ANALYSIS: Defensive players with most to prove in tonight’s Spring Game
The Miami Hurricanes are set to culminate spring practice with the Spring Game at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale tonight.
And we’ve already got a pretty good idea from the prior 14 practices and talking with players and coaches who is doing well … and who still has a final piece to prove.
With that in mind, here are players on offense that perhaps have the most to prove tonight:
3. CBs Davonte Brown and Terry Roberts
Tyrique Stevenson and DJ Ivey were the starting boundary cornerbacks last season, and with both gone the team doesn’t return much experience or guys with success at the position based on last season. So Miami added a couple of transfer corners in Davonte Brown and Terry Roberts. Based on spring practices to this point it’s mostly been Brown and a transfer from last year, Daryl Porter, Jr., running with the ones. But DB coach Jahmile Addae was complimentary last week talking about the skills of both Brown and Roberts. It would certainly be good to see these guys step up and show they can stick with a questionable receiving corps in the spring game.
The secondary needs to improve after these rankings last year: Miami was No. 64 out of 130 teams in total defense (376.5 yards), No. 101 in team passing efficiency defense (142.52) and No. 79 in passing yards allowed per game (233.6).
2. Miami DE Nyjalik Kelly
It may seem a bit odd to say that Kelly has the most to prove, but with Jahfari Harvey out this spring has been Kelly’s chance to showcase himself to a new coordinator and show why he should be the starter next to Akheem Mesidor over the more experienced Harvey.
Kelly has put on eight pounds from last season, when he had four sacks off the bench, up to 250 pounds.
So he’s looking to build on a freshman year that saw Pro Football Focus grade him out at 63.5 on the year (70 is considered a good grade) with a stellar 82.7 tackle grade, a 63.1 run defense grade and 65.4 pass rush grade.
Keep an eye on him tonight … he might be a dominant force.
1. DTs Branson Deen and Thomas Gore
The Miami Hurricanes added these two defensive tackles in the hope that they can provide quality, experienced depth and push to start with Darrell Jackson gone at the DT position very much a question mark with only Leonard Taylor proven and fellow returner Jared Harrison-Hunte often injured. But Deen and Gore are undersized and haven’t stood out that much in spring drills … and coaches have not ruled out adding another DT in the portal when the next window opens. So there’s a lot on the shoulders of Deen and Gore to prove they can get the job done, and we’ll get a sense of if they are playmakers in the Spring Game when the lights are on.
If they are invisible in the game, based on what we’ve seen in other practice, that won’t be a good sign at an all-important tackle position.
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