Michigan can't afford to lose their best back you say? [Upchurch]

Following a good laugh over one of those offseason #content lists where they name random skill position players at recognizable schools, we thought maybe a real answer might be good for, you know, an offseason #content list. So:

So who IS Michigan's most irreplaceable starter?*​

David: In most years, I think there would be a few clear-cut, shining star answers.  And while Michigan’s ceiling would not be as high without some of its premiere talent, I’m not sure those particular players are the most irreplaceable. Let’s try a Top 3, this time…

1. Mason Cole. He’s played LT for 2 years and has done a very solid job despite not being ideally-sized for that position. Now, it appears he will be starting at center, which just tells you how much smart of a player he is. Michigan basically has four proven OL starters, one highly-rated probably starter, and a couple of depth guys that no one really knows how they’ll turn out. Losing Cole would mean that everyone more-or-less has to be a hit in their respective positions. That COULD happen…but will it? Ehhhhh…I don’t know. Losing anyone else on the OL and Cole can move if it would allow M to put its best five on the field.

2. John O’Korn. Ok, this miiiiiiight be a reach, but I’m going off of some potential and I get to be the guy on the staff that goes rogue sometimes. I do think that JOK has the highest ceiling on the team in a position that does not quite have the depth…yet. I think we still need one more season of injury-luck in this department before the options absolutely explode. There is still some uncertainty with him, obviously, but he’s shown the physical [in]tangibles to have some backing for what he can do…in addition to belief in QB development under Harbaugh. Plus, like mobility, etc. Perhaps Speight would be adequate –or even successful- enough, but I’m personally not sold, yet.

3. Jabrill Peppers. I’ve been arguing with a buddy about this spot for a while, now. What it came down to for me is that Peppers is the backup everything on this team. I actually believe if he had to play guard or weak-side end for a couple plays, he would hold his own.  Seriously though, in addition to Peppers playing his 5 positions on the field where you know he’ll line up and be awesome, he could potentially take over a starting role at 3-4 of them and there would be very little drop off from the nominal starter. On most teams, Peppers would be the cornerstone of any defense. And while he is certainly important, this defense is SO deep that he do almost whatever is needed and not be depended on to do one certain responsibility…in addition to being to handle most single-position responsibilities. Get it?

[After the JUMP: offseason #content, plus Rashan Gary's hudl highlights are embedded again]

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Seth: I bitched when we came up with the question that we'll all agree on Cole. So I'm ignoring the question and answering the opposite. Let's just say an evil deity came down and said Michigan is going to lose one and only one starter, and it can't be a fullback or any other part-timer, or "the winner of X position battle." And then he asked me to make it a gimmicky top five because evil Sophie's Choice gods are evil like that. Here's who we'd probably survive:

5. Bryan Mone. The 2nd NT is a starting position, but Michigan was fine last year until they lost Glasgow too. Mone's got one injury redshirt so this would just make him eligible for a 6th year, provided he recovers again. Glasgow-Mone is an awesome 1-2 punch, but living with Glasgow and Hurst (who should be a 3-tech) at NT wasn't so bad last year, and living with Mone through 2019 might make that up.

Slot doesn't count as a starter on a Harbaughffense but Grant Perry should do fine if Michigan loses their #1 H-receiver. [Fuller]

4. Either safety. I think Kinnel can play either position, and a medshirt on Thomas or Hill would give the 2017 defense two non-underclassman warm bodies instead of one. But losing one means you can't lose another all year.

3. Non-Mason Cole OL. As long as you have Cole you can play your 6th offensive lineman wherever he's best suited. Hate to lose Mags/Braden/Kalis after all the time they've played together, but I don't see any of those three as an NFL guy.

2. Hurst. He may be the best option at 3-tech but never have there been so many good ones. If Quick Burst Mo Hurst goes out you can still put together a really good season with a combination of Mone/Wormley/Gary/Godin/Taco at 3- and 5-tech.

1. De'Veon Smith. Yes, the guy CBS put No. 16 in the country. This is less a knock on Smith and more about depth at RB and what non-Fournette/Elliott type can get you versus other options. Last year Pro Football Focus had Heisman candidate RBs Christian McCaffrey and Leonard Fournette at +32.4 and +32.2 for the season. For comparison, Joey Bosa was twice that, and Jourdan Lewis was +21.7. So what's the difference between Smith and some really good backup options?

We'd miss Smith's blocking and trucking, but you can have a very good team with Drake Johnson, and hit a very high ceiling with Ty Isaac, and might have a four-year starter in one of the true freshmen. Michigan is worse without Smith, but that's true for any starter.

