View attachment 3062450
That DT - 285 pound roster update is gonna hit like crack
Driskell keeps noting that he's actually heard that Burgess will come into spring north of 290lbs. I'll be curious to see if that's accurate. I really do think he could be a stellar 3-tech in that 295lb range.
I've been saying for a little while that with Burgess obviously bulking up to play 3 tech on the interior, and Cole Mullins possibly having to work unnaturally hard to get into that 285-290lb range... I wouldn't mind them actually cutting weight off Mullins into the 265lb range and giving him a long look as a 2 down defensive end (much like Burnham).
I actually think Mullins is a pretty darn good football player, but he was injured as a freshman, and caught in between weights as a sophomore. He heads into 2026 with 3 years of eligibility remaining. Could he probably get up to 295lbs over that period of time and play in the defensive tackle rotation? Sure. However, with the addition of the likes of Brewu and Gray, the return of Mukam, Burgess' move to the interior and guys like Davion Dixon coming on strong, I can't see a lot of snaps for Mullins. By comparison, there isn't an obvious #4 defensive end heading into the season behind Traore, Young and Keeley. Loghan Thomas and the two freshman are probably nothing more than pass rushing specialists in 2026. I could easily see Mullins cutting some weight and playing plenty of meaningful snaps as a 2-deep DE in 2026, with a real shot of both Young and Traore heading to the NFL and Mullins playing a similar or even greater role as a power end in 2027.