2016 Ole Miss football depth chart, updated after National Signing Day

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rebeljim
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Hugh Freeze filled holes at offensive tackle and got deeper at receiver, but depth at the second and third levels on defense remains an issue.

ith a record-breaking National Signing Day in the rearview, we finally know the exact makeup of the 2016 Ole Miss roster. Let's take a crack at predicting the three-deep if spring camp started today.

Offense

QB Chad Kelly Shea Patterson Jason Pellerin
RB Akeem Judd Jordan Wilkins Eric Swinney
TE Evan Engram Octavious Cooley (signee) Willie Hibbler
WR Damore'ea Stringfellow A.J. Brown (signee) D.K. Metcalf (signee)
WR Markell Pack Damarkus Lodge Derrick Jones
Slot Quincy Adeboyejo Van Jefferson
LT Greg Little (signee) Bryce Mathews (signee)
LG Javon Patterson Daronte Bouldin

C Robert Conyers Eli Johnson (signee)
RG Rod Taylor Jordan Sims
RT Sean Rawlings Alex Givens Jeremy Liggins




Defense

Strong DE Fadol Brown John Youngblood Garrald McDowell
Weak DE Marquis Haynes Victor Evans Charles Wiley (signee)
DT Breeland Speaks Issac Gross

NT D.J. Jones Benito Jones (signee) Ross Donelly
MLB Terry Caldwell Shawn Curtis

OLB DeMarquis Gates Tayler Polk Tariqious Tisdale (signee)
CB Kendarius Webster Kailo Moore Carlos Davis
CB Tony Bridges Cam Ordway

Rover Armani Linton Deontay Anderson (signee) Jaylon Jones (signee)
FS C.J. Hampton A.J. Moore C.J. Moore
Husky Tony Conner Zedrick Woods

Scattered thoughts

The OT spot is much deeper now.

Five-star Greg Little, four-stars Bryce Mathews and Royce Newman and three-star Jack DeFoor have arrived. It's a good thing the Rebs hauled in such a phenomenal OT class, because the position is hurting after the departures of starting bookends Laremy Tunsil and Fahn Cooper. With existing options limited, Little (the consensus No. 1 OT tackle in the 2016 class) will probably be thrown immediately into the fire on the left side. Expect the right side to come down to a battle between sophomore Sean Rawlings, who started seven games as a freshman during Tunsil's suspension, and redshirt freshman Alex Givens. The loser of that battle will likely serve as the primary backup for both positions while Mathews develops.

Linebacker is still a major problem.

Five-star Mique Juarez and four-star JUCO David Luafatasaga could have been immediate candidates for the starting position next to DeMarquis Gates -- Juarez for his elite athleticism and Luafatasaga for his maturity and moderate experience. But Juarez signed with UCLA and Luafatasaga was an 11th-hour flip to Utah.

That leaves a group thinned by the losses of C.J. Johnson, Denzel Nkemdiche and Christian Russell in desperate straights. Three-stars Donta Evans and Tariqious Tisdale add some options, but will have learning/development curves and shouldn't be counted on as immediate contributors (especially Tisdale, who will be learning a new position after playing DE in high school). Ole Miss really needs senior Terry Caldwell and/or redshirt freshman Shawn Curtis to step up.

Wide receiver is LOADED.

Even with Laquon Treadwell and Cody Core headed to the League, this could be one of the best receiving corps in the country. The 6'2, 220-pound Damore'ea Stringfellow will be an absolute force as the No. 1 threat, Markell Pack and Quincy Adeboyejo return, and last year's four-star duo of Damarkus Lodge and Van Jefferson could work their way into the starting lineup. And oh yea, big-bodied four-stars A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf just showed up.




So is the defensive line.

Who needs a Nkemdiche? Breeland Speaks did a spectacular job of filling in for Big Rob in the Sugar Bowl and will only get better in his sophomore season. If Issac Gross and Herbert Moore can bounce back from season-ending injuries and five-star newcomer Benito Jones lives up to his billing, the Rebs will be absolutely loaded on the interior. On the edge, Fadol Brown's decision to come back is huge and Marquis Haynes ranks second in sacks among returning SEC players.

The safety position added some key pieces but is still a question mark.


Signing Day brought much-needed reinforcements for a group that loses Trae Elston and Mike Hilton. Four-stars Deontay Anderson and Jaylon Jones will probably contribute early and often, though expecting either to be an immediate starter on the last line of defense is unrealistic. Junior C.J. Hampton will draw one of the starting jobs and the other will likely come down to a battle between Zedrick Woods and Armani Linton. Could you imagine if Tony Conner wasn't coming back? Yikes.

http://www.redcuprebellion.com/2016/1/1 ... -patterson
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