Originally Posted by
Todd4State
To get everyone in a better mood. Here are some way early thoughts for next year.
QB- Dak. Enough said. Can he become the best QB in MSU history?
ATH- Can Malik Dear become the "Percy Harvin" that we really haven't had since Dan has been here? A dynamic player that can function as both a RB and a slot WR. Now, I'm not expecting Dear to be Harvin 2.0 especially as a freshman or ever really, but nonetheless he could potentially give us an extra dimension we really haven't had since Dan has been here.
RB- I hope we see a platoon of Ashton Shumpert and Aeries Williams. I loved what Jackie used to do with Davis and Bouie. Get two power backs and let them plow over people. But with Dan, we can be a little bit more diverse with these guys. Josh leaving may be a blessing in disguise. If he was playing to not get hurt at the end of the year last year, I imagine he would have done the same the entire year in 2015 had he come back. That could have been an issue. Plus Shumpert is a better blocker and an underrated receiver.
H-back/FB- We haven't really had a true FB type of player since Patrick Hanrahan. Could Rashun Dixon be that guy for us? He already plays H-back and has the size to do it. Can he block well enough? At the very least I think he could be used as a weapon as a receiver and also maybe as a runner.
WR- I think Bear Wilson is a three year guy and probably the best WR we have had since Eric Moulds. Fred Ross really emerged last year also, and then we have Morrow and Fred Brown who are proven and solid WR's.
Slot WR- If Donald Gray can replace Jameon and give us that important position back that we lacked last year, I think we'll see our offense pick up. To me it's not a coincidence that our best offensive performance was the last game that Jameon was 100%. Gabe Myles was good in the screen game, but we need someone in the slot to emerge and be a downfield threat like Bumphis and Lewis were.
H-back/TE- I think we will miss Malcolm Johnson, but how much we miss him may depend on two guys- Gus Walley and Dontea Jones. Can Jones come in right away and be an elite downfield threat by the end of the year? And if Walley continues to improve, I think we will be fine- but Jones could be a guy that like Dear could give us something to take us to the next level.
OL- We need Rankin to step in right away and be good. Senior, Desper, Clayborn, and Malone all should be better and all have started games. One thing I noticed from my fan highlight film watching was how much Desper pulled and trapped in the Texas A&M game. Could that mean that we see more counters this year?
DL- Can Chris Jones get his weight down to play DE? Can Ryan Brown become Preston Smith 2.0? Will Nick James play more? And if Jones is outside, does that mean Nelson Adams goes inside with James? If Jones is inside, which I think is likely, we have AJ Jefferson. I want to see if Fletcher Adams plays right away and where he plays at.
LB- I can't wait to see Gerri Green in action. Hell, I can't wait to see these guys actually blitz. The Brown brothers will play a lot and probably start, but I also really like JT Gray, and I'm curious to see Traver Jung and Leo Lewis and the role that they will have.
CB- This should be a strength with Redmond and Calhoun. But I am interested in their back-ups. Can Jiles come back 100%? I want to see Rayford from Byhalia. And then can Chris Stamps contribute as a freshman? And how about Jamoral Graham- can he make the transition?
S- Lots of questions here. I hope it's Peters and either Bryant or McLaurin- all three have zero college experience. Market will probably start, but how healthy will he be? Not real sold on either Evans or Coman, although I think Coman may be good on special teams.
K- ???????????????????? I think this will be what everyone is watching in the spring. Westin Graves to me is the worst case scenario- and he's possibly basically another Sobiesk. I do think Devon Bell and Logan Cooke will get looks. And then there are some mystery guys like Bryce Brown, and who knows?
P- Bell and Cooke are both solid.
KR/PR- I hope it's Dear and Gray on KO and Gray on punts. I have a feeling it will be Holloway though. I really like Deddrick Thomas too- I would include him as a KO return guy candidate.
