Offensive Position Group Breakdowns, Projected Starters, and Grades

This is probably a little self-indulgent, but I kinda just wanted to document my thoughts. Critiques on writing style or formatting are welcome.

# Quarterback

It’s no secret that Nebraska’s offense was really bad for most of last year. I also think it is correct to say that Adrian Martinez did not play well. I don’t think the argument lies there, but rather **why** he played poorly. The biggest Martinez supporters will point the blame at virtually every other player on the team besides the quarterback, and insist that there was nothing Martinez could have done to be better last year. Contrarily, the biggest Martinez haters will tell you that Martinez is just bad, and Luke McCaffrey should be crowned as starting QB effective immediately. I don’t think there’s tons of fans with these radical view points, but there are enough that do that this needs to be acknowledged.

When I look back at Martinez’s play, I tend to focus on the last four games of the season. By this point, the offense line is starting to gel, and the high snaps from Jurgens are no longer a common occurrence. Dedrick Mills is noticeably improving, and it feels as if the offense as a whole is progressing as a unit. The troubling thing for me is that it felt like Adrian held the team back as a passer in all four of these games. The biggest regression in Martinez’s game from Freshman to Sophomore year was decision-making. One play, he’d be rolling out of the pocket, and double-clutching with loads of green grass in front of him. And the next, he’d confidently toss the ball into double coverage.

While there were certainly areas in which Martinez regressed last year, I think some of his flaws as a passer have existed his entire career thus far. IMO, injuries last year specifically hurt his ability to run the football, which put more focus on his flaws as a passer. First off, his footwork is dreadful, and directly results in many of his passes flying wildly off-target. He throws from an incredibly weak base, as even when his feet are “set” when he’s throwing from the pocket, his doesn’t have his cleats fully in the ground. His front foot gets down on the ground well into the start of his throwing motion, and it leads to him awkwardly rocking while he throws the football. Another problem of his that isn’t new is his tendency to abandon structure too quickly, and escape the pocket when pressure isn’t necessarily there. This is a tendency for many mobile quarterbacks, but unless you are elite at making these throws outside of structure, you are hindering your offense when you make every passing play into a scramble drill. Martinez does not have the arm talent to make a lot of these throws, and it results in negative plays that could’ve been successful if he stayed calmer in the pocket and trusted his eyes.

Overall, I think I am lower on Martinez than most of the fanbase, and I think he has a lot of work to do if he wants to be a legitimate thrower of the football. That being said, I’m not banking on Luke McCaffrey winning the job out the gate this fall. There’s way too much unknown with Luke as a player, and he was incredibly raw as a quarterback coming out of high school. Also, at Luke’s current weight, I’m not sure I can confidently say that he’s a better runner than a healthy Adrian Martinez. I think it’ll be another year at least before the quarterback play starts to take off.

*Projected Starter:* ***Adrian Martinez***

*Position Grade:* ***C***

# Running Back

Dedrick Mills is a player that undoubtedly improved over the course of last year. He’s an aggressive runner with better speed that he gets credit for, and he managed to find a niche as an outside runner, surprising when you consider his history as a fullback in a triple-option offense. Outside of Mills, there are no other known commodities in this room. However, there’s a lot of promising young talent in a variety of different molds. Rahmir Johnson is the only other running back in the room with any carries to his name. He’s a track star, and they hope he becomes an Adrian Killins like player for the offense. The dude is incredibly slender though, and while there is nothing wrong with being a one-trick pony, you better be great at that one trick. I’m curious to see how he pans out.’

Sevion Morrison and Marvin Scott III are the two true freshman that I think could make a big impact immediately. Sevion’s big play ability is exciting, and his production was insane coming out of high school. I think when you look at his frame and running style, if everything falls into place, he could look an awful lot like Melvin Gordon. Add in the fact that he can catch the football, and there’s a lot to be excited about. Marvin Scott III however, is who I am the most bullish about out of every running back on this team. He is the total package of elite power and motor, fantastic balance, good speed, good vision at the line of scrimmage, great open space vision, and a wide variety of moves to his arsenal. The only question mark I really have about him is his ability to catch the football, but outside of that, I think we got ourselves a monster of a player and a huge steal.

John Bivens and Ronald Thompkins are interesting wild cards at the position as well. If Thompkins can get healthy, that could be another explosive player in our room. I’ve heard the coaches mention multiple times about how they were lucky to get him, as his injuries in high school were really the only thing deterring the top programs in the country from snagging him. John Bivens film really excites me as well, and although his whole situation surrounding his recruiting is a little weird, he looks way too talented to be a walk-on for us , and I wouldn’t be surprised if he got some carries this year.

