Well the team loses 21.5 sacks due to graduation but adds ends Quincy Roche (13 sacks at Temple last year) and Jaelan Phillips (former 5-star, sat out last year after transfer).

Certainly this year's defensive line position should be a scary prospect for offenses, especially at end. Gregory Rousseau is back off his monster 15.5-sack season, and he'll only be better with a full first year of playing under his belt. And the addition of Roche is huge. There might not be a huge dropoff behind those two projected starters, either, with Phillips showing in the four spring practice session that he's well on his way to getting his pre-injury burst back. He had 4.5 sacks in his two years at UCLA before transferring. And don't underestimate the impact of redshirt freshman Jahfari Harvey - he looks like he's ready for significant action. Fellow redshirt freshman Cam Williams and new arrival Chantz Williams will also look to factor in, but given the upper echelon talent at end it might be hard for them to get a lot of work this season.

At tackle we think Jon Ford and Nesta Silvera will be the main guys - Ford is a returning starter who was good, but not great, last season, while Silvera looks like he made a lot of strides off last year. Then there is Jalar Holley, who has impressed and this spring was ahead of fellow redshirt freshman tackles Jason Blissett and Jared Harrison-Hunte. Holley could be in a position to show he deserves to be on the field a lot come the fall. Jordan Miller is also in the mix, but he didn't do a lot in his opportunities last season and there could be better options here. He's a big body but isn't the most athletic guy.

Elijah Roberts and Quentin Williams will be joining the team for the first time, and with the talent returning you have to think optimally they head for a redshirt year.

This should be one of the most talented and deepest end positions in the nation, and at tackle the group should be good enough to hold its own. This unit HAS to come through as a major disruptive force in 2020 given the question marks at linebacker and cornerback. If opponents have time to find receivers open or create holes for the run game there could be a lot of issues on this side of the ball.

When it comes to pro talent?

Miami is trying to get back to producing Day 1 NFL linemen, which in this day and age helps in recruiting. Three years ago the Canes had the most linemen taken in the draft (3) since 2003 (Chad Thomas went in the third round, RJ McIntosh in the fifth and Kendrick Norton in the seventh ... in 2003 it was Jerome McDougle, William Joseph, Andrew Williams, Jamaal Green and Matt Walters taken). But last year Joe Jackson (fifth round) was the only linemen taken, and this year Jon Garvin was the lone UM D lineman to go (seventh round). Rousseau could be a high first round pick, and Roche should also intrigue Cane teams next year.

That 2003 pro talent-level depth is what this team needs, and hasn't really had. But perhaps with continued development from younger guys it could get back to that depth level.

A closer look under the hood:

DT JASON BLISSETT, RFR

Blissett came off the bench to get a couple of reps against Bethune-Cookman this past season and redshirted. He’ll be in the mix to get into the rotation at tackle this season, but was mainly with the threes in the spring.

DT JON FORD, SR

In his first full-time starting role Ford had 18 tackles and three sacks with two QB hurries. Not exactly numbers to write home about, but he was pretty good for the most part and we’d expect him to show improvement as a senior. Go ahead and pencil him in to start again, with the bigger question this spring who will start next to him.

DT JARED HARRISON-HUNTE, RFR

Harrison-Hunte saw garbage time work against Bethune-Cookman and that was it last season, and off the redshirt he was mainly with the threes in the spring.

DE JAHFARI HARVEY, RFR

Harvey redshirted, playing in the first three games as well as the bowl loss last season. He didn’t do much when he was in, finishing with one tackle, and with Quincy Roche transferring in he’ll be looking to find a role as a second-teamer. He got good reviews on the practice field and has a bright future. Harvey could fare very well when he’s called upon to give a rest to the starters.

DT JALAR HOLLEY, RFR

Holley spent plenty of time dancing on the sidelines last season, getting a lot of media attention for his, well, interesting moves. He didn’t spend much time on the field, though, getting garbage time against Bethune-Cookman and also working into the bowl loss. This spring he was ahead of Jason Blissett and Jared Harrison-Hunte, and maybe when practice resumes he can even make a run at the starting job. At worst he should factor into the rotation. He's got great agility for his size.

