FSU Football: Will Noles defensive line be better in 2019?

FSU football is known for having good defensive lines under Coach Odell Haggins. Will this unit perform better in 2019 after an average 2018?

The FSU football defensive line was thought to be a strength of the unit going into the 2018 season.

In fact, I thought they were good enough to be a top five unit barring any injuries. However, that wasn’t the case as Marvin Wilson took a bit to get into game shape after missing most of the off-season recovering from a leg injury.

Brian Burns was hyped as unstoppable going into the season. Cory Durden was an unproven redshirt freshman.

Joshua Kaindoh was coming off an injury in the offseason and Janarius Robinson was talented but still raw. Robert Cooper was a talented true freshman that needed to get into better shape.

Overall, the unit performed decently as they allowed 3.53 yards per rush. However, where they struggled the most was getting pressure on the QB and tackles for loss.

The team as a whole only had 28 sacks with just 69 tackles for loss. Brian Burns accounted for 10 sacks and 15.5 tackles for a loss by himself.

That’s a ton of production to lose, but I believe part of their inability to have more impressive stats was the fact they were on the field constantly because of FSU’s terrible offense.

Can that unit be better in 2019?

Thoughts

I think the success of this unit depends on what they can get from the defensive ends. Marvin Wilson is healthy and should be one of the best defensive tackles in the conference. Cory Durden should be able to take his game to the next level with the experience gained last season.

It’s going to come down to whether Joshua Kaindoh can live up to his five-star ranking after two years of injuries and underwhelming play. It would be nice to get something from Janarius Robinson too.

Robert Cooper has lost a lot of bad weight and should be able to contribute more snaps without being much of a liability.

Leonard Warner has moved from linebacker to defensive end and seems promising. Will players like Ja’Len Parks and Malcolm Lamar contribute? What about Dennis Briggs Jr.?

There’s a chance the Noles could play more 3-4 defense this season which could change things as well. All in all, I expect the offense to be better which should keep the defense fresh and not demoralized so quickly.

I look for this unit to play better in 2019, but they’ll need a few of the names mentioned to really step up FSU football to shine.