This might go against the grain, but I don’t think Dedrick Mills starting job is locked in. I think he’s a limited player in that he’s got virtually no wiggle to him at all, and his balance isn’t great for a guy who has been labeled a power back. I think he should definitely be in the rotation, but I honestly think a guy like Marvin Scott III might be a better power back than Mills, while also having a whole other dimension to his game as an open space player that Mills just doesn’t have. Although there isn’t much actual production yet behind Mills, I think the talent is very exciting.

*Projected Starters:* ***Dedrick Mills*** *or* ***Marvin Scott III***

*Position Grade:* ***A-***

# Wide Receiver

This receiver group simultaneously excites me while also scaring the absolute shit out of me. Wan’dale is amazing, but outside of that, there are no proven guys. And contrary to running back, where depth is also unproven, we need to name three starting receivers! I think a good way to gauge what the room is looking like by the end of fall camp is whether or not Kade Warner is listed as a starter. No offense to Kade, but if he wins the job at a spot outright, I don’t think that reflects well for our newcomers progress. However, if some of these guys do burst onto the scene immediately, it could be exciting.

Omar Manning fits the archetype of a receiver that we virtually never have. He’s a big-bodied vertical threat that can win the ball at the point of attack and help bolster our deep passing game that has struggled the last couple of years. He built like an NFL receiver, and there are extremely high expectations for him. My one worry is that Adrian Martinez has never been one to throw 50/50 balls so far in his career. I’m not sure there was a receiver last year that proved they could come down with those, but I think Stanley Morgan, Jr. was underutilized in this aspect of his game in 2018. We’ll see if that changes with Omar.

I was a fan of Alante Brown’s film; it felt like he was very natural when it came to catching the ball away from his frame, and he just seemed like a generally well-rounded receiver. Even with only a couple of spring practices, Alante Brown was mentioned by multiple coaches during press conferences, and I expect him to really compete for a starting job. He’s a good athlete, but I think he is a more refined receiver than some other guys in the room, and I think that gives him an advantage. Zavier Betts is also exciting, as he’s got size and some freaky athleticism to his game. Considering how highly rated he was a recruit, he’s got a chance to start, and I could see him becoming a lot similar to what Tre’Quan Smith was to McKenzie Milton in the near future.

Outside of Manning, Brown, and Betts, who aren’t guaranteed to dominate from day one, the depth behind them isn’t fantastic. Jamie Nance didn’t show much in the little playing time he got last year, and I’ve heard almost nothing about Demaryion Houston. Kade Warner is a serviceable WR 4 or 5, but I don’t think he’s anything more. Will Nixon is apparently injured for the year, and Hickman is sort of stuck between the WR and TE rooms right now. Depth at the Duck-R position is also a question mark, which is why someone like Marcus Fleming could end up seeing more playing time than expected.

Overall, I’m cautiously optimistic about what the starting lineup could look like for this year. I barely mentioned Wandale hear, but he could have a monstrous year upcoming. His flashes were fun last year, and that was while he was dealing with hamstring injuries. I like to compare Wandale’s year one and potential year two to Marquise Brown of the Ravens. Another smaller guy that’s incredibly explosive at receiver and was clearly hampered by injuries in his first year, but still managed to show incredible promise. Now, he’s healthy and in the best shape of his life, and Brown’s teammates are all expecting a massive Year 2. I think him and Wandale both shred defenses this year, and yes, I only say this because I’ve been a Lamar Jackson (QB) stan for years now, and became a bandwagon Ravens fan when they drafted Lamar in 2018. Anyways, I got really off topic, but I think there’s some talent in this receiver room, even if there are some serious question marks about depth. I also wonder if Lubick will do a better job developing these guys than Walters did, as it felt like the only guys making an impact the past two years were JD and Stanley Morgan, Jr., who were developed by Keith Williams, or Wan’dale, who frankly seemed more like an amazing recruiting hit than some great developmental job.

*Projected Starters:* ***Omar Manning*** *(X),* ***Alante Brown*** *or* ***Zavier Betts*** *(Z),* ***Wan’dale Robinson*** *(Duck-R)*

*Position Grade: B-*

# Tight End

I’m not sure I have a lot of thoughts right now on TEs. Jack Stoll has seemed like a master of none so far, and I’m not sure there’s any security to his starting job right now. He’s an okay receiver, but he doesn’t have fantastic speed to be a real vertical threat, and he isn’t good enough in contested catch situations to be a dependable possession guy. He also hasn’t really blown me away as a blocker. Despite his crazy height, Austin Allen hasn’t shown he can be useful target in the receiving game, and there are way too many instances of Allen whiffing on blocks that result in swing passes getting blown up in the backfield. Kurt Rafdal didn’t see a whole lot of playing time last year, and I’m not sure he’s a good enough run blocker to see the field consistently. It seems like Hickman is being used as a receiver more than a TE, and unless he can add some weight to his frame, it’s going to stay that way.

