Michigan Wolverines Football: Position By Position Review — Defensive Line

Michigan had a lot of defensive linemen step up this year but one seemed to do more than most week in and week out.

Heading into the 2019 season, there were some questions surrounding Michigan's defensive line, mainly because Chase Winovich and Rashan Gary were no longer in Ann Arbor. Both junior Kwity Paye and sophomore Aidan Hutchinson were back, but how ready were they for their starting roles? Throw in an undersized senior defensive tackle in Carlo Kemp and a graduate transfer from Central Michigan in Mike Danna, and there were certainly a few concerns. Fast forward to now and it turns out there wasn't really a reason to worry.

When considering those four guys, Michael Spath recently asked a very direct question about the group on Twitter — who was Michigan's top defensive lineman this season?

Almost 600 people weighed in and Hutchinson came away with a whopping 76 percent of the votes, with Paye garnering just under 21 percent. I can't really say that's a surprise given their stats and the fact that they were recognized as the best defensive linemen on the team at the recent Schemmy Awards. If I had voted, I would've tabbed Hutchinson as well, but it would've been a little closer than the poll showed. 

Hutchinson finished the season with 63 total tackles, which was most among defensive linemen, 8.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. He also broke up six passes, which was second on the team to All-Big Ten cornerback Lavert Hill. He pretty much had an impact play in every game this year and really became an emotional leader who also led by example. He started every game and rarely came off the field even sliding inside at times to play defensive tackle in pass rushing packages. He is certainly deserving of the Schemmy Award and of the big edge in votes on Spath's Twitter poll. 

Paye also had a very productive year. He finished with 49 total tackles and a team high 12.5 tackles for loss. He also recorded 6.5 sacks on the year and he did so in one less game than Hutchinson. It's completely acceptable that he and Hutchinson shared the Schemmy Award for best defensive lineman so it's a little surprising that Hutch outpaced him so much on the Twitter poll. 

No one else along the defensive line produced game in and game out like Hutchinson and Paye did, so it's a huge deal that they'll both be back next year — probably. As a true junior, Hutchinson has to come back and Paye, while eligible for the NFL, is leaning towards returning to Ann Arbor in order to improve his draft stock. It also looks like Kemp and senior Michael Dwumfour will be back next year as well, which really shores up U-M's defensive front. 

How good can that unit be next year? Who do you think will stand out in 2020? Comment below!!!