Stanford will count on young and talented defensive linemen

The countdown of top competitions, and positions with unanswered questions, heading into spring practice arrives at the defensive line, one of the more interesting groups to track the past two seasons.

Stanford’s defensive line play has been a puzzle to solve for defensive coordinator Lance Anderson and the position’s coaches, Randy Hart (2015) and Diron Reynolds (2016).

Two years ago Anderson and his assistant coaches showed Macgyver-level skill for their ability to rummage through the tool bag and put together an effective line. Harrison Phillips was lost in the season opener at Northwestern, and the Cardinal effectively limited themselves to a three-man rotation of Brennan Scarlett, Aziz Shittu and Solomon Thomas.

The plan was executed as well as could be expected by a refugee from Bear Territory, a talented late-developer and a future star redshirt freshman. Depth remained a problem in 2016 with Harrison Phillips, Solomon Thomas and Dylan Jackson forming the most dependable trio for Anderson and Reynolds to call upon.

Resting either Phillips or Thomas was always a gamble as the Cardinal suffered several games when the opposing running backs found plenty of space up the middle. Thomas developed at warp speed into a talent who could shut down the interior of the line of scrimmage.

Now Stanford once again faces uncertainty along the defensive line. The return of Jackson and Phillips gives Stanford two players with extensive starting experience for the first time since Henry Anderson and David Parry in 2014. But, who fills the third spot and how the rest of the depth chart shakes out will be one of the largest -- in numbers and playing weight -- competitions to watch, starting in spring practices.

One aspect of the competition that stands out is youth, and how much younger the group is than most previous years -- at least since Stanford's first elite defense under Jim Harbaugh and continuing during David Shaw time as head coach.

Stanford will have four redshirt freshmen (Michael Williams, Thomas Schaffer, Bo Peek and Jovan Swann), a redshirt sophomore (Wesley Annan, who was injured most of 2016) and true freshmen Ryan Johnson and Dalyn Wade-Perry competing for playing time. The only other defensive lineman is fifth-year senior Eric Cotton.

Stanford's defensive line competition outside of Phillips and Jackson will feature one player (Cotton) who has played a snap in college.

The younger "rushmen" -- as the group has been labeled by Reynolds -- have talent, but it's difficult to know who will be able to produce at the level needed to be in the rotation.

After a bowl practice at Stanford, Reynolds had positive things to say about the athleticism and quickness of Williams and Swann and the imposing physical skill set of Schaffer. He also said that Peek was a "pleasant surprise" of the group.

Annan only returned to football activities during bowl practices.

Anderson and Shaw repeatedly praised the group as a whole during the season, and they voiced optimism that contributors would emerge from the group sooner rather than later. During the season it was Schaffer who most consistently earned the most specific praise.

Ryan Johnson and Dalyn Wade-Perry may need a year of strength and conditioning for different reasons -- one to bulk up and the other to slim down. But, Wade-Perry may be a dark-horse candidate to see the field if the staff thinks there hasn't been enough separation by the older players, and it may be unlikely a player with his abilities and size will stay five years.