2015 Season Countdown: #13 Wayne Lyons

2015 Season Countdown: #13 Wayne Lyons


August 18, 2015

Wayne Lyons


Name:
Wayne Lyons
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 193 lbs.
High school: Fort Lauderdale (FL) Dillard
Position: Cornerback
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #24
Last year: Lyons played for Stanford. He was a part-time starter and made 30 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and 3 pass breakups.

Michigan recruited Lyons out of high school, and he was interested enough that I went ahead and did a scouting report on him in December of 2010 (LINK). Despite my assertion that he looked like a safety, he played cornerback at Stanford. He had a decent year in 2013 with 69 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 pass breakups. Last year those numbers dipped and he was demoted to a backup role, which was probably part of the reason he ended up taking a graduate transfer exception to end up in Ann Arbor. Jim Harbaugh was the one who was recruiting him to Stanford initially (Lyons was a 2011 recruit, and Harbaugh coached the Cardinal through the end of the 2010 season), and current Michigan defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin was on the Stanford staff back then.

The arrival of Lyons forced out Blake Countess, and I’m not sure if that’s a fair trade. The story goes that Michigan wants to run press man coverage, but while Lyons is a bigger and stronger player, he’s not necessarily better. After all, he lost his starting job at Stanford while Countess was a former All-Big Ten corner. Now that fall camp has started, word is trickling out of practice that Lyons might not even win the job over the guys who were supposed to back up Countess, such as Channing Stribling and Brandon Watson. Redshirt junior Jeremy Clark, who played some corner in practice as a freshman, is back at cornerback to provide some competition, and sophomore Jabrill Peppers has been practicing some at corner, too. I think Lyons is a valuable asset to the team if the coaches want bigger and stronger cornerbacks, but I still see a safety when I watch his play at Stanford. If the Wolverines do end up putting Peppers back at corner, I think Lyons could still fill a role as a safety or slot corner, but I do not have great confidence in the development of Stribling and Watson at this time. The position-switchers throw a wrench into my projected depth chart a little bit, but of the guys who have been at corner since the spring, I think Lyons is probably the second-best guy behind Jourdan Lewis.

Prediction: Starting cornerback; 50 tackles, 2 interceptions

10 comments

  1. Comments: 6285
    Joined: 8/11/2015
    Lanknows
    Aug 19, 2015 at 12:37 AM

    While the CB reports in general, and specifically the rumors about Peppers and Clark working there are ominous signs, I think it’s worth taking the Rivals reports with a grain of salt at this point.This staff likes experimenting and we’re only a few practices in.

    Still – it makes you wonder if the staff couldn’t have worked harder to keep Countess around.

    As I discussed in the Hill post – I think he, Wilson, and Lewis are pretty locked in and Peppers is going to play some sort of significant role too. I assumed Lyons was right up there with those guys forming a top 5, but it looks likes that might not be the case. Still, injuries happen and Countess’ departure makes Lyons a key player, for depth at the very least.

    He’s an experienced veteran. Whether he plays a role at safety, CB, or nickel remains to be seen but it’s almost a sure thing that he will play SOME role on this team.

  2. Comments: 1364
    Joined: 8/11/2015
    WindyCityBlue
    Aug 19, 2015 at 6:49 AM

    Given our lack of depth at CB, and the hype he’s gotten, I’ve never been sold on the notion that Peppers will ultimately be some sort of hybrid/nickel this year, only used in passing situations. Maybe our player development is just hopeless, and we won’t be able to count at all on Thomas, Hill, Stribling, Watson, Douglas, Dawson and Clark, but Peppers is the kind of guy you want in there every down, regardless. CB or SS seem like his most natural positions, but I can’t imagine why you would leave him at S and shift Clark to CB.

    • Comments: 3
      Joined: 8/19/2015
      Needs
      Aug 19, 2015 at 11:04 AM

      I think the original idea was that Peppers would shift from strong safety to nickel back when the defense goes to 5 DBs, playing the sort of position that Woodson played with the Packers when he won defensive player of the year, where he could blitz, come up in run support, or sink into one of the short zones. Essentially be a disruptive force in the center of the field.

      That strategy (Peppers at SS and at NB) was premised on the coaches having two CBs they trusted to handle the outside. They could still do the NB strategy if they move Peppers back to corner in the base (that’s what Green Bay did with Woodson, i.e., corner in the base, playing over the slot in the nickel) but they’re going to have to find someone they trust to play outside.

      • Comments: 6285
        Joined: 8/11/2015
        Lanknows
        Aug 19, 2015 at 12:57 PM

        It’s also premised on a freshman being able to handle 2 positions that require a ton of reads.

        The GB/Woodson makes a lot more sense to me because CB is a much simpler position than Safety.

