Jalen Jelks' return was a massive boon for Cristobal's Ducks.

After having one of the worst defenses in the country in the 2016 season, Oregon had a coaching staff overhaul. It was clear immediately that the defense would become one of the primary focuses of the future when Jim Leavitt was lured over from Colorado to become the defensive coordinator.

After one season under Leavitt, Oregon’s scoring defense jumped all way up from 126th in the country to 81st. The defense is still a work in progress, but there was plenty of improvement. A lot of this success came because of a strong front seven, specifically the three on the defensive line.

In 2017, Oregon mostly ran with two experienced defensive ends in Jalen Jelks and Henry Mondeaux, along with freshman Jordon Scott in the middle. Things changed for the Ducks almost immediately. Leavitt’s defensive scheme for the line helped Oregon bring its dreadful 246.5 rushing yards per game in 2016 down to 128.5.

In just one year, Oregon’s rushing defense went from bottom ten in the nation to 23rd. With such a drastic improvement, it’s fair to ask whether the Ducks can replicate the same success in 2018. Oregon’s defensive line seems prepared to run it back, with the top of the PAC-12 in its sights.

Luckily for Oregon, the only major departure from the defensive line was Henry Mondeaux. He was an integral part of the team’s success in 2017, finishing the season with 45 tackles and 5 sacks. He will be a difficult player to replace, but Oregon has plenty of rotation guys ready in 2018.

The likely candidate to take Mondeaux’s starting job will be true sophomore Austin Faoliu. Faoliu started 2017 as the starter at nose guard before losing the job to fellow freshman Jordon Scott, who managed to hang onto the position for the rest of the year. Still, Faoliu was impressive enough to stay in the rotation for the rest of the season. He finished the year with 22 tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack. His numbers should exponentially increase with the likely starter role. Gary Baker is also expected to make a run for the starting role, another guy who was a season-long rotation player.

Jordon Scott showed flashes of future stardom at times for the Ducks last year, and he should be prepared to do more during his sophomore year. As a player who’s larger than a fair number of offensive lineman, he will be a tough guy to hold at bay. If Scott lives up to expectations, he could have All-Conference honors in 2018.

The headline of Oregon’s defensive line in 2018 will be Jalen Jelks. After picking up All-PAC-12 honors in 2017, he should be a contender for the same awards again in his senior year. Jelks returns as one of Oregon’s top NFL prospects, with many projections having him slated as an early round pick in the 2019 draft. In 2017, he led Oregon in tackles for loss and sacks with 15 and 7 respectively. Without Mondeaux, there’s a chance that his numbers even go up in 2018. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Jelks will be a full-time starter yet again, along with being the star of the defensive line.

In 2018, Oregon’s defensive line will be one of the most talented in the conference. Two sophomores are the projected starters, but both showed flashes of stardom and will have an even stronger year of development. Jelks, the lone senior in the starting lineup, is one of the most talented defensive linemen that Oregon has had in a while. The team also has plenty of depth for a solid rotation throughout the year. This team was already one of the best rushing defenses in the conference last year, there's no reason to believe it can't do it again. Overall, this Oregon defense line looks nasty and ready to take the top spot in the PAC-12 in 2018.