Some Canes and Dolphins on a Monday night:

UM starts spring practice in secrecy on Tuesday. The UM coaching staff had not planned to publicize (in advance) that spring practice was beginning Tuesday, but safety Deon Bush announced it on Twitter.

UM subsequently has confirmed it but the first two sessions of spring (Tuesday and Thursday) won't be open to the media and there will be no interviews of players or coaches until the weekend.

Positions of concern? As usual, the defensive line. But linebacker is also a major worry.

Miami's only high impact linebacker, Denzel Perryman, is departing, and the group wasn’t great to begin with.

Mark D’Onofrio has said Raphael Kirby (two forced fumbles, two picks last season) will move to the middle to replace Perryman, backed up by Juwon Young. Darrion Owens (23 tackles in 12 games) or perhaps hybrid end/linebacker Tyriq McCord would potentially replace departed Thurston Ambrister.

Jermaine Grace --- who had 60 tackles and three sacks and is much improved –-- projects as a likely starter, also.

But there’s nobody elite in that group, and the depth is unproven: Young, converted safety Marques Gayot, redshirt freshman Mike Smith and three newcomers --- Charles Perry and summer arrivals James King and Jamie Gordinier.

Thoughts on a few other positions (this is part one of a two-part blog post):

### Safety: UM would love Deon Bush and Jamal Carter to become the dominant tandem that Vaughn Telemaque and RayRay Armstrong never truly became. But UM didn’t trust Carter enough in coverage last season to play him ahead of departed walk-on Nantambu Fentress.

Dallas Crawford and Rayshawn Jenkins (whose erratic play frustrated coaches before he sat out last season with an injury) should play a lot, and coaches can’t stop raving about the instincts and intelligence of early arrival Jaquan Johnson. Watching Johnson's development should be one of the interesting stories of the spring.

### Cornerback: Only Ladarius Gunter departs, leaving Artie Burns, Corn Elder, Antonio Crawford, Tracy Howard and probably Ryan Mayes as the top five.

A three-star prospect from Northwestern, Mayes didn’t get a lot of offers but is rangy and had some good moments last spring.

“He’s a guy we really like to be that long corner,” D’Onofrio said. “He can also play safety [but] I think he will stay at corner.”

Michael Jackson and Sheldrick Redwine arrive this summer.

### Quarterback: Improving footwork and accuracy will be the top areas of focus for Brad Kaaya, coaches say. James Coley has told us he will push Kaaya very hard this offseason and will ask him to game-plan all of Miami's opponents.

Malik Rosier, who’s playing baseball, said he will be available for most practices, but baseball is his priority during baseball season and the March 28 spring game at Lockhart conflicts with a UM baseball road trip.

### Tight end: Standish Dobard said he knows the tradition of the position at UM and takes very seriously the challenge of becoming the next great Hurricanes tight end. He has shown flashes as a receiver (21 yard average on seven catches in 2014).

UM believes Chris Herndon will be a solid No. 2, loves the potential of David Njoku (moved from linebacker to tight end) and hopes early arrival Jerome Washington will be much better than UM’s most recent highly-touted junior college tight end (Beau Sandland). Jake O'Donnell remains on the roster but hasn't shown much.

### Offensive line: Kc McDermott and Taylor Gabdois, both potential starters at tackle, are expected to miss the spring recovering from October knee injuries, Al Golden told The Herald in early January. That leaves right guard Danny Isidora as the only healthy returning starter.

But Art Kehoe said he’s high on his prospects, including potential starters Trevor Darling and Nick Linder. He also speaks glowingly about 6-8, 312-pound Sunny Odugwu.

Junior college transfer Jahair Jones, who arrived last month, could emerge as a starting option at guard or tackle.

Hunter Wells and Alex Gall also will be in the mix for playing time.

Six freshmen linemen arrive this summer. “We are going to be fine up front,” Kehoe said.

Check back Tuesday for assistant coaches' comments and thoughts about players at other positions.

DOLPHINS DRAFT TALK

For those hoping Washington defensive tackle Danny Shelton slips to Miami with the 14th pick, that might be wishful thinking, based on projections of analysts.

"Shelton is a top-10 pick for me," Mike Mayock said today on a conference call. "I love him. Reminds me of Haloti Ngata. I think everybody sees that comparison."

As Mayock noted, the Dolphins badly need a cornerback, though it's quite possible that could be addressed in free agency.

If the Dolphins take a corner at 14, Mayock said the top three options at the position are Michigan State's Trae Waynes, Washington's Marcus Peters (has had off-field issues that could scare away the Dolphins) and LSU's Jalen Collins.

"Trae is very comfortable in press coverage," Mayock said. "He's got length. He jumps up there like all the Michigan State corners do. He understands the game. He's played through the field, he's played into the boundary. He tackles. I know when you get a Michigan State kid coming off that defense, he's got a tough kid that will tackle that's been well-coached. So that appeals to me first and foremost. His length, his competitiveness, and the fact that he can play press and will tackle.

"Beyond that, I am intrigued by the Jalen Collins kid at LSU who has nine or ten starts in his career. Came out early, but he's 6-2 and similar to Waynes in that he will compete in press coverage. They're the three top guys. P.J. Williams from Florida State is in the conversation, but I think he's a little later. And I think Trae Waynes make-up, and the fact that I trust that he'll come in and compete day one is kind of a difference maker for me."

### Though some have linked West Virginia receiver Kevin White to Miami at No. 14, Mayock said: "Kevin White's my No. 1 wideout. I think if he runs 4.5 or better, he's a top 10 pick."

Unlike most draftniks, Mayock has Alabama receiver Amari Cooper rated behind White. Louisville receiver Devante Parker projects for Miami's range.

### For more about the Dolphins and Canes from Mayock's call today, check out Adam Beasley's story on the sports home page (the story with the headline about UM's Ereck Flowers).

### Twitter: @flasportsbuzz