Preseason Camp Preview: Defensive Line
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Assessing where things stand for the Oregon football team entering the start of preseason camp Aug. 10.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Who’s back: It's very reasonable to think that the Oregon defensive line could move on without a first-round NFL draft pick this season, and yet be more disruptive than a year ago. Arik Armstead is now in the pro ranks, but the first reason to think the Ducks could be even better up front this season is the return and continued development of seniors DeForest Buckner and Alex Balducci. Buckner is a potential all-American and future first-round draft pick himself, while Balducci will look to make the jump from steady contributor to chaos-inducing force after playing much of last season on a bum ankle.
The other reason to think Oregon's D line could be even better than a year ago is a group of players lower on the depth chart who are poised to have breakout seasons. That includes veterans Tui Talia and T.J. Daniel, both candidates to replace Armstead with the first unit, and sophomores Henry Mondeaux and Austin Maloata, who got their first taste of college ball last season and are on track to mature into reliable rotation players in 2015 — if not more.
Who’s new: The Ducks relied heavily on the trio of Armstead, Balducci and Buckner a year ago in part due to their talent, and in part because the rest of the depth chart was a bit raw. The rotation figures to be much deeper this season, thanks to the development of Mondeaux and company, and also the presence of some talented new faces. Jalen Jelks is coming off a redshirt year in which he regularly battled Jake Fisher, a second-round NFL draft pick. And the class of incoming freshmen includes five-star recruit Canton Kaumatule, a couple of other long linemen in Drayton Carlberg and Gus Cumberlander, and two massive space-eaters in Rex Manu and Gary Baker. It might be a stretch to think all the new guys are ready to contribute immediately, but the Ducks only need one or two to fill out their rotation for this season.
ESPN’s take: Good shape: “Buckner is the undisputed veteran leader of this group, but the Ducks are also fortunate to have a proven returner at nose tackle in Alex Balducci.”
ROB’S TAKE
Projected depth chart
DE: DeForest Buckner, Sr.; T.J. Daniel, Jr.; Jalen Jelks, RFr.; Drayton Carlberg, Fr.; Jordan Kurahara, RFr.
NT: Alex Balducci, Sr.; Austin Maloata, So.; Rex Manu, Fr.; Gary Baker, Fr.; Spencer Stark, RFr.
DE: Tui Talia, Sr.; Henry Mondeaux, So.; Canton Kaumatule, Fr.; Gus Cumberlander, Fr.; Jason Sloan, So.
What to Watch: The obvious big storyline in August will be identifying the starter to replace Armstead. Talia and Daniel have seniority, but Mondeaux was a breakout star of spring drills, and all eyes will be on Kaumatule to see how close he can come to meeting the expectations heaped on him in the recruiting process. Sorting out the depth at nose tackle also should be intriguing. Manu showed off his power each week doing the "truck push" that UO strength coach Jim Radcliffe organized, and could potentially challenge Maloata, who has slimmed down a bit to help his conditioning but still can plug up the middle at 300 pounds.
