Earlier I wrote about the concept of above-replacement level talent — not just good, or really good, players, but elite players. Football Outsiders tracks an NFL stat called Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement, or DYAR, that measures this. Essentially, “a player’s true value can then be measured by the level of performance he provides above that replacement level baseline.” Ohio State’s “replacement level baseline” is already above almost everyone else’s in the country — the Buckeyes were second in total team talent last season to just Alabama (and likely will be in 2018 too). But it’s still important to recruit and identify players that exceed even Ohio State’s own replacement level baseline — truly dominant players that can take over games. In short, that’s why Ohio State’s defensive line could be even better in 2018. That’s despite losing at least three starters to the NFL from a line that ranked: 1st…
Continue Reading: Ohio State’s 2018 defensive line will be better than 2017’s
