Splice Charles Woodson's DNA and that of Marlin Jackson and what do you get? Probably a watered-down version of Woodson, but he's the exception not the rule. This fall, Greg Banks would like to piece together five standouts he's played with in his career. He knows he can't be Brandon Graham or LaMarr Woodley or Alan Branch, but he'll have fun trying to take the best of what each offered …

Banks enrolled at Michigan in the fall of 2006 and immediately gravitated towards Woodley. The gregarious Saginaw, Mich., native told Banks (and continues to preach) to enjoy the game of football and to use that enthusiasm to be a great player.

"The one thing about LaMarr, and Brandon was this way too - they always had a smile on their face and their love for football, their passion, really showed up in everything they did," Banks said. "We could be running gassers, doing all that Navy Seal training Mike Barwis puts us through every offseason, and guys would be bent over with their heads between their knees, and Brandon would be smiling away.

"Brandon always says to play with your heart because your heart can overcome anything. If you have a bad play and you feel like your mistake cost your team, just let it go, smile and get ready for the next play.

"So if I'm going to start with the perfect player, I'm going to start with the passion of Brandon Graham and LaMarr Woodley. They are two guys that you could tell the most fun they had in life was when they had their pads on, their hand was on the ground and they were getting after the quarterback or the running back. They just loved breaking off the snap."

Of course, there are a number of physical skills Banks and his defensive line brethren can take from Woodley's and Graham's games also. Both possessed outstanding motors and were unbelievably powerful, using their entire bodies to remove obstacles from their path.

"I remember watching LaMarr lining up against Jake Long sometimes and LaMarr would fire out of his stance and he would summon his entire core, his legs, and he would deliver this forearm shiver and as strong and as good as Jake was, he'd get knocked back a few feet, get a little off-balanced.

"And he didn't have to do that every time because even if he only did that a few times, the offensive tackle would be exploding out of his stance and trying to get his hands on LaMarr and a lot of times he'd overcommit and LaMarr would quick-step outside and then he'd go right around you.

"Brandon was amazing at that too. He'd purposely set you up where he'd get his hands into you and he'd push you back and push you back and then detach and sack the quarterback, and then right when you'd expect that move, you could almost hear him smiling before the snap because he knew and you knew that he was just going to come out of that charging full steam and there was no way the tackle was ready for that."

A 6-6, 305-pounder, Branch played on the interior of the defensive line and he showed Banks how to split gaps and clog lanes.

"The thing I really appreciated about Alan Branch was that he knew what his job was and most of the time it was to occupy two offensive linemen but he did it in a way that he was still getting his way," Banks said. "If he was slanting or stunting, he'd always pull a lineman out of his assignment just enough that a linebacker, like Dave Harris or Shawn Crable, could squeeze through there.

"How many times did you see Harris get to the quarterback or get a tackle for loss and he just shot through an opening and went untouched - well that was because Branch did such a great job opening up that hole.

"He really was a beast and he always recognized the opportunity to make a play too. He just needed that crack and he would just show off this quick burst, and boom, he was hitting the running back as he was running laterally, before he could hit the corner. It was pretty awesome."

In Terrance Taylor, like current teammate Mike Martin, a junior, Banks saw a physical behemoth that could outwrestle any opponent.

"The thing about T.T. and Mike too is their upper-body strength is unreal," Banks said. "Obviously, leverage is key along the line of scrimmage and you always want to stay lower than your opponent but there are a lot of times where you end up battling a bit higher and those guys just had that power up top where they could almost throw you out of their way.

"I think Mike is really going to have a great year. He has great footspeed and quickness, and there's nobody stronger on the team. He understands his responsibilities really well and he knows how to better exploit offenses based on what they're going to give him and how they'll defend him. He's going to put up some big numbers."

The final piece in the puzzle -- though there are others like Tim Jamison, Will Johnson and Ryan Van Bergen - was Rondell Biggs. Woodley's bookend in 2006, Biggs was having a breakout junior season in 2005 when an illegal block by a Spartan lineman cut him down and ended his season. He rose to a place of prominence though as a fifth-year senior.

"Biggs told me to practice every day like it's the last practice you'll ever have and play like it's the last game you'll ever play in.

"This is my senior year, and there's truth there. He said you'll be amazed at how hard and how long you can compete at the highest level when every snap is one snap closer to your last at Michigan.

"Biggs had his best year as a senior and I give him a lot of credit because he never looked back at what he didn't accomplish but what he still could. And that's sort of where I'm at. I haven't been a starter yet but I can still have a great career and leave a legacy with a great senior year."