One of the biggest questions Alabama will face this year is how it will regenerate last season's deadly front seven. That starts up front where the Crimson Tide comes back missing two-thirds of the starting defensive line that helped it lead the nation with 54 sacks last season.
The biggest subtraction from last year is undoubtedly Jonathan Allen, who led Alabama with 10.5 sacks and 15 quarterback hurries while also tallying 16 tackles for a loss on his way to earning the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, Ted Hendricks Award and Lombardi Award. The Tide will also lose Dalvin Tomlinson, who was one of the more underrated players on the team with three sacks, 5.5 tackles for a loss, seven quarterback hurries and four pass deflections.
That kind of production will be hard to reproduce. It’s a big reason why Alabama head coach Nick Saban made the position such a priority in this year’s recruiting class, bringing in three defensive linemen, including the nation’s No. 1 junior college prospect in Isaiah Buggs.
* Take a look at our projected depth chart for the 2017 season
* Alabama spring practice position preview - Offensive line
* Alabama spring practice position preview - Wide receivers and Tight ends
* Alabama spring practice position preview - Quarterbacks
* Alabama spring practice position preview - Running backs
Below is a breakdown of how the defensive line race will play out and who will come out on top:
