In our Maryland football positional preview series, we have already looked into most of the offense ahead of the 2021 season.
Now, it is time to turn to the defensive side of the ball as we continue to dive into the Terps’ position groups as the season rapidly approaches. More specifically, we are going to examine Maryland’s defensive line heading into this year.
The defensive line is one of the program’s strongest assets and it projects to be an effective group. Let’s examine what Maryland brings to the table with its defensive line with the first regular season game just a few weeks away.
Maryland 2021 defensive line depth
| Player | Year | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Year | Height | Weight |
| Joseph Boletepeli | Junior | 6'4" | 280 lbs |
| Tyler Baylor | Junior | 6'4" | 255 lbs |
| Mosiah Nasili-Kite | Junior | 6'2" | 305 lbs |
| Taizse Johnson | Freshman | 6'1" | 290 lbs |
| Greg Rose | Senior | 6'3" | 271 lbs |
| Jacob Purcell | Junior | 6'2" | 225 lbs |
| Ami Finau | Senior | 6'2" | 330 lbs |
| Isaac Bunyun | Sophomore | 6'3" | 294 lbs |
| Tommy Akingbesote | Freshman | 6'4" | 285 lbs |
| Ryan Brown | Sophomore | 6'1" | 274 lbs |
| Anthony Booker Jr. | Sophomore | 6'3" | 320 lbs |
| Andre Porter | Freshman | 6'4" | 300 lbs |
| Almosse Titi | Junior | 6'2" | 305 lbs |
| Darrell Jackson | Freshman | 6'6" | 274 lbs |
| Riyad Wilmot | Sophomore | 6'4" | 255 lbs |
| Lawtez Rogers | Senior | 6'4" | 275 lbs |
| Zion Shockley | Freshman | 6'4" | 245 lbs |
| Sam Okuayinonu | Grad | 6'1" | 290 lbs |
| Ernest Shockley III | Senior | 6'3" | 290 lbs |
| Demeioun Robinson | Freshman | 6'3" | 240 lbs |
Mosiah Nasili-Kite and Ami Finau will spearhead the Terps’ defensive line
When you look at foundational pieces of Maryland’s defensive line, the big name that stands out is junior Mosiah Nasili-Kite. After finishing as a 2020 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention, Nasili-Kite will have even more expectations to excel on the Terps’ defensive line in 2021.
As a result of last season’s success, he was named to the 2021 Pro Football Focus Preseason All-Big Ten list and the 2021 Athlon Sports Preseason All-Big Ten list as well. Nasili-Kite is a dominant force on the line of scrimmage and led the Big Ten in sacks per game with a 0.8 clip after getting four sacks in five games last season. He also finished second on the team with five tackles for a loss in 2020.
Nasili-Kite consistently used all of his 305 pounds to overpower his opponents and he also exhibited quality speed to slip through blocks. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Maryland’s best man on the defensive line provide another strong output in 2021.
Near Nasili-Kite on the talent level is the likes of senior Ami Finau, who started in all five games on the defensive line as a junior during the shortened season. He’ll likely be a mainstay on the defensive line once again for Maryland right next to Nasili-Kite.
Finau collected 18 tackles and four solo tackles in 2020 and finished second on the roster with two sacks. Finau’s first season with Maryland was a major success and he’ll look to have another quality year on the defensive line.
Consistency will be the key for Maryland’s defensive line as a whole, and the combination of Nasili-Kite and Finau provides an effective one-two punch on the line of scrimmage to disrupt their opponent’s offenses.
With the help of incoming freshmen, Maryland should have significant depth on the defensive line in 2021
There’s no doubt that Nasili-Kite and Finau will lead the charge on Maryland’s defensive line to go along with a few veterans, as previously noted. However, which players will fill a critical role behind some of the more experienced players on the roster?
Look no further than the five talented incoming freshmen that will join the Terps’ defensive line for 2021. Head coach Mike Locksley recruited heavily on the defensive side of the ball and the potential payoff for those recruiting efforts could come this season.
Freshman Taizse Johnson will likely have the biggest impact on the roster as the highest-ranked defensive tackle that’s on his way to Maryland in the 2021 class, per 247Sports.
Maryland’s incoming freshman edge rusher Demeioun Robinson is listed as a linebacker on the team website and ranked higher than Johnson as a defensive line recruit on 247Sports, but for our purposes, he will be reviewed in the linebacker’s preview.
Johnson is a consensus four-star defensive tackle and was the second-ranked player coming out of Washington D.C. He doesn’t bring too much size with a 6-1, 290-pound frame, but Johnson makes up for his lack of size with excellent speed. The scouting report notes of his fantastic closing speed and footwork, which should be noticeable on the field if he’s given the chance.
Freshman Tommy Akingbesote is also coming to Maryland as one of the top defensive lineman recruits in the nation. Akingbesote is another four-star player and was ranked as the 19th defensive tackle in the country. Unlike Johnson, he brings much more length with a 6-4 frame on the defensive line and uses his long arms to take advantage of blockers who try to get in his way.
The combination of Johnson and Akingbesote should see a decent amount of looks early on as they both have the raw talent to make a positive impact on Maryland’s defensive line. Behind those freshmen, the Terps have three more young talents — Andre Porter, Darrell Jackson and Zion Shockley — that can eventually sneak their way into the lineup on game days.
Porter is the most notable of the remaining three freshmen defensive linemen. He was ranked the 30th-best defensive tackle nationally and the 13th-ranked player in Pennsylvania before joining the Terps’ program.
Jackson brings the most length to Maryland out of the defensive line’s incoming freshmen standing at 6-foot-6, while Shockley comes to the team as the No. 20 player in Maryland.
There will likely be plenty of stiff competition going into the season to fill out some of the spots on the defensive line, but one thing is for sure. Maryland’s defensive line is evidently one of the strongest positions on the team due to the influx of talented freshmen that joined proven veterans for the upcoming campaign.
"football" - Google News
August 13, 2021 at 08:00PM
https://ift.tt/3m0PbQ3
Maryland’s defensive line has the potential to be one of the football program’s most underrated assets - Testudo Times
"football" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2ST7s35
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Maryland’s defensive line has the potential to be one of the football program’s most underrated assets - Testudo Times"
Posting Komentar