Projecting Michigan Football's 2019 Depth Chart

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With the NFL early entry deadline having passed and the 2019 recruiting class all but wrapped up, we have a clear picture of what Michigan's roster will look like heading into next year.

Yes, there will still be some transfers and unexpected attrition (just as there always is) before next season kicks off, but for now the roster appears to be set.

With that in mind, we've taken a best guess look at the 2019 projected depth chart, and explained which player/s should be expected to start at every position.

*Note: each players' class refers to what they will be in 2019.

After starting every game in 2018, it would be very surprising if Shea Patterson didn't once again reclaim the starting job as a senior, though redshirt sophomore Dylan McCaffrey will likely give him a run for his money.

Patterson completed 64.6 percent of his passes this past season for 2,600 yards, 22 touchdowns and seven picks, but some of his struggles in the team's final two games (threw a combined three picks in losses to Ohio State and Florida, and only completed 60 percent of his passes) have left some fans clamoring for McCaffrey.

It's fair to assume the redshirt sophomore will win the job once Patterson graduates after the 2019 campaign, but he has already provided fans with glimpses of what he's capable of when he tossed two touchdowns and averaged 9.9 yards per carry this past season in limited action.

Redshirt junior Brandon Peters and redshirt freshman Joe Milton will likely battle for the third-string job throughout spring ball.

Running back is — by far — Michigan's biggest (and in a lot of ways, only) question mark on offense heading into 2019.

Karan Higdon developed into one of the Big Ten's best backs as a senior in 2018, with his 107 yards per game checking in third in the conference and his 10 rushing touchdowns tying for fourth — he departs, however, with no clear heir at the position, especially after Chris Evans endured a less-than-stellar junior campaign in which he only rushed for 423 yards and averaged a disappointing 5.2 yards per carry.

Evans has served as a change of pace back throughout his career, and isn't likely to be an every-down ball carrier (the way Higdon was) in 2019, which could open the door for redshirt freshman Christian Turner to earn the starting job.

Turner received an extended look in the Peach Bowl loss to Florida (seven carries for 32 yards), and should at least split carries with Evans, senior Tru Wilson and freshman Zach Charbonnet in what could be a running back-by-committee approach by head coach Jim Harbaugh to start the year.

In juniors Nico Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones, and redshirt sophomore Tarik Black, Michigan appears to have one of the nation's best receiving trios heading into 2019.

Many felt the former two were criminally underused in 2018 (though they did compile 632 and 612 yards, respectively), and new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis has already vowed to get U-M's best players the ball in space and to take advantage of the team's play makers, with no one better exemplifying the latter term than the aforementioned trio.

Michigan is also beginning to build solid depth at the position, especially after sophomore Ronnie Bell (145 yards and two touchdowns) and redshirt sophomore Oliver Martin (125 yards and a touchdown) made nice contributions in 2018 as youngsters.

That gives U-M five wide receivers who have seen substantial playing time throughout their careers, and it should be expected that all five will be taken better advantage of in 2019 under Gattis than they were this past year.

Zach Gentry takes his 514 receiving yards and 32 catches with him in his early exit to the NFL, meaning senior Sean McKeon and redshirt junior Nick Eubanks will need to pick up the slack in 2019.

McKeon was expected to post receiving numbers similar to those of Gentry heading into the 2018 campaign, but instead finished with a disappointing 122 yards, and was a non-factor in the offensive attack the majority of the year.

Eubanks, meanwhile, flashed his immense potential by hauling in 157 yards and a touchdown, but will be expected to take another significant step forward in 2019 as a bona fide veteran.

While McKeon and Eubanks make up the clear top two spots at the position, it remains to be seen who emerges as a third option in Harbaugh's tight end-heavy offense — redshirt freshmen Ryan Hayes, Mustapha Muhammad and Luke Schoonmaker, and freshman Erick All are the candidates.

There isn't likely to be a whole lot of drama surrounding an offensive line that returns four of its five starters heading into 2019.

Redshirt sophomore right tackle Andrew Stueber started in place of the now-graduated Juwann Bushell-Beatty when the latter missed the team's final two games with a turf toe, so whether or not Stueber can hold onto the starting job will be the main thing to keep an eye on.

Outside of right tackle, the offensive line is likely to start a fifth-year senior (left Jon Runyan), two seniors (left guard Ben Bredeson and right guard Mike Onwenu) and a junior (center Cesar Ruiz), and should make tremendous strides under second-year line coach Ed Warinner, especially when considering how much they progressed in his first year on the job.

