Predict the 3rd/4th best players on each side of the ball on Nov 1

Submitted by alum96 on

I think most would agree we have 2 upper end players on each side of the ball - Devin and Funchess on offense, and Ryan and Clark* on the defense.  Three of these four, and most likely all if Funchess fulfills his promise will be gone after this year.  With that said fast forward 3 months and who do you see as the 3rd/4th "best" players at that moment on each side of the ball. 

NOT who has the most potential or who is most important (I'd throw Jarrod Wilson as most important on the defense due to the drop off/lack of experience behind him) but who on Nov 1 is showing to be an impact player like Funchess did on Nov 1, 2013.

*Countess is probably in same realm as Clark in talent but faces some health and competition issues.

Obvious candidate on defense is Peppers but if you think that - that would mean 10-11 games into his freshman year he is the 3rd or 4th best player on a pretty veteran defense. Plausible but aggressive for a player we've never seen. If you pick Gedeon it would mean he is getting a lot of playing time - which seems unlikely if he is stuck at MIKE.  Picking a corner is difficult when we don't know the rotation. If you pick a running back it means our OL is competent enough to be opening holes so (Green/Smith) can flourish to be the 3rd/4th best player on offense.  If you pick any WR it is someone who has almost no game experience. If you pick any OL well ...

So think it through.

My picks

Defense

  • Henry
  • Ross III 

Offense

  • Butt even at 80%
  • ....still thinking.... throws dart.  Dart hits Darboh.
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Mr. Yost

August 28th, 2014 at 1:57 PM ^

Devin and Funchess...Ryan and Clark. Devin Funchess and Ryan Clark.

Anyway...

Offense

  1. Butt
  2. Darboh or Norfleet (but I'll have my eye on Chesson and a breakout OL)

 

Defense

  1. Absolutely no clue...Henry, Charlton, Ross, Bolden, Countess, Peppers and Wilson all come to mind.

Nice thread...I'll be interested to read all of the responses, especially on defense. Tough question.

 

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alum96

August 28th, 2014 at 2:05 PM ^

Very tough question as I thought it through.  On defense so many guys I wanted to say (Gedeon, Hurst, Wormley) could be backups.  Other guys (Bolden, Lewis) are more of camp hype rather than what we have seen on the field.  Peppers is obvious but really will a freshman pass everyone else like a freight train? And does that mean good things about Peppers or the rest of the group.  Countess seems like an easy choice but he could be a nickel back with Peppers taking his role in 3 months.  Pipkins could be the breakout star as well but is he 100% back? So not easy to figure out.

On offense other than Butt no one has shown that flash of ability yet - very few of these players have a track record of success.  It is all projection.  I am very curious who we think on Nov 1 will be our future stars based on what they did in 2014.  I am leaning to WRs just because I think this team will be reliant on passing over running again in 2014 due to the OL.  The running game feels like it will still be a year away no matter how I try to slice this year.

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mgobaran

August 28th, 2014 at 2:01 PM ^

DONT HURT DARBOH RIGHT BEFORE THE SEASON!

 

Offense 
     De'Veon Smith
     Freddy Canteen

Defense
     Willie Henry
     Jabrill Peppers (due to Nickel, PR, and WR [yes he will play a few snaps late] contributions)

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mgowill

August 28th, 2014 at 2:03 PM ^

Offense

Butt

Norfleet

 

Defense

Henry

Bolden

 

This is a fun thread, especially after all the position reviews that we have seen this week.

Joined: 08/31/2011

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MichiganTeacher

August 28th, 2014 at 2:14 PM ^

Offense:

* Butt. I think his freshman season was a very good sign.

* Green. This is part wishful thinking, but I'm feeling optimistic today, I guess. Also, I feel like Green will have to do a fantastic job just to get three yards at the start of the season, so by the time November rolls around and the OL is approaching competent, he's going to feel like he's swinging a bat with the doughnuts off. At least, that's what I hope.

Defense:

* Countess. All Big Ten for another year, maybe more.

* Bolden. I'm hoping it's Henry. But Bolden is going to be more consistent, I think, and more opposing DCs are going to worry about him than about Henry.