    • Comments: 6285
      Joined: 8/11/2015
      Lanknows
      Aug 19, 2015 at 12:55 PM

      Well – it’s all very speculative at this point but there are a few ideas/theories floating around about the secondary.

      The Mgoblog version has Michigan playing something like a 4-2-5 most of the time, and especially against spread oriented teams. With this theory, Peppers IS on the field most of the time as a nickel. On ‘traditional’ formations (against say MSU) Hill would drop off the field and Peppers would flip to S.

      My version includes another consideration — for all his reported talent, maybe Peppers isn’t ready to play multiple positions full time right now, and especially safety. Maybe his use is situational, so that his inexperience can’t be exploited when forced to make tough decisions/reads. My theory is that being strong safety is pretty hard, so Delano Hill will have an edge in experience and should focus on playing that position to the best of his capabilities. Peppers should be used in the nickel/hybrid role, as a one-on-one CB, with some use on offense uh…peppered… in as well. (I’m thinking some Woodson at WR stuff and some freshman Denard QB stuff and some Norfleet slot stuff).

      The Clark at CB stuff seems like it could just be a depth move – more about lack of opportunity at safety (Hill, Wilson, Peppers, Thomas, etc.) compared with plenty of opportunity at CB (3 positions with only 3 proven guys in Lyons, Lewis, Stribling). It may also be about individual skill development (for Clark) to get better. This might be overly optimistic though. In my eyes, Michigan needs more than 3 CBs. Even if you count Peppers they need other guys to step in when fatigue sets in (4th quarter shootouts) or injuries strike.

      FWIW – Safety seems like the most natural position for Peppers, to me. But it makes sense to have him work somewhere else on this year’s team with Hill and Wilson sounding pretty locked in. Plus safety skills take time to learn. Wilson graduates next year and then you have an opening for Clark, Kinnel, Peppers, etc to fight for.

      • Comments: 1364
        Joined: 8/11/2015
        WindyCityBlue
        Aug 19, 2015 at 6:17 PM

        Well, I disagree about the strong safety position. Su’a Cravens was a stud at SS as a true freshman, and Peppers is every bit as highly touted, so there is no reason he couldn’t be as well. But wherever they put him, I agree that he should play one position, and play it all the time. CB or safety, wherever we need the most help.

        • Comments: 6285
          Joined: 8/11/2015
          Lanknows
          Aug 20, 2015 at 2:16 PM

          Cravens didn’t play CB, NB, and WR as a freshman.

          I’m not saying Peppers can’t be a good safety. I’m saying it’s hard to be a good nickelback, and safety, and cornerback as a freshman.

          I actually think it makes more sense to deploy Peppers strategically at a bunch of different positions, more than it makes sense to put him at one spot and have him play that every down. Athletes like that are more valuable when you can’t see them coming (e.g., Jake Ryan).

          I want to see Peppers as a nickelback first, a part time corner (as matchups dictate), a kick returner, and then a QB/WR in specific packages on offense.

  3. Comments: 1356
    Joined: 8/13/2015
    Roanman
    Aug 19, 2015 at 8:31 AM

    Nobody I know has gotten to within 50 yards of practice, but the comment I heard after spring ball that was kind of corroborated at the Spring game was that Stripling or Watson had a shot at getting by Countess by the time the conference season began. Maybe that process has just accelerated and one or both of them are headed for the lineup a bit quicker.

    Thanks for making the change, this is a lot easier for me.

    • Comments: 6285
      Joined: 8/11/2015
      Lanknows
      Aug 19, 2015 at 1:00 PM

      Well, the rumors from practice are saying 2nd CB is a weakness early on. With Peppers and Clark both (rumored to be) working at CB that might be evidence that Stribling, Lyons, Watson aren’t all that. The coaches didn’t want Countess to leave supposedly and we may miss him quite a bit.

      Again though, I wouldn’t read TOO much into these rumors. This staff might just be looking to put pressure on Stribling, Lyons, and Watson to play better by throwing Peppers and Clark over there too. Experimentation/motivation/etc.

  4. Comments: 48
    Joined: 8/11/2015
    Nick.
    Aug 19, 2015 at 1:59 PM

    I will hold judgement until after the season, but my gut tells me that we will miss Countess solely based on having a solid senior with multiple years of experience on the field. My gut also tells me that he was ready to play a physical style of defense and was more of a zone cover/ bend but don’t break kind of guy. Countess played well as a freshman and then missed his Sophomore year after the injury. He struggled early his RS Sophomore year, but got better as the year progressed. Last year he was not a lockdown corner we thought he would be after his freshman year and his numbers dropped. I don’t know if it was coaching or if it was the injury, but he didn’t have the same flash we all watched him have as a freshman. I will be surprised if he is still starting at Auburn by the end of the season, Muschamp is gonna want to play physical.

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