Seven takeaways from the Buffs' "pencil" depth chart

BOULDER — The Colorado Buffaloes released their first depth chart of 2020 last week.

Typically, the first depth chart is released after spring camp, when the coaches have a sense of what their team is going to look like for the season. This year, there was no spring camp, so the caveats with the “pencil” depth chart CU released are numerous.

But, with that in mind, here’s a look at the depth chart.

Here’s what stuck out to me from the depth chart.

1. Tyler Lytle is the quarterback

This is one I’m not reading much into, but it’s the first hint at who the starting quarterback will be, so it has to be the top takeaway.

Here’s why I’m not reading too much into Lytle being listed first: He has put his game on tape at the collegiate level.

Brendon Lewis has given the Buffs no reason to make him the starter. It isn’t his fault though, because he hasn’t had an opportunity.

Remember, Lewis has literally never stood on a football field with this coaching staff. And there was no chance at all that the coaches were going to make him the starter based solely on his high school tape.

Here’s how I think the thought process worked (and I could be totally wrong):

“Well, Lytle has literally played college football, so that’s a start. He was listed ahead of Noyer last season, that’s why Noyer switched to safety. Lewis is entirely unknown until he sees the field, but he’s on scholarship so we’ll throw him in ahead of the walk-ons.”

This job, like many others, will be decided in camp.

The difference with this job is that I expect it to have the levelest playing field.

2. Chris Miller is listed at strong safety

One of Colorado’s cornerbacks is going to have to play safety.

When you look at the young, talented cornerbacks the Buffs have brought into their program it’s easy to think they can’t go wrong switching any of them to strong safety. And that’s true, but it’s also the wrong approach to the situation.

Sure, the Buffs’ secondary would have to significantly underperform to be one of the team’s problem areas in 2020, but that’s the wrong mentality.

Instead, the Buffs have a chance to create one of the best secondaries in the Pac-12 in 2020 and then bring everybody back except free safety Derrion Rakestraw in 2021. Then after 2021, Colorado only loses Mekhi Blackmon — currently listed as backup right cornerback — and Isaiah Lewis — currently listed as backup free safety.

That’s a whole lot of talent and a whole lot of continuity.

But to take advantage of the situation, the Buffs have to pick the correct cornerback to move to safety. Otherwise, they won’t be optimizing their talent in 2020, but in 2021 and beyond as well.

Chris Miller, for example, could switch back to cornerback after the 2020 season, but he would be a year behind where he would have been developmentally if he had just stuck outside the whole time.

The secondary should set this team’s identity for the next three seasons, and that only adds pressure to the decisions that Summers and defensive backs coach Demetrice Martin are making right now.

Head coach Karl Dorrell said Monday that he expects Miller to be used in a bunch of different spots defensively.

“He has played corner, he’ll play some safety, he’ll probably play some STAR, which is that fifth defensive back in the alley,” Dorrell said. “We feel that he is a unique player that can do a lot of things. How much he’ll be able to digest and do? That is to be told and found out shortly when we get on the field. But we have told him what we feel he can do for us on defense. We want him in multiple roles. He has embraced that challenge but it is just a matter of getting him in those positions to see if he can handle all that information. We do plan on him being a big factor on our back-end, but he’ll be in a couple different spots.”

One key note there is that Dorrell expects Miller to play the STAR position. Right now, sophomore Mark Perry is listed as the starting STAR-backer and he was listed as Davion Taylor’s backup at the position all last season.

In the base defense, Perry could play star while Miller plays strong safety. Then in dime packages — when there are six defensive backs on the field — Perry could move inside to linebacker. (The Buffs call the defensive back who plays linebacker in dime packages the “MONEY-backer.”) Meanwhile, Miller would move into the STAR/slot defender spot.

The question is who would fill in for Miller at strong safety when he plays the STAR position.

Jaylen Striker is listed as the No. 2 strong safety, so he’d likely get the first look. But Isaiah Lewis, Mehki Blackmon or Nigel Bethel could give him a run for his money.

