[BostonCard]

I think you have to slightly overweight DL, compared to the secondary.  While we played slightly more in the nickel than in our base 3-4, you can easily slot in a freshman to be the nickel back. Defensive linemen generally need to physically develop, so it is harder to slot in freshmen to play, even as back-ups.  Moreover while DB’s can pretty much play nearly every snap, to be effective, defensive linemen should get a blow to be effective. In an ideal scenario, you have at least five upper class defensive linemen, both to ensure you have enough to play base, and to ensure that you have someone who can spell the starters. For defensive backs, as long as you have eight adequate DB’s across all classes, you should be fine.

BC

[BostonCard]

I think you have to slightly overweight DL, compared to the secondary.  While we played slightly more in the nickel than in our base 3-4, you can easily slot in a freshman to be the nickel back. Defensive linemen generally need to physically develop, so it is harder to slot in freshmen to play, even as back-ups.  Moreover while DB’s can pretty much play nearly every snap, to be effective, defensive linemen should get a blow to be effective. In an ideal scenario, you have at least five upper class defensive linemen, both to ensure you have enough to play base, and to ensure that you have someone who can spell the starters. For defensive backs, as long as you have eight adequate DB’s across all classes, you should be fine.

BC