Michigan Football: 3 position battles to watch on defense this spring
We take a look at some of the key position battles to watch for Michigan football on the defensive side of the ball this spring.
Michigan football picks up spring practices again next week and on Friday, we examined some of the top position battles to watch on the offensive side of the ball for the Wolverines.
But as we noted, Michigan football has more positions to fill on the defensive side of the ball as a number of former starters have moved onto the NFL and are prepping for the draft.
Obviously, Aidan Hutchinson, David Ojabo, and Daxton Hill are the biggest names and are all players who could be selected in the first round but Josh Ross, Chris Hinton, Vincent Gray, and Brad Hawkins also played vital roles last season for the Wolverines and need to be replaced.
It feels like there is more fluidity to the defensive depth chart and it’s probably going to see more changes leading up to the 2022 season than the offensive depth chart.
And in terms of Michigan football position battles you should follow, here are three to watch on defense for the Wolverines this spring.
EDGE/DE
This is essentially the old job of Aidan Hutchinson. You can call it what you want edge or defensive end but the outside linebacker spot which is the other edge-rushing position seems like it will be claimed by Jaylen Harrell.
Certainly, he will get pushed but Harrell saw a lot of playing time last season and made key stops in both the Big Ten championship game and against Ohio State.
But another guy that saw significant time last season could be filling this role and is expected to and that’s Taylor Upshaw, who was credited with 3.5 tackles for loss last season, as well as 2.5 sacks.
However, he is going to be challenged and hopefully, former top recruit Braiden McGregor can find what made him such a sought-after recruit by U-M and Notre Dame before he injured his knee.
McGregor is like a mirror image of Hutchinson in that he’s a long, athletic defender with the ability to create havoc on the edge. But McGregor hasn’t really been healthy during his time in Ann Arbor and if he can get back to himself heading into 2022, he could be a weapon.
T.J. Guy and Kechaun Bennett are also second-year players who could take a leap and don’t discount Mike Morris. Chris Balas of The Wolverine reported that Donovan Jeter could still be returning for next season and if he was able to start up front alongside Kris Jenkins and Mazi Smith, Morris could potentially bump out to the edge.
Morris showed some potential as an interior pass rusher last season and I love the way he defends against the run. Either way, this is one position to watch for Michigan football this spring. Here are a couple of others.