The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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[ D E F E N S I V E L I N E ] 86 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW bought into our ability to rotate and keep guys fresh. That group drives our defense. "I think the reason we're good is we're built on the O-line and D-line. We're driven by those guys." The Wolverines also added a quar- tet of defensive linemen likely hoping to be the next Graham-type freshman breakthrough. Enow Etta (6-5, 270) out of Keller, Texas, Brooks Bahr (6-6, 280) from Lake Forest, Ill., Roderick (Trey) Pierce (6-2, 290) from Evergreen Park, Ill., and Cameron Brandt (6-4, 260) from Chatsworth, Calif., will look to make their marks early. Gaining An Edge Certainly, Harrell should be a force off the edge, after earning All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2022. He started 12 of the 13 games in which he appeared, and wound up with 3.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss among his 30 overall tackles. He hurried the quarterback five times and notched 2 pass breakups. "Jaylen is one of our most consistent, complete players with how he plays down after down, play after play, versus the run and the pass," Minter observed. "He's very technical and is one of the most self-made players in our program. "He was a Mike linebacker in high school. We moved him to the edge, and the work ethic, the way he trains, the way he goes about his business, the way he studies other players are off the charts. "He became a force for us last year. It doesn't always show up in stats, but he had consistency, the ability to set the edge and the ability to be really disci- plined." Minter pointed to huge plays by Har- rell against Ohio State and added, "He completely dominated the Big Ten Championship Game as a rusher. You saw the versatility and the capability that he has. If he continues on that pro- gression, I expect another big, big year from him as well." McGregor and Moore should bring plenty while keeping each other fresh off the edge. McGregor started three games and appeared in 14 last fall, se- curing 2.5 sacks and 5 TFLs among his 17 stops. He also broke up a pair of passes. Moore enjoyed a strong rookie sea- son, with 14 game appearances, 2 sacks among 8 stops, a pass breakup and a pair of quarterback hurries. "Braiden and Derrick play the same position," Minter noted. "I think the two of them are just tailor-made for what we ask of that spot. They have the skill set to be high-end players. "Derrick is a guy who comes in and gets snaps as a true freshman. Braiden is a guy who comes off a severe injury in high school, and then was behind Aidan Hutchinson and all these guys. "He has trusted the process and worked really, really hard. I thought the second half of the season last year, he ❱ ❱ X-FACTOR X-FACTOR He may not be penciled in as a starter just yet, but there's nobody on the defensive line with more talent than sophomore edge DERRICK MOORE. He's big, fast, strong and explosive (2 sacks among his tackles last fall) — and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter believes he will be a high-end NFL Draft pick one day. He can play on the interior, too — and will do so in pass-rush situations — so look for him to make an impact from all over. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL ❱ Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter has said he wants the Wolverines to be more "disruptive" on early downs this season. Michigan only had 19 tackles for loss against first- and second-down runs in 2022, ranking 125th in the coun- try, and just 47 "stuffs" (zero or negative yards), slotting 130th. Michigan had 20 sacks on third down (third-most nation- ally) but only 14 on early downs (85th). ❱ Mike Morris being taken by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round made it eight U-M edge rushers to be selected in the NFL Draft since 2019 and 10 dur- ing head coach Jim Harbaugh's tenure. ❱ The Wolverines' run defense is ex- pected to be anchored by senior Kris Jenkins, who led all college defensive tackles with 40 run-play tackles last season. U-M ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 7 in the country against the run last season, giving up just 97.3 rushing yards per contest. Eight of 14 oppo- nents were held under 100 yards on the ground. That was the first time U-M had given up less than 100 rushing yards per game in a season since 2006 (43.4). ❱ Twelve of U-M's 37 sacks came in the fourth quarter last season. The Wolver- ines had a 42.9 pressure rate in the final stanza, ranking ninth in the country, ac- cording to Sports Info Solutions. ❱ Jenkins was tabbed a preseason All- American by Lindy's Sports (second team) and Athlon (third team). Lindy's also projects him as the nation's No. 3 defensive tackle. ❱ U-M's defensive line was rated No. 5 in the nation by Athlon and No. 9 by Lindy's in the preseason. [ F Y I ]