When Alabama football missed on Malik Langham, Bobby Brown and Vernon Jackson in the 2018 class, defensive depth suffered. ILB signee Jalen Moody and JUCO transfer Tevita Musika lessened the impact of not signing three top players. The 2018 class took another hit when Jordan Davis did not qualify academically.
Not too many years ago, Nick Saban always wanted eight to ten defensive line contributors. Over the years, Saban learned when defensive linemen became too tired, a quick rest was of little value. His remedy was to have enough productive defensive tackles and ends to rotate nine of them in and out of games.