Preseason Positional Breakdown: The O-line

Maybe you haven’t noticed, but every once in a while, I get a little long-winded in this space. Yeah, I figured you hadn’t picked up on that.

So I started clattering on my keyboard about this year’s offensive line and it just kept going and going and going and ...

And now there’s simply too much on the page to give you the OL and the DL breakdowns in one post, as I planned. But don’t fret. You’ll get one now and the other later today. To give your eyes and brains a rest. Or, just because I’m shameless in my pursuit of your valuable clicks. Two posts = two clicks!

Newspaper? Made out of actual paper? Ew! What’s that? No, no, I am now fully consumed with digital dissemination of information. (Well, we still print that newspaper thing, and I still write for it, but market research tells us that the birds who poop on the product are decreasingly interested in sports.)

Is this fancy Interwebs business making money, you ask? No idea, but I’m still here, so please, keep clicking!

Oh, speaking of which, just moments ago, I joined the insanity known as Twitter. Come, my pretties, and be my "followers" (creepy much?) at twitter.com/kyletuckerVP.

My bosses are even sending me a new-fangled Blueberry (Is that right? No, can’t be. A Raspberry?) so that I can Tweet my fingertips off, even when I’m not near a computer. OMG! So pumped!

Truth be told, I kind of hate Twitter. (I know, you’re shocked, all this vitriol coming from a longtime participant in the blogosphere.) Perhaps I’m just specifically annoyed by the segment of Tweeters who seem convinced that the whole world cares when they’re “headin’ 2 tha gym!”

But the bosses have convinced me that Twitter can, when used for good and not for narcissism, be a valuable tool for a news man like myself. So move over, Lebron James, I expect to have tens of followers within hours. Stay tuned.

Now that I’ve gotten one rant out of the way, here’s the one you came for. Check back this evening for the D-line breakdown ...

Hokies 2010: Offensive Line

PROJECTED STARTERS: LT Nick Becton, R-SO, 6-foot-6, 307 pounds; LG Greg Nosal, R-JR, 6-foot-5, 278 pounds; C Beau Warren, R-SR, 6-foot-3, 292 pounds; RG Jaymes Brooks, R-JR, 6-foot-2, 298 pounds; RT Blake DeChristopher, R-JR, 6-foot-5, 304 pounds

PROJECTED SECOND STRING: LT Andrew Lanier, R-JR, 6-foot-5, 291 pounds; LG David Wang, R-FR, 6-foot-1, 295 pounds; C Andrew Miller, R-FR, 6-foot-4, 282 pounds; RG Vinston Painter, R-SO, 6-foot-6, 317 pounds; RT Michael Via, R-SO, 6-foot-7, 287 pounds

BY THE NUMBERS: The Hokies’ three returning full-time starters – DeChristopher, Brooks and Warren – have a combined 49 career starts. The two departed starters, LT Ed Wang and Sergio Render, took with them 89 combined starts. ... Wang led the line last year, grading at least 80 percent (a winning grade, according to Tech’s coaches) in all 12 regular-season games (coaches don’t grade the bowl game). Render rated 80-plus eight times. ... DeChristopher had 42 knockdown blocks, played 646 snaps and graded 80 or higher in 6 of 11 games he played. He posted a team-high 450-pound bench press last week. ...

Brooks had 32 knockdown blocks last season in 600-plus snaps and graded 80-plus in 7 of 12 games. ... Warren had 14 knockdown blocks, missing three full games and part of a fourth with a knee injury, grading 80-plus all nine times he started. ... Nosal, the new starting LG, had 23 knockdown blocks in 300-plus snaps last season as Tech’s top back-up. He started one game and graded 80 or higher five times. ... Becton, the new starting LT, played just 46 snaps last season but graded 80 percent in 15 snaps late in the year against N.C. State. ...

Via, a versatile back-up who could help at center or tackle, started three games last season, played in seven games, got 261 snaps and 13 knockdown blocks. ... Lanier, currently the team’s top back-up tackle, started one game last fall, played 127 snaps and recorded nine knockdown blocks. ... Painter, the top back-up guard, played just nine snaps in 2009 – but all came in the final three games. He posted the team’s fourth-best bench press (430) and front squat (455) last week.

One last stat: The average size of the starting five is 6-foot-4 ½ and 296 pounds. What to make of that? This Hokies line is longer, leaner and more athletic than it has been in quite some time. The top three back-ups, by the way, average 6-foot-6, 298 pounds.

