Michigan Football: Predicting Wolverines defensive depth chart in 2021

Linebackers

ILB: 1’s: Josh Ross, Kalel Mullings; 2’s: Jaydon Hood, Cornell Wheeler, Nikhai Hill-Green

In the 3-4 defense you have two inside linebackers and these guys need to be able to handle their own gap responsibility. That makes solid defensive line play in front of them important, but you also need tough guys, who also will have to cover across the middle.

Josh Ross announced he will return for another season and he should be a good fit in this scheme. He won’t play 100 percent of the snaps or anything, but he’s tough and that will keep him in the lineup. Kalel Mullings is one of the guys expected to make a leap this year and freshman Jaydon Hood can’t be counted out.

OLB: 1: Junior Colson 2’s: Anthony Solomon, Ben VanSumeren, Michael Barrett

If Michigan essentially ends up starting two defensive tackles, Hutchinson, plus two inside linebackers, it would leave a spot for an outside linebacker or two, or a rush end.

Ojabo, Harrell and McGregor, assuming he’s healthy, make the most sense in terms of those rush end spots, plus keep in mind, the sub-package defense could also be more a four-man front, with two tackles and two ends.

At any rate, the Wolverines need athletes and pass rushers on the field and there might be no better athlete on the entire defense than Colson.

You could make a case for him at just about any linebacker position and under Don Brown, there’s a good chance he would have been a viper. He’s probably still one of the most-underrated prospects in the 2021 class and I believe he will be a star pretty much right away.

Barrett and Solomon are both interesting guys. They might actually fit better inside for this defense, but don’t necessarily have the kind of size you’d typically want. Macdonald will have some work to do finding fits for all these guys, which is also why some transfers are likely to happen after the spring and the depth chart becomes more finalized in the new system.

But maybe the ideal front seven would be: Hinton (DT), Smith (DT), Hutchinson (DE), Upshaw/McGregor (Rush End) Colson (OLB), Ross (ILB) and Millings (ILB) or a transfer portal guy like Lance Dixon.