Serena Morones for The Oregonian/OregonLive

By Andrew Greif, The Oregonian/OregonLive

EUGENE — The Oregon Ducks left their first spring under coach Willie Taggart as they began it, with a fluid depth chart.

It will be updated again this summer, and for the players, that uncertainty is meant to provide ample offseason motivation — a reminder that nothing is yet settled.

Still, that doesn't mean several Ducks shouldn't look back at April and feel good about their performances during UO's 15 practices.

These 16 Ducks helped raise their stock this spring.

(Players listed in alphabetical order.)

Don't Edit

CB Ugo Amadi

Amadi's first two seasons at cornerback were spent on two of the worst defenses in Oregon history, and played in a secondary that, rightly or wrongly, often bore the brunt of the blame. Those experiences might have scuttled a player's confidence, long term. Yet entering his third season — and the third defense since he arrived in Eugene — the corner from Nashville believes he's turned a corner in his progress this spring. He called himself a different player than in the past, and that confidence showed in his response to playing primarily with the second team during 11-on-11 work early in spring, as freshman Thomas Graham Jr. earned the spotlight over veterans such as Amadi and Arrion Springs. But as spring wore on, Amadi was back into the starting rotation. How well was he playing? Amadi was one of just four Ducks to be courted as a "free agent" prior to the spring game.

Don't Edit

TE Jacob Breeland

The 6-foot-5, 237-pound sophomore showed flashes of his ability to catch and get upfield last fall, as he waited behind a logjam of senior tight ends ahead of him on the depth chart. They're all gone now, however, and Breeland used the spring to solidify himself as a constant threat to haul in a long reception from quarterback Justin Herbert; more than any other QB-receiver combination this spring, Herbert and Breeland were the most consistent connection.

"I thought Breeland at tight end had a good spring for us as well," Taggart said. "Really impressed."

Don't Edit

Serena Morones for The Oregonian/OregonLive

S Brady Breeze

Brady Breeze (25) was tabbed a player to watch by Oregon's old staff and it appears he has fans on the new one, too. The Central Catholic High grad was a constant presence on the first team at safety as just a redshirt freshman because of his ability to stop the run closer to the line of scrimmage and provide coverage away from it. He's also unafraid to voice his confidence and expectations, saying he wants a Rose Bowl berth a few times during spring interviews. "Being bowl eligible isn't going to be enough," he said of 2017.

He and fellow safety Mattrell McGraw, who both became prominent first-team players this spring after little to no use before, will have to contend with a healthier Brenden Schooler come fall. Schooler, UO's third-leading tackler in 2016, injured his right hamstring in the first week and was limited to non-contact drills after that point. That said, Breeze has put himself in a good position to defend the first-team reps he earned in spring.

Don't Edit

Serena Morones for The Oregonian/OregonLive

QB Braxton Burmeister

Burmeister was coached by former Oregon quarterback Akili Smith in high school near San Diego and appears to have his coach's wheels, too. The true freshman was at his best running in the open field this spring — for one, he left a defender hopelessly planted in the turf during an April 15 scrimmage after a juke — and showed that though his understanding and execution of the offense is a work in progress, he can still present problems for a defense. Burmeister completed just 3-of-7 passes with an interception in the spring game and looked to be third on the depth chart, though the pick was moreso on the receiver who bobbled the pass than the throw itself. Taggart praised Burmeister's work ethic early in spring, calling himself impressed to one day see Burmeister studying after hours in the team facility, the first QB to be seen doing so. Taggart then bookended that compliment with more praise two days after the spring game, when he lumped the 6-foot-1, 205-pounder in with players who impressed him.

"I thought all of our quarterbacks got better," Taggart said. "I thought it was really good watching those guys compete each and every day, especially when we were moving them around with different teams, it was really good to see."

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

OL Jacob Capra

A 6-foot-5, 306-pound redshirt freshman, Capra was routinely singled out by offensive line coach Mario Cristobal and his fellow linemen during April for becoming stronger and more technically sound. Capra himself called himself more comfortable entering his second collegiate season. Even with a strong class of linemen one year ahead of him who already have a full season of experience under their belts, Capra could mix in at tackle next fall.