SPRING REVIEWS: The three returning starters are known quantities. They are each solid, dependable guys who helped the Hokies rank 14th nationally in rushing last season and nothing they did during spring ball diminished the coaches’ confidence in them. Nosal belongs in the same category. While one concern is whether he can keep enough weight on his former-tight end frame, in terms of consistent effort, he might actually be an upgrade over Render, a four-year starter.

Said line coach Curt Newsome: “You know what you’ve got in Greg. He’s a solid guy and he’ll just keep getting better and better. ... The one you didn’t really know much about (entering spring) was Nick Becton. He is what he is: He’s got a load of talent, and it just depends on how fast he matures.”

Among the starters, Becton was the one everyone watched closely this spring. Not just because he’s at the almighty left tackle spot, protecting the blindside of irreplaceable QB Tyrod Taylor, but because he has hardly played in college and he’s replacing an NFL draft pick.

As Newsome is fond of saying, Becton is exactly “how you’d draw one up” at tackle: tall, powerful, long arms and quick feet. A prototype, physically. But he had to prove this spring that he’s ready to play the position mentally. There were some ups and downs, but by the end of the spring game, coaches (and Taylor) breathed easier.

Said offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring: “It was a primary concern going into the spring. I think Nick Becton has really stepped up his level of play. I think it’s really important to him. I think he knows the importance of the position. Nick understands it’s his time. I feel a lot better and, more importantly, our quarterback feels a lot better about it.”

Now for the bad news. The Hokies hoped to get a better feel for their depth on the line during spring, but Via and Painter both suffered injuries and missed significant time. Miller, still recovering from last fall’s shoulder surgery, could only walk through practice reps (no contact drills). BUT, Painter appears to be fully recovered from his dislocated kneecap – judging by his insane workout numbers – and Miller should be full-strength when camp begins on Friday. Via, who suffered a torn ACL, might not be ready to go when the season starts but shouldn’t miss the whole year. I’ll check with trainers on that this weekend.

BOTTOM LINE: Assuming Becton isn’t a liability, the starting five should be very good and the Hokies’ stable of tailbacks will likely find ample running room. One injury, however, could spell major trouble. Wait, what? You’ve heard that one before about Tech’s line?

Well, the difference this year is that it depends where the injury happens – and when. Should one of the starting guards go down, particularly early in the year, that could be a disaster. Painter is a physical freak and was making major strides this spring but the injury set him back. Midway through the fall, however, he could be a reliable fill-in at guard. Same for David Wang, Ed’s little brother, who is a powerful and promising youngster (but he’s just that, a newbie).

If Warren went down at center, all might not be lost. Miller is a guy the Hokies are excited about, a former nationally ranked high school heavyweight wrestler and potentially the center of the future, BUT with such limited practice time, he’s unlikely to be ready for prime time until at least a few games into the schedule. Via would be a reliable No. 2, but his status remains uncertain. And whenever he’s healthy, the coaches may resume their spring plans to try him at tackle (lest he remain maybe the only 6-foot-7 center in America).

An injury at tackle is probably the least likely to be a nightmare, since Lanier isn’t completely green – and he’s athletic enough to pass block and gritty enough (if not ideally bulky) to put his helmet on someone in the running game. Still, that leaves a lot of “what-ifs” and finger-crossing up front this fall. Fans tired of such stress over the depth of the offensive line are surely wondering: When will it end? Take heart ...

There’s a ton of young, top-end O-line talent in the program right now – with more on its way. Unlike other recent seasons, the cupboard is far from bare. By the end of this season, I’d expect at least a couple of the back-ups to step up in a big spot and others to get meaningful snaps in a few blowouts. Via, Miller, Wang, Painter and Lanier could be virtual veterans this time next year. Not to mention true freshman Laurence Gibson, another prototypical tackle and four-star recruit who enrolled early and flashed some skills during spring practice. Or fellow four-star tackle Mark Shuman, who’ll join the team on Friday. Or road-grading guards Matt Arkema and Caleb Farris, two more touted incoming freshmen.

Four of five starters on this year’s line will be back in 2011 and chances are, the entire second string will be populated by former elite recruits who’ve accumulated a decent number of college snaps.

But that’s next season, and you folks want to know if THIS line is good enough to help THIS team – and otherwise loaded offense – get to the big game THIS year, right? My answer: The situation is steadily improving, but keep those fingers (and toes) crossed for now.

COMMENTS ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here; comments do not reflect the views of The Virginian-Pilot or its websites. Users must follow agreed-upon rules: Be civil, be clean, be on topic; don't attack private individuals, other users or classes of people. Read the full rules here.
- Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the report violation link below it.