My thoughts which echo many others so far.
QB: Obviously set at starter and would love Easton to quiet any remaining critics and go out on top. Can't wait to see Hotchkiss and Sanders in the offseason since backup QB depth hasn't been a question mark for years. Having a reliable backup will allow us to unleash Easton all season.
RB: Quite the embarrassment of riches. Wilson and Bruce are the only active RBs eligible to redshirt this year and that makes zero sense for Bruce as a healthy starting Senior and honestly I wouldn't blame Seth one iota for not wanting to do that since he came in and played a significant role in our championship run. I would be ecstatic if he did though. With Dunn, Bruce, and Brooks I just don't see a lot of snaps available. Cofield looks good and Seth looked special at times but they might have to weather their sophomore years with minimal snaps and get the lion's share their Junior and Senior seasons. Purifoy is likely the odd man out here if anyone leaves. He has 2 years left and there is minimal chance, barring injury to others, that he cracks the top 3 and perhaps not even the top 5 coming off a torn ACL and has struggled to put on weight to this point. If we want to preserve our top 3 RBs, can we appease a Purifoy or other with KR/PR duties? A position that needs game changing talent.
FB: Ready to go. Would be nice to have a Bonnett type FB but Robbins, Malstrom, and Kuntz seem very capable. I could see Robbins and Kuntz turning into sneaky offensive contributors.
TE: We are just fine at starters here with amazing depth BUT I am not willing to say we are great here until I see how the young guns do. I think Jenson, Ellefson, and Anderson can provide us with starter level contributions. But are the young guns, Gindorff and Babicz, going to give us the game changing athletic pass catching TE that can take our play action game to another level. Illies gave us a taste of this.
WR: Some of you guys aren't worried. I am. Shepherd is our #1 WR and we all love him. But he is oft dinged up and I don't think he is #1 material. Honestly he comes across as a great #3 or solid #2. I am talking not NDSU #1 material. Not FCS #1. Stapleton and Weinecke aren't walking through our run first door. Dimitri has turned himself into a viable #3 WR which is great to see. There is no reason for us to be sure Cain will turn the corner and be a good starter. Talent yes, but one year left and minimal contributions this year with plenty of opportunity to crack a thin depth chart. Dallas Freeman will contribute but likely on a two deep basis. I honestly don't see any help down the pipeline either. I love the recruiting process and keep spreadsheets of AMATEUR ratings of all the recruits via HUDL review. Take this with a massive grain of salt but I don't see any help on the rest of the WR roster except Watson as long as he put on a little weight/strength. I am worried for this year and FAR MORE for next year. Babicz and Gindorff becoming offensive assets is even more critical due to this lack of starting talent over the next couple talents.
OT: Radunz and ZJ are locked in for the next couple years I think. Baby Volson and Bacon make me pretty comfortable with the depth here too. Conner moved to Guard can always move back to LT if god forbid something happens to Radunz again.
OG: This position scares me a bit. Connor can secure the LG spot but we don't have a known commodity at RG starter or either backup positions. I am predicting Kubas will start at RG but that is purely based off I think he had the most snaps among the depth chart at OG. Haven't heard much positive or negative about Hecht (needs more weight) and Albrecht. I did have a solid grade on Jensen as an available RFr next year.
C: Volson is a stud and I expect Schoenning to be solid depth if needed. Willis has some talent as well as RFr.
NT: Steidl and Williams are an experienced and very solid duo here so we should be fine. A bit nervous about the future here though as Alo and Kelly weren't highly touted as recruits but I am rooting for the local boys to flash a bit this year. We certainly need them to so we can feel better about the future.
DT: Karcz and Darnell seem like a good combo here as well albeit less proven. Karcz seems to have some great upside though and I really liked what Tucker showed on recruit film.
DE: Loaded. Menard, Tuszka, Butler, and Jones. We are 2 deep with starters. Some pretty talented underclassmen too.
LB: Think we are set here. I do think it will be a step down from this year but no one was going to match Deluca. I also think Board was a better player then he got credit for due to Deluca and Cox being amazing. I like Jordheim and Marlette if healthy and I think Mercadel, Pauly, and Kennelly are solid depth.
CB: Absolutely loaded. Some seem nervous here and I don't get it. Allison is confirmed all conference talent, Wimbush turned into a very solid starter, Bridges seems to be a special talent, Hayes made strides in a very short amount of playing time as a true freshman. Dom Davis was looking like a potentially good #3 until the injury, and if Dixon can put on weight I think he has special talent. Love the talent here.
S: We'll take a step down here because Dempsey was special but I think between Hendricks, Brown, and Bachmeier we will have a good pair and depth. Just maybe no longer elite. I really like Tutsie as a RFr and Weber looked good too.
K: Cam is a serviceable kicker. Seems to have some blocked kick issues but I also think he has made quite a few clutch kicks.
P: I will just assume that Wegner is an average punter at worst.
KR/PR: Let's put that bevy of RBs to work!
TLDR: Genuine concern about WR and OG. Loaded at RB, DE, and DB. Other positions shouldn't be impacted too drastically.
Rixen
Having both Dunn and Bruce will be huge. Both are built to punish those who try to tackle them. They’re the ones that will wear out defenses and create opportunities for Brooks, Wilson and Purifoy.
I believe Cofield can also be another RB that can dole out punishment.
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Hail the BISON!!!