No. 6 — DT Jaleel Johnson

No. 6 . . .

Everyone has penciled in Jaleel Johnson for the Carl Davis role in this year's defense. It's an easy assumption to make. Davis was a 320-pound earthquake who has rumbled into the third round of the NFL draft and is now gaining momentum in the Baltimore Ravens' training camp. Johnson is the same kind of physical athlete, checking in at 6-4, 310 pounds.

Of course, he doesn't have Davis' resume. Let's take a look at Davis' production from last season and see if we can come up with realistic expectations for Johnson.

Google and read Pro Football Focus scouting reports for Davis. Never mind, here's one for you. You've probably seen harsher scouting reports, but PFF questions here where the middle part of Davis' season went. Where did the disruption and production go? It's a valid question.

According to a chart kept by @HawkeyeGamefilm, Davis played 625 snaps in 2014, ninth most on the defense and fourth among D-linemen. His highest percentage of snaps in a game came against Iowa State, where he had 94 percent. The lowest was Pitt at 42 percent. Davis was at his most productive when his snap percentage landed in the mid-70s.

Davis racked up 17 of his 37 QB hurries (according to PFF) against Northern Iowa and Nebraska, games in which he played 74 and 76 percent of snaps. Davis had a season high two tackles for loss against Nebraska, playing 76 percent. He was a force against Wisconsin, playing 77 percent.

What does this mean for Johnson (by the way, he played 231 snaps in '14)? In order to maximize his performance, it's probably important to zero in on an optimum number of snaps for the big D-tackle. That's not saying that number will be exactly the same as Davis'. Maybe Johnson has more gas in the tank, or maybe he doesn't. All 300-plus pound D-linemen aren't created equal.

Johnson's job also could shade toward what his strengths are, but, for the most part, Iowa DTs are locked into a two-gap assignment, which forces O-linemen to wrestle with them and, when it works, allows the DT to occupy two gaps. Pass rush seems like the bonus. Iowa concentrates heavily on containing inside rushing lanes vs. QBs.

'My thing right now is getting better everyday,' said Johnson, a junior from Chicago. 'My thing is always get better.'

The depth factor . . .

This kind of goes hand-in-hand with Johnson's optimal snap count. Early in the season, expect the Hawkeyes to search for that depth. Then again, Johnson and Nathan Bazata, the other D-tackle, are first-year starters. They need reps, especially in games.

'The defensive line, where those openings are and who can get into the rotation?' head coach Kirk Ferentz said. 'Can we play six guys, seven guys? I'd love to think we could.'

Right now, the Nos. 3 and 4 DTs are Faith Ekakitie and Kyle Terlouw. They'll probably play quite a bit, at least until D-line coach Reese Morgan knows if he has a sprinter or marathoner in Johnson.

Does Johnson feel as if he's ready for the bigger snap count?

'That's why we're in camp,' he said. 'We're all working together as a team, so we'll see.'

Outlook . . .

Johnson is a starter now, and however many snaps works for him will remain a variable for who knows how long. The reality here is that he's still a relatively inexperienced player. He saw more and more time as last season progressed, but when he walks onto the field at Kinnick on Sept. 5, he'll be making his first college start. In the grand scheme, yes, he's played enough for that not to mess with his head, but there remains a lot of story that needs filling in.

For now, there's no reason for pessimism. Johnson has looked the part since day 1 at Iowa. When asked, he's also played the part.

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com