"He certainly has the ability and the want-to," Cristobal said at the midway point of spring. "He flashes some things that make you think this guy is going to be a good football player. Our job is to get him there as fast as humanly possible."

Don't Edit

WR Darren Carrington

The senior was among the players Taggart said impressed him during the spring, and not only for his three touchdowns and 116 yards on just four catches in the spring game.

"If we can have a team full of Darren Carringtons, when it comes to competing, we’d have a hell of a football team," Taggart said.

Carrington has become a household name in Eugene after three seasons with 112 catches and 15 touchdowns but the new staff promised no loyalty or playing time upon their arrival. Carrington was pushed during the spring by freshman corner Thomas Graham Jr., who got the upper hand — literally — on the senior enough that their matchups became must-watch moments of spring. Carrington responded with several highlight-worthy one-handed catches down the sideline for touchdowns.

Don't Edit

LB Troy Dye

Dye's stock was high leaving fall after he led the Ducks in tackles as just a true freshman. But given he's not the biggest linebacker -- at 225 pounds -- and was making a position change from outside to inside linebacker, Dye's fit in coordinator Jim Leavitt's defense was no sure thing. All he did in spring, however, was play smoothly and consistently. In the process, he reaffirmed his talent, no matter the defense.

Don't Edit

Serena Morones for The Oregonian

RB Royce Freeman

UO running backs coach Donte Pimpleton has taken to Twitter to pump up Freeman, Oregon's senior All-America back, as the best at his position in the country, and CBSSports.com agrees, rating him the top back to be picked in next year's NFL draft. That's a high bar to meet, understandably. Yet Freeman exceeded it during spring in two ways. First, he stayed healthy and ran much more powerfully than in the fall, when leg and chest injuries affected his willingness to use his raw strength to shake would-be tacklers. And two, by his own admission, he stepped out of his comfort zone to be more talkative around the team. It would be difficult to find another player with more credibility inside the locker room than Freeman, but he's hasn't been the type to use that cachet as a motivator. Challenged by Taggart to be more vocal, Freeman said he's widened his inner circle this offseason and has been more accepting of leading through words, not only by example.

Don't Edit

Courtesy of Thomas Graham Jr.

CB Thomas Graham Jr.

Despite playing in a veteran-laden secondary Graham took over the first-team corner spot for the first two weeks of spring and left quite the impression for his tenacity and unwillingness to back down. His back-and-forths with senior receiver Darren Carrington were some of the most spirited and competitive one-on-one matchups of spring.

"Thomas Graham is another one who stepped out and made plays consistently over on the defensive side," Taggart said.

Graham's hot start to spring showed his potential but sustaining that effort will be the test in fall. By late spring, junior Ugo Amadi and senior Arrion Springs had worked their way back into the first team as corners. In charging to the front of the line, however, Graham -- along with nose tackle Jordon Scott -- became the example of Taggart's promise to award playing time on performance, no matter experience. Could more freshmen work their way into UO's rotation in the fall?

“If they all look like Thomas Graham, yeah,” Springs said.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

QB Justin Herbert

The sophomore did not dominate all 15 practices but it’s clear Herbert is throwing his fastball better and more consistently than Burmeister or Travis Jonsen. Last fall he looked a little timid in stretches while attempting to process all the responsibility placed on his shoulders. And for good reason, as UO’s first true freshman to start at QB in 33 years. This spring he looked more sure of himself and though that didn’t absolve him of mistakes — he threw interceptions in each of UO’s first two scrimmages, and ball security is a huge priority for Taggart — the confidence came through on the final play of the spring game, when he distracted defenders to shift one direction, then threw another for a touchdown. That’s the physical side of his improvement. The other side is that Herbert, a quiet guy whom center Jake Hanson half-jokingly likened to a “mute” last fall, is talking more often to teammates after Taggart challenged him to rally his teammates. That vocal style of leadership still isn’t to Taggart’s liking, but it’s progress.

“Justin had a really good spring game and I was really impressed not just from him throwing the ball and things but trying to lead his football team and watching his enthusiasm out there and the way he carried himself,” Taggart said. “I was really impressed with him.”