DT JORDAN MILLER, RSO

Miller saw action in every game off the bench last season, finishing with 12 tackles, and he's battling for a starting role but it's probably an uphill battle. Miller is a big run-stuffer but has to show more consistency for coaches to be comfortable putting him in a full-time starting role.

DE JAELAN PHILLIPS, RJR

Phillips spent 2019 in the training room and weight room, rehabbing injuries after transferring to Miami from UCLA. He totaled 41 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in two season with Bruins, and while he may not start with Quincy Roche transferring in and Gregory Rousseau back, this former five-star recruit can certainly get plenty of action in a likely backup capacity. We loved what we saw from him this spring, as he seems to have plenty of explosion off the edge.

DL ELIJAH ROBERTS, FR

Roberts is a DE who could grow into a tackle, and he didn't enroll early so there will be a steep learning curve. We anticipate a redshirt given the depth on the line.

DE QUINCY ROCHE, RSR

Roche was a huge get in the transfer portal for Manny Diaz, as the Temple graduate will team with Gregory Rousseau … and give the Canes a pair of ends that combined for 28.5 sacks last season. Thirteen of those were Roche’s, tying for seventh most in the nation. Roche will need to adjust to a higher level of play in the ACC, and he was projected as a mid-round draft pick if he’d returned to the Owls. He’ll be ultra-motivated to improve his draft stock, and he’s a talented veteran who should team with Rousseau to be one of the best end tandems in the nation. Roche should be a better version of the last grad end transfer UM brought in, Trevon Hill (he had 4.5 sacks coming off the bench last season).

DE GREGORY ROUSSEAU, RSO

Rousseau had 15.5 sacks last season, tying for second most in the nation (Ohio State’s Chase Young was first). And it’s scary to think that was his first year really playing at Miami. So he’ll be even better in 2020 and has to be considered a favorite to lead the nation in sacks. And teams will also have to be concerned with Roche coming in off the other side, so this is a really good situation for the Canes when it comes to rushing off the edge. Oh, and did we mention Rousseau’s 19.5 tackles for losses, his seven QB hurries or his two sacks? Yeah, he’s a monster and will cause all kinds of problems for opposing offenses. He will be a high NFL draft pick and with a great season could work into the first handful of selections. He's got a rare combination of length, strength and quickness.

DT NESTA SILVERA, JR

Silvera missed the first four games of the season due to injury, returning for Virginia Tech. He sometimes lets his emotions get the best of him, and he really hasn’t lived up to his four-star hype quite yet. So maybe this will be the year, with the starting job wide open. Silvera finished with a quiet 19 tackles and one sack last season, and he was the primary first teamer opposite Jon Ford in the spring so it's his job to lose.

DE CAMERON WILLIAMS, RFR

Williams didn’t play last season as he worked on getting stronger and staying on top of his academics. This spring he was mired down the depth chart, and with a stacked end position it’ll be interesting to see if he can battle his way into some kind of role.

DE CHANTZ WILLIAMS, FR

Williams was an early enrollee, and this highly touted freshman has a ton of upside. But given the depth and talent at end, it’s more likely than not that he redshirts.

DE QUENTIN WILLIAMS, FR

See Elijah Roberts. Williams is another freshman who didn't enroll early and therefore has a tall task getting up to speed when the team returns to action. He needs to bulk up a bit, too, so a redshirt will do him some good.

The bottom line here?

The main losses here are ends Jon Garvin (9 TFL, 5 sacks), Trevon Hill (9.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks off bench) and Scott Patchan (6 TFL, 2.5 sacks, started six games) along with starting tackle Pat Bethel (24 tackles, 5.5 TFL). But those losses should be more than made up for by the returning talent.

The end situation is about as stacked as you’d want and should be even better than 2019 despite losing Garvin along with the transfer out of the sixth-year senior Patchan. That’s because Roche transferred in to join rising star and potential high first round draft pick Gregory Rousseau at end. The tackle spot should be fine with Ford, Silvera and Miller getting meaningful playing time this past season ... and youngster Holley showing this spring he's ready for a bigger role.

There’s also quality and potential explosive depth at end with Phillips looking to show he’s back fully healthy and ready to live up to his five-star billing as well as Harvey showing flashes.

The line is not a position we are concerned about on D next season and should be the biggest strength on this side of the ball.