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Call it what you want: nickel, SS, SLB, Money, Jaguar, Tractor, Pup, whatever. Peppers has it down. [Fuller]

Adam: If we're looking for one irreplaceable starter, it's Jabrill Peppers. He's like guacamole: so perfect in so many roles. Need a "linebacker" who can sit in the flat and snack on screens? Peppers can do it. Looking for a dip that pairs nicely with those leftover blue corn tortilla chips somebody brought to your barbecue? Guacamole can do it. Need a Dude who can carry a slot receiver down the field? Peppers has that guy locked up. Looking for a condiment that will get you to gladly buy an $8 burrito just so you can spend one more dollar to add it? Guacamole's got that locked down.

Noah Furbush has garnered praise from the coaching staff, and when they bring someone up unprompted I believe that he's truly doing well. If he sees 40 snaps this season, I'm sure things will go smoothly. The problem is we really don't have a good feel for how he'd do with anything resembling significant playing time, so right now the drop-off between Peppers and Furbush is significant enough that I think it pushes Peppers over Lewis in terms of importance.

That's without even considering Peppers' importance on special teams and offense; the yards he saves when he teleports to the ball on fair catches and the inevitability of him breaking one make him irreplaceable in that phase as well. Look at what Charles Woodson did against Ohio State in 1997 and you'll see why I have a hard time putting anyone above Peppers on this list.

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Ace: I’ll keep this quick, since this is already getting long. Gimmicky top five, ahoy.

5. Amara Darboh/Jehu Chesson. Michigan has two excellent starting receivers, an emerging slot-type in Grant Perry, and very little in the way of depth. Drake Harris and Moe Ways both could break out, but we don’t have much to go on with either save for recruiting hype and the occasional practice report. After that, it’s all freshmen, who notoriously struggle to make an early impact at the position.

Michigan has some very good corners if they lose Lewis, but none are on Jourdan's level. [Barron]

4. Ben Gedeon/Mike McCray. While the defensive line and secondary should mitigate the need for the linebackers to be outstanding, the prospect of throwing a true freshman into the starting lineup—or a guy who played H-back last year—isn’t an enticing one.

3. Jourdan Lewis. Michigan could still field a quality duo with Clark/Stribling, but it’s hard to overstate the value of a true shutdown corner.

2. Mason Cole. The real point of concern on the O-line, depth-wise, is at tackle; between David Dawson and Patrick Kugler, Michigan should be able to come up with something half-decent if they need to replace someone on the interior. Cole isn’t just Michigan’s best lineman, however—he’s also their most versatile, and would certainly move out to tackle if Newsome or Magnuson exits the lineup. Losing Cole would put a ton of pressure on both his replacement at center and Newsome, as well as putting the O-line one injury away from potential disaster.

1. Jabrill Peppers. There’s nobody who can replace what he brings to the team. He’d probably rank this high for his role on defense alone. Add in his contributions to offense and special teams and he’s #1 with a bullet.

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Brian: This is long enough already that I should probably just agree with people. I agree.

BiSB: The people demand HOT TAEKS.

Alex: Hot take: we go 6-6 if De'Veon Smith goes down. Just CANNOT lose that guy.

BiSB: Hotter take: Michigan's most indispensable player was Willie Henry. The season is already doomed.

Special teams can swing a game you know. [Fuller]

Brian: I will say that any noise tackle shaped object going down will make me start planning an invasion of Heaven. I am so so so sick of confronting OSU's murderball offense with a converted DE playing nose tackle. And just because Michigan has two of them doesn't mean that spot is secure. NT is a spot with two starters.

Ace: Serious, semi-hot take: Kenny Allen is more indispensable to this team than De’Veon Smith. (That’s going to read as bashing Smith but freshman kickers scare the crap out of me.)

Alex: 100% of all special teams snaps > 40% (or whatever) of RB snaps. Plus the gap between Smith and friends is pretty small.

BiSB: Getting to the OSU game with Glasgow/Mone, Hurst/Wormley,  and Taco/Gary intact would make me Happy Panda. But if you asked me to strike one down, I genuinely don't know which I'd choose.

Ace: I… I think it might be Gary? Which seems INSANE.

Alex: I'd probably give up ligaments / joints / whatever for any of them. I'm trying really really hard not to just assume that Gary will be a Suh-like impact player by the end of his Michigan career.

BiSB:

Give in to your feelings.