Michigan Football: 3 reasons D-Line is strength of Wolverines defense

DL depth is legit

Depth, especially on the defensive line, is a critical component of any good football team. Every player is giving 100% when they are out on the field. When a player needs a rest, coaches want to be confident there won’t be a drop off in production when they leave the field.

In the Wolverines case, that means having players that can make plays when Paye, Hutchinson, Hinton, and Kemp need a breather.

Looking at the roster, you can see that Michigan football has budding depth with Vilian, Jeter, Smith, and Ojabo as well as others, ready when their name is called.

Don Brown has heaped praise towards the entire d-line this off-season which is good news. He has seen players take the next step in being contributors this season. That talk just needs to translate into game situations.

As their snaps increase we should see a rotation start to take shape. The starters are going to see a lot of the reps but building an eight-man rotation would keep everyone fresh. If Hutchinson and Paye can go late into games and feel good, they are going to make more winning plays.

It isn’t far-fetched to say that 10-12 players on the defensive line could see playing time this season. As the players start to separate themselves, the rotation will tighten up, but there is plenty of opportunities.