Mississippi State football: First-look 2019 depth chart projections

Defense and special teams

Notable losses: The Mississippi State Bulldogs lost a ton of depth and top end talent from what was arguably the best defense in the country last season. Montez Sweat, Jeffery Simmons, Johnathan Abram, and so many others are gone. The Bulldogs are essentially having to rebuild their entire defensive front and while also having to patch up their secondary. MSU has a ton of talent, but there’s a very real chance that this defense takes a notable step back and struggles at times this coming season.

• DE: Chauncey Rivers, senior | Fletcher Adams, senior
• DT: Lee Autry, senior | Jalen Crumedy, redshirt freshman
• DT:  Kendell Jones, senior | Fabien Lovett, redshirt junior
• DE: Marquiss Spencer, junior | Kobe Jones, junior

Mississippi State’s defensive line was one of the best in the entire country in 2018. The Bulldogs were loaded with experienced seniors and standout talents that are now headed on to the NFL. That means that there’s plenty of turnover along the defensive front for MSU. On the ends, Chauncey Rivers, Fletcher Adams, Marquiss Spencer, and Kobe Jones are likely familiar names for MSU fans. Lee Autry and Kendell Jones are two of the more seasoned linemen on the interior of the Bulldogs’ line and could help fill the gap left by the departure of Jeffery Simmons and company.

• OLB: Leo Lewis, senior | Willie Gay Jr., junior
• MLB: Erroll Thompson, junior | Tim Washington, senior

The Bulldogs really didn’t have a ton of depth at linebacker last season, but it didn’t adversely impact MSU in any way given the combination of the talent along the line, the strength of the secondary, and the fact that Bob Shoop ran a 4-2-5 system last year. Leo Lewis, so far, hasn’t quite lived up to the high ceiling that he has. As a senior, he can do that and have more of an opportunity to be a leader for the Bulldogs. Willie Gay Jr., however, will likely still see the field plenty throughout this season. MSU fans should also expect to see Erroll Thompson take another step forward. While this wasn’t the strongest position group for State in 2018, it should shine plenty in 2019.

• Nickel: Brian Cole, senior | Marcus Murphy, sophomore
• CB: Maurice Smitherman, senior | Korey Charles, junior
• CB: Cameron Dantzler, junior | Tyler Williams, sophomore
• FS: C.J. Morgan, junior | Fred Peters, junior
• SS: Jaquarius Landrews, senior | Landon Guidry, sophomore

Mississippi State is looking to replace a few key starters from its secondary heading into this next season, but the Bulldogs do have talent available to do that. Brian Cole looks to have a breakout year at nickel while Cameron Dantzler and Maurice Smitherman aim to regularly lock wide receivers down.

Special Teams

• KR: Malik Dear, senior
• PR: Deddrick Thomas, senior
• K: Jace Christmann, junior
• P: Corliss Waitman, senior

Mississippi State’s special teams will remain pretty much the same as last season, but the Bulldogs did get a new punter. South Alabama transfer Corliss Waitman will likely lock down the starting punting spot when he arrives in Starkville.