During fall camp in 2019, coaches and players raved about Blackmon’s performance, particularly at the STAR position. But then Blackmon was hurt and he only played four games.

One potential nickel package could include Tarik Luckett and K.J. Trujillo at cornerback, and Derrion Rakestraw and Chris Miller at safety, as in the base defense. Then, Mark Perry would move from STAR to MONEY and Blackmon would play STAR.

As it stands now, Blackmon could still push for a starting job at either cornerback spot or in sub-packages. Nigel Bethel, a sophomore who sat out last season after transferring from Miami, could also challenge for a starting spot.

Maybe true freshman Christian Gonzalez can compete for the STAR job in dime packages, too.

3. Daniel Arias is starting

As with the quarterbacks, experience may have played a significant role at wide receiver.

K.D. Nixon was the No. 2/3 last year, so he’ll start his senior season.

Dimitri Stanley was the No. 3/4, so he should be a heavy favorite to land one of the two remaining spots.

Daniel Arias is experienced and has produced intermittently on offense throughout his career, while serving as an important special-teamer. He’s also built perfectly to slide into the position vacated by Laviska Shenault.

While Arias doesn’t have the run-after-cath ability or the positional versatility that Shenault had, he does have even more size than Shenault which could make him dominant as an outside receiver in jump ball situations. He’d likely play the position more like USC’s Michael Pittman Jr. than Shenault.

But, heading into his junior season, Arias hasn’t put all of the pieces together yet. If he figures his game out, he could be a monster.

The most interesting part is that he’s the only starting receiver listed without an “or” by his name.

The second outside receiver spot is Nixon or Maurice Bell.

The slot spot is Stanley or Nixon.

So, the question is whether Stanley or Bell starts, with Nixon’s position — slot or outside — being determined by the result of the competition.

Notably, La’Vontae Shenault is listed as the No. 2 to Arias outside on one side and No. 3 to Nixon and Bell on the other side.

If Shenault holds onto his standing through fall camp, he should see some snaps in the regular rotation.

Jaylon Jackson is listed as the next slot receiver behind Stanley and Nixon, and he would provide a seam-ripping speed threat if he’s able to climb the depth chart during camp.

True freshmen Brenden Rice and Keith Miller III weren’t included as they weren’t on campus this spring, but both have outside chances of cracking the rotation this fall.

4. Will Sherman is moving to left tackle

The Buffs will bring back three of five offensive line starters from last season, following the departures of center Tim Lynott and left tackle Arlington Hambright.

William Sherman is moving from right tackle to left to fill Hambright’s spot, which was expected considering Sherman’s standing as one of the top tackles in the Pac-12 and the extra importance placed on the left tackle spot.

Frank Filip, as expected, will slide into the right tackle spot.

The biggest surprise on the offensive line is Casey Roddick backing up Kanan Ray. Roddick started two games last year due to injury, while Ray only play

5. Jaren Mangham is tied with Deion Smith

Alex Fontenot is listed as the starting running back.

Jaren Mangham and Deion Smith are tied behind him.

Joe Davis is behind them.

Ashaad Clayton isn’t included because he wasn’t on campus for spring ball, even though there was no spring ball.

Let’s start here: If Smith beats out Mangham, that will be an upset.

Smith is very talented and has packed on some serious muscle since the end of last season, but it was clear that Mangham had a significant lead on the depth chart during the season.

Smith could be the best receiving back out of the group, and that appears to be his best shot to crack the rotation. However, zone-blocking West Coast systems often complement speedy backs with good vision. We haven’t seen enough of Smith to assess his vision, but he does fit the physical profile well.

Still, this should be a three-horse race with Fontenot, Mangham and true freshman Ashaad Clayton having a chance to take the starting job while the other two rotate in.

Read as much as you want into the current listing of No. 1 Fontenot and No. 2 Mangham/Smith, though.

6. Colorado is stacked on the defensive line

Mustafa Johnson, Jalen Sami and Na’im Rodman are listed as starters.

Terrance Lang, Janaz Jordan/Austin Williams and Jeremiah Doss are listed as backups.

