A look back at the defensive line positions over the 15 Oregon football spring practices, which concluded with the Spring Game on April 21st.

Heading into Spring Camp

DE

1. Henry Mondeaux SR

2. Elijah George SR

3. Scott Pagano SR

4. Jordan Kurahara JR

NG

1. Jordon Scott FR

2. Austin Faoliu FR

3. Gary Baker SO

4. Popo Aumavae redshirting

DE

1. Jalen Jelks JR

2. Malik Young SR

3. Drayton Carlberg JR

4. Hunter Kampmoyer rFR

The Oregon Ducks said goodbye to multiple seniors along the defensive line that turned into a really good group in the 2017 season. Henry Mondeaux was one of the most consistent players of the entire team in 2017 and will be missed next season. But as a few seniors departed from the team, multiple underclassmen showed out throughout the season to help calm the waters of those who departed. True freshmen Jordon Scott and Austin Faoliu both started multiple games at nose guard and flashed potential to develop into All-Pac-12 players. Meanwhile, junior Jalen Jelks flashed as a prospect for the first or second round in the 2019 NFL Draft as he was close to dominant off the edge.

Spring Camp's Headliner

As good as Jordon Scott was during his freshman football season in 2017, he looked to be even better during spring ball. A more fit and stronger Scott was a terror in game-like situations against the first and second-team offense. He finished with just one tackle in the spring game, but he constantly demanded double-teams and was nearly unblockable by just one offensive lineman. Scott will push for all-conference honors as a freshman after putting up Freshman All-American numbers in 2017.

The Depth

Going into spring game there were some concerns about the talent of this unit. Four players graduated from the program or moved on and a fifth moved from defensive end to tight end. Yet it spring wrapped up and the confidence in this group climbed. Jalen Jelks is still the team's best overall player, but the gap closed between him and Scott. Austin Faoliu is ready for a breakout sophomore season as well. What helped is the development of junior Gary Baker, who is pushing Faoliu for a starting role. Malik Young is also hoping to get an extra year of football back and looked much improved compared to fall camp. After having to rehab all of last season, Popo Aumavae burned off 30 pounds and looked like an entirely different player than his high school film showed. He looks poised for a role on this year's team as well.

The Biggest Question

The Ducks were hoping to sign one or two more defensive linemen in the 2018 recruiting class to help aid with depth and injuries but landed just their two. The Ducks look very good across the board within their two-deep, but injuries happen. Will Oregon have enough bodies to keep this unit as perhaps their strongest of the entire program?

Projecting the Depth Chart After Spring

DE

1. Austin Faoliu SO

2. Gary Baker JR

3. Drayton Carlberg JR

4. Sione Vea Kava JR

NG

1. Jordon Scott SO

2. Popo Aumavae rFR

DE

1. Jalen Jelks SR

2. Malik Young SR

3. Gus Cumberlander JR

4. Andrew Faoliu FR