2018 Camp preview: Defensive line
With SEC Media Days in the books, it’s finally time to start looking ahead to the 2018 football season. Missouri will begin its preseason camp on Aug. 3. Each day until then, PowerMizzou will evaluate the roster one position group at a time, breaking down the depth chart and the outlook for the season. Today, we turn our attention to the defensive side of the ball with the defensive line.
The starters: The Missouri coaching staff has said on numerous occasions that its biggest recruiting victory of the offseason was getting defensive tackle Terry Beckner Jr. to spurn the NFL Draft and return to school for his senior season. After remaining healthy and undergoing a full offseason of workouts, Beckner is expected to anchor the defensive line. The Tigers’ first depth chart of the preseason listed Walter Palmore as the starter alongside Beckner on the interior. That comes as a bit of a surprise after the coaching staff raved about Texas transfer Jordan Elliott last year, when he wasn’t eligible to play, but regardless of who is the nominal starter, expect both Elliott and Palmore to see plenty of action as Missouri rotates players in and out on the defensive front. At defensive end, the team will have two new starters from a year ago. The two most likely players to occupy those spots are sophomores Tre Williams, who recorded four tackles for loss and three sacks in limited action a season ago, and Chris Turner.
The backups: The coaching staff is perhaps just as excited about the depth on the interior of the defensive line as it is about having Beckner back. Expect at least three other players to form a regular rotation along with him, Palmore and Elliott. Rashad Brandon, who had five and a half tackles for loss last season, could be one of those players. Twenty-three-year-old newcomer Antar Thompson, a junior college transfer, is also expected to contribute. Other names to remember are sophomore Kobe Whiteside and junior Markell Utsey.
The Tigers’ depth at defensive tackle has prompted the coaching staff to move a few players from the interior to the edge. Both redshirt freshman Caleb Sampson and sophomore Akial Byers are now listed as defensive ends, but they could line up at any position in the front four. Senior Nate Anderson was also listed as a No. 2 defensive end on the first preseason depth chart. Despite the relocation of Sampson and Byers, however, the coaching staff still expects one or two newcomers to contribute at defensive end this season. The candidates to do so are Trajan Jeffcoat, Jatorian Hansford and Kansas City native Daniel Parker Jr.
Camp outlook: With its combination of star power and depth, Missouri should be able to rely on the interior of its defensive line to stuff runs up the middle and help its inexperienced ends generate a pass rush. How effectively the Tigers are ultimately able to pressure opposing quarterbacks could loom large for the defense’s fortunes this seasons, as the team’s inexperienced secondary could likely use the help. Also, keep an eye out for the team to run a 3-4 defensive formation more often than it did a season ago. That’s Odom’s preferred defensive alignment, and he said in the spring the players the team has recruited in the past couple classes should be well-suited for it.
Projected Week One depth chart:
1. Tre Williams (DE)/ Terry Beckner Jr. (DT)/ Jordan Elliott (DT)/ Chris Turner (DE)
2. Nate Anderson (DE)/ Antar Thompson (DT)/ Walter Palmore(DT)/ Jatorian Hansford (DE)