The third-unit consists of Dante Sparaco, Lloyd Murray and Jayden Simon.

That’s a hell of a group.

Realistically, six or seven of these guys will see the field in each game, and there will be big-time competition for these spots. As of now, Mustafa Johnson should be on the field for every possible snap and he shouldn’t be taking his breathers in pass-rushing situations.

The rest of the pass rush crew should include Terrance Lang and at least two of Jamar Montgomery, Carson Wells and Jason Harris. Then Sami, Jordan, Doss and others can fight for whatever is left. Even Sparaco could find a role as a situational pass-rusher.

This has the potential to be the best group on the team.

Oh, and BuffZone.com reported that Antonio Alfano may have a path to return to the team.

7. Akil Jones is starting next to Nate Landman

The inside linebacker competition may not be the flashiest battle of camp, but finding the right guy to play next to Nate Landman will be crucial.

Right now, Akil Jones is penciled into that position with Marvin Ham II and Jon Van Diest hot on his heels.

Van Diest was the starter for the first few games of the 2019 season before Jones took over.

Ham redshirted the 2019 season, but he may be the best athlete of the group, making him an intriguing option if he’s ready to play as a redshirt freshman. Ham could also play linebacker in some dime packages, providing some speed.

Another option is Brendan Pyne, a transfer, walk-on linebacker from Brown University. Pyne is slightly undersized at 6-0 and 205 pounds, but he led the Ivy League in tackles last season. He projects as an inside linebacker or STAR for the Buffs when he arrives on campus. Pyne, like Ham, could be used as a linebacker only in dime packages, if he can’t fight off Pac-12 offensive linemen consistently as a run defender.

BONUS: “Players to Watch”

On the next page of the Buffs post-spring information packet, CU lists “Players to Watch” with some background information.

Here are the names, which the Buffs list in alphabetical order:

• Alex Fontenot
• Mustafa Johnson
• Kary Kutsch
• Nate Landman
• Terrance Lang
• Jaren Mangham
• K.D. Nixon
• Mark Perry
• Derrion Rakestraw
• Brady Russell
• Jalen Sami
• William Sherman
• Dimitri Stanley
• James Stefanou
• Carson Wells

Then, the Buffs list “others looking to emerge:”

• Daniel Arias
• Mekhi Blackmon
• Ashaad Clayton
• Frank Fillip
• Jason Harris
• Chris Miller
• Toren Pittman
• Na’im Rodman
• La’Vontae Shenault
• Jaylen Striker
• Guy Thomas
• K.J. Trujillo
• Josh Watts
• Austin Williams

We don’t have enough space to dig into this list properly, so I’ll throw out a few points.

• Kary Kutsch and Carson Wells surprise me the most, among those named in the first list. I’m excited to see them included though.
• Ashaad Clayton, Jason Harris and Toren Pittman are included in the second group, which is a great sign. Frankly, I’m surprised there are freshmen listed anywehre. This shows some big expectations. None of these three players were on campus this spring, so none are mentioned in the depth chart.
• No quarterbacks anywhere. Just to keep the competition balanced without ruffling feathers, maybe? I think they could have thrown both Lytle and Lewis in the second list, but not just one of them. I don’t mind leaving both off.I just noticed a note under the second list:”QUARTERBACKS: Starter will emerge from competition in camp between Brendon Lewis, Tyler Lytle and Sam Noyer.”So, that settles that.
• The running backs are on the list, unlike the quarterbacks. This will be a heated competition. Mangham and Fontenot in the first group with Clayton in the second seems fair. I’m a little surprised that Deion Smith is listed as an “or” with Mangham but isn’t included here. Can’t justify four running backs in a list of 29 names, I guess.
• Vontae Shenault is the fourth receiver listed.
• Tarik Luckett is listed as a starting cornerback on the depth chart but isn’t listed here. Mekhi Blackmon and Jaylen Striker are listed here but are backups behind Luckett on the depth chart.
• This defensive line is deep. Lang is a backup on the depth chart but is included on the first list. Austin Williams and Na’im Rodman make the second list, as they should.