4. Defensive Line Effectiveness
There likely won’t be a ton of opportunities to see how the defensive line plays in actual game situations, otherwise this would be higher up on the list. But the effectiveness of the defensive line will be paramount to Tennessee’s success or lack thereof in 2017, and it will start at the Orange and White Game.
Tennessee is having to replace almost all their sack production from 2016. Derek Barnett, Corey Vereen, and LaTroy Lewis are all gone. Those three combined to earn 22.5 of the Vols’ 30 sacks in 2016. Replacing that kind of production isn’t going to be easy.
Throw in the fact that projected starting defensive tackles Shy Tuttle and Kahlil McKenzie have been out all spring, and the defensive line possibly has the most question marks of any unit on Tennessee’s roster. Players like Jonathan Kongbo, Alexis Johnson, and Darrell Taylor are going to have to step up this year. And fans will get their first glimpse at the revamped defensive line on Saturday.