All that leaves is Vokolek, who has definitely excited some. He was the Scout Team MVP last year while having to sit out 2019 due to transfer rules, and it’s clear that he’s not going to be a scout team guy anymore. He’s got a promising frame that should be able to handle duties as an inline blocker, and he’s our best shot to have a guy that can win above the rim as a pass catcher. There’s definitely upside with Vokolek that doesn’t exist with anyone else in the room right now besides Hickman. Even then, I’m keeping my expectations tempered for the tight ends, and hoping to God that we get Thomas Fidone.

*Projected Starters:* ***Travis Vokolek*** *or* ***Jack Stoll***

*Postion Grade:* ***C+***

# Offensive Line

This is the most veteran group on the offense by far, with every starter from last year returning. Obviously, this group is going to look a lot different, as both guard spots and right tackle will likely have different starters at those spots. Despite an incredibly rough start to last year, the offense line improved over the course of the year. Coach Austin has been very open about Cam Jurgens struggles at the beginning of last year and how that corresponded the line play as a whole. The fact of the matter is that they threw Jurgens into the fire, knowing that it would likely look rough at the start of the year. When you’re responsible for all the line calls, all while having never played center in your life, as well as dealing with injuries while trying to gain weight during the offseason, that’s gonna result in some struggles. However, as he got more comfortable, so this the rest of the unit.

Jaimes is very athletically gifted as a tackle, and definitely has the upside to be a NFL player if he can continue to improve as a pass protector. He’s very useful as a run blocker, and they use him in space often. Austin mentioned how he was very impressed with how Jaimes handled AJ Epenesa in the Iowa game this year after struggling mightily against him the year prior. He should be one of the really solid spots on our line.

Left guard certainly needs a new starter after Trent Hixson proved to be a weak link on the line. Greg Austin also dropped the nugget that Boe Wilson was dealing with injury all of last year, which explains the drop off in his play. I think he’s a solid player, and I’d be shocked if he didn’t win the job at left guard. As far as center, Jurgens likely has that locked up, and if he really does have the upside that his coaches believe he has, he could be in for a breakout 2020.

If everything goes to plan, Matt Farniok will win the job at right guard. In my opinion, he’s been a borderline liability at right tackle the past couple of years. I think he’s a physical play, but he absolutely does not have the athleticism in open space to play tackle. As a pass protector, he had his troubles against athletic edge rushers, and I think he’s suited better working with double teams as a guard. Ideally, someone like Benhart can win the job at right tackle and be solid enough to allow Farniok to stay at guard the whole year. Benhart’s size and athleticism is exciting, and hopefully he’s developed enough during his redshirt year that and can comfortably slot in at tackle. If not, I wonder if Christian Gaylord would start at right tackle before Farniok would move back outside.

Depth is also a positive for this unit, as there will likely be backups who have taken some game snaps, like Trent Hixson, Will Farniok, and Matt Sichterman. Brant Banks will likely be the backup left tackle, and Greg Austin speaks highly of his redshirt-freshman lineman in Ethan Piper, Michael Lynn, and Jimmy Fritzche. They will likely still have time to continue developing, without having to be thrown into the fire too soon. Also, Turner Corcoran is one of the highest rated recruits we’ve ever gotten, so it’ll be interesting to see if he sees the field at any point this year. Either way, he’s got a bright future ahead.

I think this is finally the year that the offensive line gels and becomes a dominant unit. With Greg Austin now as the run game coordinator, he has made it known that he would like a more focused run game. He wants to have more of an identity, exchanging scheme diversity for a more focused run game with concepts that the line has time to master. Minnesota last year was the perfect example of this. They perfected how to block inside and outside zone, and they did it damn well. If the line can establish an identity in the run game, as well as improve on their blitz protections, which has been a major weakness the last couple of years, I could see a big step forward for the unit.

*Projected Starters:* ***Brendan Jaimes*** *(LT),* ***Boe Wilson*** *(LG),* ***Cam Jurgens*** *(C),* ***Matt Farniok*** *(RG),* ***Bryce Benhart*** *(RT)*

*Position Grade:* ***A-***

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