Name: Taylor Upshaw
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 255 lbs.
High school: Bradenton (FL) Braden River
Position: Edge*
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #91
Last year: I ranked Upshaw #22 and said he would be the starting outside linebacker with 35 tackles and 5 sacks (LINK). He made 8 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 3 quarterback hurries.
TTB Rating: 73
I pegged Upshaw as a starter last year, but that was before one of the biggest breakout seasons in Michigan history, when David Ojabo went from having 1 total tackle in his career to making 35 tackles, 11 sacks, and 5 forced fumbles. Upshaw played a limited backup role as one of several edge rushers to get a bunch of playing time, including Mike Morris, Jaylen Harrell, Braiden McGregor, and others. He put up good numbers, too, for how much he had to rotate with other players. In fact, he finished third on the team in sacks (2.5) after Aidan Hutchinson's program 14 and Ojabo's 11.
The odd part this off-season is that a bunch of other players have earned more practice hype, so I'm not sure how to feel about Upshaw. Going into what could be his final season, the son of former NFL defensive end Regan Upshaw has just two starts under his belt but has better TFL and sack numbers than Morris, Harrell, and Julius Welschof, all of whom have more people talking about them. I can't sort out whether an increased role for Upshaw is implied or if he's somehow getting outperformed. So while he's here at #36, he could very easily outplay this ranking.
Prediction: Backup edge
*The updated roster calls defensive ends/outside linebackers "edge" now, so that's the term I'll use for those positions since they're pretty interchangeable
I'm ready to see games now!
ReplyDeleteSeems low for a starter but he's probably not a impact player that can't be replaced? I think I'd put him in the 20s because edge is uncertain. Upshaw sets a decent floor for the position.
ReplyDeleteBut is he a starter? I don't know if he is. Talk out of the spring was that Mike Morris was going to replace Hutchinson and Harrell was going to replace Ojabo.
DeleteGotcha. You're projecting Harrell passes him. I hadn't heard that - consensus seemed to be Upshaw would stay ahead. But I like it. I thought Harrell had a really good year and was surprised that some folks were so down on his pash rush potential. I think a breakout year is coming. But I didn't hear all that much spring buzz so it seemed maybe like wishful thinking on my part.
DeleteI agree Harrell will end up the more impactful player but I suspect Upshaw will still start a bunch of games, at least early in the year. 5th year seniors don't get passed up that often when they're proven contributors.
I imagine a far more even split between starter and backups this year than last. It may be close enough to 50/50 that the starter distinction is somewhat irrelevant.
Yep, low ceiling but high floor
ReplyDeleteI would distinguish Upshaw/Morris/Harrell from McGregor. The first 3 saw meaningful downs in most games. McGregor's grouping is more in line with Speight, Benny, and Paige than the rotational backups.
ReplyDeleteI'm already looking forward to the Mike Morris post. Is Anchor back? Elston/Mintor seem to be changing the recruiting approach to bigger-is-better. They're moving guys around to follow-suit. We have 5 DTs over 320, with more on the way and no sign of slimming any down. Bulking up Morris and shifting Welshof to "edge"?
ReplyDeleteGranted, Welshof lost weight to under 270 supposedly but Morris is 290 and Derrick Moore is 280. Are these guys really supposed to be the same position as the 230/240 pounder's like Bennett, McLaurin, and Harrell? I realize you want different flavors for different packages but that's quite a range.
Ojabo was 250 and Hutchinson 260 per the NFL combine. Morris is bigger than some of our DTs!
I'm intrigued to see how this plays out with what seems like a lot of change in one offseason.
Crazy because I wanted to get bigger on the DL for years, but now that it's happening so suddenly, I'm interested to see how it works out, especially without a star
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