dean and Wilkins are ace run-stuffers and provide skilled size to push up the middle. Neither provide much oomph as a pass rusher, but that’s where Andrew Brown hopefully enters the picture in his sophomore campaign. Brown didn’t do much on the field as a freshman, laboring under a turf toe injury and the weight of high expectations, but he’s healthy now and hopefully better for what experience he did get. Those three are likely to get the majority of the snaps, but there’s word from fall camp that the aforementioned Miles-Redmond (a junior) deserves to get on the field and probably will.
The defensive line is so, so close to being something special. It’s got all of the ingredients except for someone who is enough of a threat to quarterbacks to consistently draw attention (and sack them, but the attention is almost more important). Whether or not they can find someone who can will be the question that defines their success this season.