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umchicago

August 28th, 2014 at 2:19 PM ^

D: countess and ross

O: green and cole.  if cole as a true frosh can start at LT over magunusson who most thought was the sure #1, i like his improvement curve during the next 3 months.

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Champeen

August 28th, 2014 at 2:29 PM ^

I think this is easy (of course, IMO :))

Offense: Butt and Deveon Smith

Defense: Countess (he should be 2nd and Clark should be here at 3rd IMO), Bolden (i think the world of Pipkins, so this was the hardest choice for me)

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OxfordBlue24

August 28th, 2014 at 2:54 PM ^

I think Green/Smith will end up as the third best player, a two-headed monster of sorts. Darboh or Butt is an easy pick after that. As for defense, I think Bolden will live up to the hype and return as the best player on D next year, and Lewis or Peppers will end up as the 4th best, with a lot of hype surrounding the entire backfield in general heading into next season.

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reshp1

August 28th, 2014 at 2:54 PM ^

Offense:

Jake Butt

Mason Cole

Defense:

Henry

Lewis

 

TE is going to be a big part of our offense this year, and Jake doesn't have too much competition there. He's going to be a reliable safety valve for Gardner and provide some dependable blocking on the edge to help take some pressure off the line. Nov 1 should be enough time for him to round into form

I'm fully on board the Mason Cole hype train. I don't think he'll be Jake Long, but he'll be surprisingly competent. The more I see and hear about him, the more I think he's playing because he's really that good, not that everyone else is that bad. 4th best? Maybe a stretch, but I think 4th most important is definitely realistic

Henry is an easy choice for me. I've been high on him since spring 2013 and DL is an area where we've had a pretty good track record of developing guys. Look for him to be a consistent thorn in the side of opposing OLs.

I think if Lewis wasn't a SO, he'd have one of the starting spots right now. If they're serious about playing aggressive press coverage, he looks like our best option. I think by the Nov 1, the coaches just won't be able to keep him off the field anymore.

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Zarniwoop

August 28th, 2014 at 3:14 PM ^

Offsense:Gardner, Funchess

Defense: Peppers, Clark

This thread is an awesome read.  I'm not better than anyone else at guessing for damned sure. But, two things I know from 4 decades of Michigan Football (and football in general) are that on average:

1. Previous performance is a predictor of future performance.

2. Freshmen rarely will qualify as a top 2 performer on a typical Michigan team. Obviously, the last several years haven't been typical.

My picking Peppers is a wild flyer just for fun. The rest of them are just the way it is pretty much (or at least the way it should be). I could definitely see Ryan or Morgan ending up on that list though. Countess could be another dark horse. If Ryan hadn't changed positions or he moves back to caveman, he would be my top defensive pick.

If Mason Cole or any other offensive lineman ends up being in this list at the end of the year, I'll be really happy becasue it means we ran the ball well.

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chatster

August 28th, 2014 at 5:01 PM ^

Continuing my predictable inability to make accurate predictions, I have no idea who to choose; but there IS something I’d like to witness:
 
After a blitz that sacks the opposing quarterback for a big loss and leads to a turnover on a crucial fourth down play at an important time of the game, I’d just like to hear the play-by-play broadcaster call, “Lewis and Clark with the big hits for Michigan!” and hear the analyst scream, “Sacagawea!”

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blue in dc

August 28th, 2014 at 6:59 PM ^

And tough (for very different reasons on offense and defense) On offense, I'd like to go with Butt, however, my sense is that it takes more than a year to really recover from ACL surgery and while he'll be good, he won't be great. On the o-line, I am really hoping for competence from the starting 5, but with Magnuson just off shoulder surgery, Kalis with back trouble, Memories of Miller being blown back last year and not being ready to be fulled by the Braden hype two years running, My only hope for at least honorable mention all big ten calliber play is Glasgow. I am thinking solid running back by committee, so I can't pick one of them. That leaves reciever. My gut tells me that behind Funchess we will have a number of very solid recievers who will split catches, but since I have to pick a aecond, I am gonna go with Canteen. Defense is hard because I think we'll have a bunch of very good players, but I'm gonna say both Henry and Jordan end up second team all big ten.

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