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Stanford football 2017: Projected Cardinal depth chart

By Brad Weiss

PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 05: Head coach David Shaw of the Stanford Cardinal leads his team on to the field prior to playing the Oregon State Beavers in an NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium on November 5, 2016 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 05: Head coach David Shaw of the Stanford Cardinal leads his team on to the field prior to playing the Oregon State Beavers in an NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium on November 5, 2016 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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October 15, 2016: Stanford Cardinals cornerback Quenton Meeks (24) during the NCAA football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Stanford Cardinals at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
October 15, 2016: Stanford Cardinals cornerback Quenton Meeks (24) during the NCAA football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Stanford Cardinals at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Defense

Notable Losses: While the offense lost a first-round talent after last season,  the defense lost one as well, as Solomon Thomas was selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Thomas was the anchor of the Cardinal defensive line, attacking the quarterback, and clogging up the middle against the run game. The team will also be without Dallas Lloyd, going into the season without their top two tacklers from the 2016 season.

DE: Eric Cotton, senior (RS)

DT: Harrison Phillips, senior

DE: Dylan Jackson, junior

Expect a huge season from Harrison Phillips, who is the obvious leader of this Cardinal defensive line. An honorable mention All Pac-12 selection from a year ago, Phillips has been listed on the Outland and Bednarik Award watch lists, and will have to play the role Thomas did in 2016. Eric Cotton and Dylan Jackson are question marks on the outside, and if they cannot control the edge, it could be a rough season for the Cardinal up front.

OLB: Joey Alfieri, senior

ILB: Bobby Okereke, senior

ILB: Kevin Palma, senior (RS)

OLB: Peter Kalambayi, senior (RS)

The linebacking corps for the Cardinal in 2017 is a senior-laden lineup, led by outside linebacker Joey Alfieri. The senior was honorable mention All Pac-12 last season, and anchors a linebacking group that could be a special unit this season. Peter Kalambayi is a Butkus Award watch list nominee, and Kevin Palma and Bobby Okereke have the potential to really bring the pain from their inside linebacker position.

CB: Alijah Holder, senior

SS: Justin Reid, junior

FS: Brandon Simmons, senior

CB: Quenton Meeks, junior

The unquestioned leader of the Stanford secondary is Quenton Meeks, who is one of the better cornerbacks in college football. Meeks is coming off a solid 2016 campaign, and heads into the 2017 season on the Jim Thorpe and Bronco Nagurski Award watch lists. Both Justin Reid and Brandon Simmons were honorable mention All Pac-12 selections last season, and Alijah Holder has six pass defends in 2016. This has the potential to be a very good unit.

Next: Biletnikoff Award watch list 2017: 5 favorites to win

Special Teams

K: Jet Toner, sophomore

P: Jake Bailey, junior

KR: Bryce Love, junior

PR: Jay Tyler, junior

The biggest question mark when it comes to special teams this season will be at kicker, where Jet Toner takes over for Conrad Ukropina. Ukropina converted all 34 of his extra-point attempts in 2016, and will be hard to replace. Punter Jake Bailey was honorable mention All Pac-12, and is a Ray Guy Award watch list nominee. Replacing McCaffrey in the return game is going to be tough as well, but with Bryce Love and Jay Tyler handling the duties, they should be able to break off at least one in 2017.

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