Whether or not there are roles for redshirt junior Stephen Spanellis (who seemingly has the ability to play anywhere on the line) and redshirt freshman tackle Jalen Mayfield will also be elements to keep an eye on.

The defensive line will have a revamped look in 2019, following the early departure of end Rashan Gary to the NFL, the transfer of tackle Aubrey Solomon to Tennessee, and the graduations of tackles Bryan Mone and Lawrence Marshall, and end Chase Winovich.

Junior Kwity Paye is the clear frontrunner to take over at Gary's defensive end spot after he filled in for the latter during the entire month of October, while senior Carlo Kemp and redshirt junior Michael Dwumfour will almost assuredly occupy the tackle spots.

The top battle to watch will be whether or not Aidan Hutchinson can grab a starting defensive job as a sophomore, and whether or not redshirt sophomore Luiji Vilain can finally stay healthy and reach his immense potential.

Backup linemen who have seldom (and in some cases, never) seen the field before will simply need to contribute in 2019 due to a sheer lack of numbers, with redshirt sophomore Donovan Jeter being the best example at tackle, and redshirt freshmen Taylor Upshaw and Julius Welschof, and perhaps even fifth-year senior Reuben Jones (if he's invited back) being the prime candidates at defensive end.

Khaleke Hudson, Devin Gil and Josh Ross were the trio who started Michigan's Peach Bowl loss to Florida when Devin Bush decided to sit out, and it's likely those are the same three who start the 2019 season-opener.

Though all three will be veterans next year (Hudson will be a senior, Gil will be a redshirt junior and Ross a junior), there will be plenty of talented candidates behind them pushing for starting jobs.

Senior Josh Uche is simply too good to keep off the field (led the team in sacks in 2018 with seven), and will undoubtedly serve a role in 2019, while redshirt sophomore Jordan Anthony and redshirt freshman Cameron McGrone could also see snaps in backup roles.

Yes, the loss of Bush is obviously significant and will probably sting at first, but it still shouldn't be forgotten that Hudson, Gil and Ross all played huge roles on a 2018 Michigan defense only allowed 127.3 rushing yards per game (23rd best nationally).

The Wolverines received a huge boost in December when Lavert Hill — perhaps a bit surprisingly — announced he would return for his senior season.

His starting position-mate the last two years, David Long, announced he would be leaving for the NFL early, however, in a move that was heavily expected.

Junior Ambry Thomas will likely take over in Long's vacated starting spot, and while the former has shined on special teams at U-M, it can't be stressed enough how little he has played on defense during his time in Ann Arbor (saw more than 13 defensive snaps in a game just twice all of last year).

Long's early departure and the graduation of Brandon Watson leaves U-M incredibly thin on experience at cornerback, with someone who has never played meaningful snaps before — perhaps redshirt sophomore Benjamin St-Juste or redshirt freshman Vincent Gray — likely needing to at least contribute in 2019.

Senior Josh Metellus returns as the leader of the unit, though he will have a new face starting alongside him following the graduation of Tyree Kinnel.

There appears to be three realistic candidates for that starting job, in juniors Brad Hawkins and J'Marick Woods, and freshman Daxton Hill.

Some may be clamoring for Hill to step in and start immediately, but the reality is that he'll have to earn it over two veterans in Woods and Hawkins, a duo that played a combined 322 defensive snaps in 2018.

Hawkins was clearly the first safety off the bench this past year behind Kinnel and Metellus (which is why we gave him the starting nod above), but again, there's no denying that Woods and Hill each have realistic opportunities to grab a starting spot as well.

The most intriguing battle surrounding the special teams unit will be whether or not sophomore Jake Moody can hold off redshirt junior Quinn Nordin for the starting kicking duties.

Moody took over for Nordin in the win over Indiana on Nov. 17, and proceeded to make 10 of his 11 field goals the rest of the way, including a 48-yarder in the bowl game.

Thomas and Peoples-Jones served as the team's primary kick and punt returners, respectively, in 2018, and it would be a surprise if they didn't fill those roles once again.

Hart, meanwhile, returns to cap off what should be an outstanding special teams unit, after he turned into one of college football's best punters in 2018 (averaged 46.9 yards per punt, which would have rated him fourth in the country if he would've had enough attempts to qualify).

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