There were plenty of holes to fill in the Rutgers defense during spring practice.

The Scarlet Knights lost starters at nose tackle, defensive end, middle linebacker, cornerback and both safety spots. The defense will look to replace those players while seeking improvement after allowing a program-record 5,756 yards last season.

Some players seized those open positions during spring practice, while competitions for other starting spots will extend into training camp.

I've taken a look back at spring practice with a series of stories this week:

*Five takeaways from spring practice

*Five questions answered during spring practice

*Five breakout players during spring practice

*Five surprise players during spring practice

*Projected offensive starters after spring practice

I'll wrap up the spring practice reviews with my projections for the defensive starters, which include some changes from my pre-spring projections. Click through the gallery above for the updated projected defensive starters.

Dan Duggan may be reached at dduggan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DDuggan21. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.