A closer look at the defensive line

Second in an eight-part series looking at the University Iowa football team before the final spring practice on April 16.

Tomorrow: Running backs.

FOURTH DOWN

Concerns - The three big dogs have left the pen. Adrian Clayborn, Christian Ballard and Karl Klug were productive players that the rest of the Big Ten had to account for each and every game.

Of the six players who logged big minutes, tackle Mike Daniels and end Broderick Binns are back. After them, it's newbies, so experience is the major concern here.

Depending on who emerges, size also could be a concern.

The D-line is definitely a hot spot for 2011.

THIRD DOWN

Additions/Subtractions: Clayborn, Ballard and Klug are gone. So is Anthony Ferguson, a 6-3, 280-pounder who would've been a red-shirt freshman this spring.

Literally and figuratively, the biggest addition is defensive tackle Carl Davis, a 6-5, 295-pounder who'll be a red-shirt freshman this fall. He sat out last season as a true freshmen, but at the Iowa practices we were allowed to view, Davis was coached hard and kept in the loop. He might not have been a second-teamer, but Iowa coaches kept him engaged, knowing they might need him as soon as this season.

SECOND DOWN

Battles brewing: There are 11 scholarship players and three walk-ons competing for the two spots after Binns and Daniels.

Let's assume those two are locked in. Daniels, there's no question. He answered all questions last year and then some with four sacks and 11 tackles for loss.

So, two spots and 14 bodies.

Iowa has played three tackles, but if defensive line coach Rick Kaczenski and defensive coordinator Norm Parker get what they want out of two, and they stay healthy, they ride those two. Last season, Daniels' rise changed that. In '09, it was Klug and Ballard. King and Kroul took most if not every snap from 2006-08.

FIRST DOWN

Prediction for 2011 season: Let's take a shot at a two deep:

Right end - Lebron Daniel, Joe Forgy. Daniel gets the shot he's been waiting for for five years.

Defensive tackle - Mike Daniel, Thomas Nardo. Enough here for a rotation?

Defensive tackle - Steve Bigach, Carl Davis. Hard to put a border around what Davis could be or do for 2011.

Left end - Broderick Binns, Dominic Alvis. Can Binns find the magic from '09?