Defensive line
DE: Kwity Paye (JR), Josh Uche (JR), Aidan Hutchinson (SO), Luiji Vilain (RS So) Taylor Upshaw (RS FR), Julius Welschof (RS FR)
No position is going to be hit harder for Michigan football than defensive end, where the Wolverines will graduate Chase Winovich and lose Rashan Gary to the draft.
Yet, because Gary was injured for part of the season, both Josh Uche and Kwity Paye had to play a lot and each player was effective, getting multiple sacks. Aidan Hutchinson also did a good job against the run and he will also see lots of snaps on run downs. Luiji Vilain is another name to watch after his first couple of seasons have been derailed due to injury.
DT: Carlo Kemp (SR), Michael Dwumfour (SR), Chris Hinton (FR), Mazi Smith (FR)
The Wolverines are going to be without Brian Mone who graduated after a solid career but defensive tackle should be in good hands with Carlo Kemp and Michael Dwumfour. Both of those guys played significant snaps in 2018 and they combined for seven tackles for loss and three sacks.
The issue isn’t really with the starters, it’s more about depth. Thankfully, two of Michigan’s top defensive recruits were on defense in Chris Hinton and Mazi Smith, but asking two freshmen to play big roles on the two-deep on the defensive line is risky. That’s why this position more than any other is one to watch for graduate transfers.