[BostonCard]

DL: Mike Tyler ***/Solomon Thomas *****/Harrison Phillips ***/Lane Veach *** B-

Tempting to give it a C because of the lack of interior defensive linemen, but somehow we always manage to fill the spot.  Even though getting a prototypical space-eating 3-4 defensive tackle is a twice a decade phenomenon, we often make due, so I'm not going to penalize the 2-year stint too much for it, especially given the quality and depth we have at the ends.  Obviously Solomon Thomas is a stud; perhaps the get of the class.  In the short term, we should be OK.  We lose Mauro and Gardner (although we've already coped with the loss of Gardner pre-Oregon), so we have two returning starters (Anderson and Parry), and experience (Leuders)  plus highly regarded players (Shittu, Watkins, Kaumatule, and Nwafor) to step into the void.  Longer term, we should be ok at DE, but it would be nice to get a DT next year, especially if Nwafor has any sort of recurrent injury problems.


LB: Kevin Palma ****/Peter Kalambayi ****/Joeiy Alfieri ****/Bobby Okereke ****/Jordan Perez *** A
As a group, our linebacking corps and offensive linemen are the strongest units in the two-cycle recruiting class (and this doesn't even include Sean Barton, who is on a mission and will be a part of next year's class, which already has verbals from two four star linebackers!).  Tempting to give the unit an A+.  This is good, because we fare losing Skov, Murphy, and Lancaster this year, though we have some good experienced returning talent (Tarpley, Anderson, Vaughters) and some highly regarded players from 2012 (Noor Davis and Blake Martinez).  Still, I expect some of the guys we signed last year to contribute this year, with the possibility of a starter coming from Palma and Kalambayi.  Longer term, we look pretty set, especially since the class of 2015 is off to a hell of a start at the position.

S: Brandon Simmons ****/Denzel Franklin *** B+
Another place where we need help quickly, and we got two great safety prospects this year.  Simmons would be my bet for player most likely to burn a redshirt, since Safety is a position of acute need, with Reynolds and Carrington gone, and Madhu medically retired.  Much will depend on whether Lyons moves (back) to safety or if Lloyd develops the skills he needs to succeed there.  Any way you cut it, we will be inexperienced at the free safety position.  Longer term, we got two safeties over the last three years, three if you throw in Lloyd (we got three nominal safeties in 2012, but Hoffpauir seems to have moved to nickel back, Carter is a corner, and Madhu was lost to injury).  So, safety will be a position of need again next year.

CB: Alijah Holder ***/Terrence Alexander ***/Alameen Murphy *** [possibly Taijuan Thomas ** as well if he moves from WR] A-
A fairly strong two-year haul at a position that has been traditionally tough for us to recruit (perhaps a little less so going forward if Richard Sherman continues to be a stud NFL CB).  If Lyons stays at CB, we are fine there in the short term; otherwise these guys may be pressed for action, at least as backups.  We do have Ronnie Harris as a potential starter if Lyons moves to Safety.  Longer term, these guys could anchor an awesome backfield, and we ought to be ok. It would be nice to have another CB next year, because of how unreliable the CB pipeline is for us.  Some years we have two or three outstanding prospects at once; then we'll go three years without any significant CB.

BC

[BostonCard]

DL: Mike Tyler ***/Solomon Thomas *****/Harrison Phillips ***/Lane Veach *** B-

Tempting to give it a C because of the lack of interior defensive linemen, but somehow we always manage to fill the spot.  Even though getting a prototypical space-eating 3-4 defensive tackle is a twice a decade phenomenon, we often make due, so I'm not going to penalize the 2-year stint too much for it, especially given the quality and depth we have at the ends.  Obviously Solomon Thomas is a stud; perhaps the get of the class.  In the short term, we should be OK.  We lose Mauro and Gardner (although we've already coped with the loss of Gardner pre-Oregon), so we have two returning starters (Anderson and Parry), and experience (Leuders)  plus highly regarded players (Shittu, Watkins, Kaumatule, and Nwafor) to step into the void.  Longer term, we should be ok at DE, but it would be nice to get a DT next year, especially if Nwafor has any sort of recurrent injury problems.


LB: Kevin Palma ****/Peter Kalambayi ****/Joeiy Alfieri ****/Bobby Okereke ****/Jordan Perez *** A
As a group, our linebacking corps and offensive linemen are the strongest units in the two-cycle recruiting class (and this doesn't even include Sean Barton, who is on a mission and will be a part of next year's class, which already has verbals from two four star linebackers!).  Tempting to give the unit an A+.  This is good, because we fare losing Skov, Murphy, and Lancaster this year, though we have some good experienced returning talent (Tarpley, Anderson, Vaughters) and some highly regarded players from 2012 (Noor Davis and Blake Martinez).  Still, I expect some of the guys we signed last year to contribute this year, with the possibility of a starter coming from Palma and Kalambayi.  Longer term, we look pretty set, especially since the class of 2015 is off to a hell of a start at the position.

S: Brandon Simmons ****/Denzel Franklin *** B+
Another place where we need help quickly, and we got two great safety prospects this year.  Simmons would be my bet for player most likely to burn a redshirt, since Safety is a position of acute need, with Reynolds and Carrington gone, and Madhu medically retired.  Much will depend on whether Lyons moves (back) to safety or if Lloyd develops the skills he needs to succeed there.  Any way you cut it, we will be inexperienced at the free safety position.  Longer term, we got two safeties over the last three years, three if you throw in Lloyd (we got three nominal safeties in 2012, but Hoffpauir seems to have moved to nickel back, Carter is a corner, and Madhu was lost to injury).  So, safety will be a position of need again next year.

CB: Alijah Holder ***/Terrence Alexander ***/Alameen Murphy *** [possibly Taijuan Thomas ** as well if he moves from WR] A-
A fairly strong two-year haul at a position that has been traditionally tough for us to recruit (perhaps a little less so going forward if Richard Sherman continues to be a stud NFL CB).  If Lyons stays at CB, we are fine there in the short term; otherwise these guys may be pressed for action, at least as backups.  We do have Ronnie Harris as a potential starter if Lyons moves to Safety.  Longer term, these guys could anchor an awesome backfield, and we ought to be ok. It would be nice to have another CB next year, because of how unreliable the CB pipeline is for us.  Some years we have two or three outstanding prospects at once; then we'll go three years without any significant CB.

BC