Don't Edit

Serena Morones for The Oregonian

QB Travis Jonsen

Jonsen displayed his top-end potential when he unleashed a pinpoint pass down the left sideline for a 44-yard gain to Dillon Mitchell during the spring game. However, he also finished Saturday 5-of-15 for 86 yards and threw an ill-advised interception into triple coverage, too, and that performance served as a reminder that he's not quite ready for prime time the way Herbert is. Yet now that he’s beyond the turf toe injury that sidelined him in 2015, Jonsen is healthy and has all the physical tools to compete for a starting job. We all knew that already about the former Elite 11 QB, though. This spring was about marrying that ability with confidence, and Jonsen himself said he felt far ahead of where he’d been his first two seasons at UO. Jonsen stole some first-team reps on several days of practice, which had to boost his self-belief, and for a second consecutive fall camp will get an opportunity to go for the starting job.

Don't Edit

Eric Evans/2015, GoDucks.com

WR Malik Lovette

Recruited to Oregon as a receiver, Lovette was pulled to defense in 2015 as a freshman due to a thin depth chart and stayed at cornerback last season, too. In the eyes of Taggart, however, he was best put to use on offense, and Lovette spent the spring repaying his confidence. Lovette has an excellent burst with his first couple steps, and if teams are forced to watch Carrington with one or more defenders in the fall, Lovette could reap the rewards of single coverage.

Don't Edit

Randy L. Rasmussen/The Oregonian, 2015

S Mattrell McGraw

Perhaps no player rose higher up the depth chart from the end of fall to the end of spring than McGraw. After playing in just two games during his two prior seasons — and this as part of a secondary that desperately needed help — McGraw became a regular on the first-team defense as a safety alongside Brady Breeze.

Don't Edit

Andy McNamara/GoDucks.com

LB Blake Rugraff

A walk-on from the St. Louis area, Rugraff went from a guy who just barely missed making the UO 70-man travel squad last fall to a second-team inside linebacker this spring. In Saturday's spring game, he stripped a completion out of the hands of a tight end and finished with a game-high 11 tackles.

Read our Q&A with Rugraff from April here.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

DT Jordon Scott

Jake Hanson, Oregon's 6-5 center, doesn't exactly look forward to matchups against nose tackle Jordon Scott who, at 6-1 and around 340 pounds, is a powerful freshman with a low center of gravity.

"He’s going to be a huge contributor for us this year," Hanson said.

Scott has dropped between 15-20 pounds since arriving in Eugene in January and Taggart expressed hope he could get down to perhaps the 315-pound range. Even if he's not quite to that goal weight, Scott still turned heads all spring and was consistently praised from the first week to the last for his ability to hold his position while fending off blockers. He also displayed his strength on bull rushes, pushing opposing linemen into their own backfield.

Frosh DT Jordon Scott @Fat_Mac34 shows off his bull rush power against Jake Pisarcik today at practice. pic.twitter.com/Ns8rlJQVzq — A.J. Jacobson (@DuckSports) April 26, 2017

He's a much different body type than UO fans are used to from tall, lean defensive linemen, and he used it to his advantage in spring in Jim Leavitt's 3-4 defense. Though it's reasonable to assume some of his playing time in the fall will be eaten up by the arrival of Clemson grad transfer Scott Pagano, Scott will be a contributor.

"I’m really impressed by Jordon Scott being a freshman and what he’s able to do this spring," Taggart said. "Really with all of our freshmen coming in and watching them improve. For them to only be here for a few months, I was really impressed with what they were able to do."

Don't Edit

CB Arrion Springs

Springs had a "fantastic" spring, Taggart said, on account of his interceptions in all three scrimmages. Springs endured an up-and-down fall and was benched in October in favor of Amadi. When spring began, it was fair to wonder how he'd perform when Graham took reps with the first team and Springs the second. But he caught fire to end spring and played excellent in coverage.

Taggart also said he's done everything right off the field, too.

"He's doing everything we ask of him," Taggart said. "Making the plays out on the field and doing what he's supposed to do in the classroom and haven't had any issue with him off the field."

Don't Edit

More spring football coverage

Spring game: Challenged by Taggart, Oregon's returning stars show up in big ways

Spring game: Justin Herbert throws 3 TDs as UO closes spring with a huddle

Recruiting: Willie Taggart on Oregon's recent recruiting success: Ducks have 'something really good going on here'



Watch: Charles Nelson discusses the state of UO's receivers