Bucknell Football Position Preview: Defensive Line

Photo by: Jon Lambert

Bucknell Football Position Preview: Defensive Line

8/12/2019 10:09:00 AM | Football

Historically, defensive line has been one of Bucknell's strengths. Every season since 2010, the Bison have placed at least one defensive lineman on the All-Patriot League First Team, with Abdullah Anderson earning 2017 All-America laurels before going on to sign with the Chicago Bears.

A year ago, Bucknell was young and inexperienced at defensive line. Entering that season, the Bison returned only three defensive linemen who had played in at least 10 career games. Now another year older, with a full season under their belt, Bucknell's defensive linemen appear poised to be as disruptive to opposing offenses as ever.

"This is a group that really challenged the offense throughout the spring because of their intensity, talent and physicality," said head coach Dave Cecchini. "We feel that this is a really good group of football players."

Entering preseason camp, junior Roger Mellado (defensive end), junior Nnamdi Unachukwu (defensive tackle), senior John Hunt (nose guard) and sophomore Grayson Cherubino (defensive end) were listed as the starters. Of that group, Mellado is the most experienced. An impact player since his freshman campaign, he became the rare underclassman to capture the George Rieu Award as Bucknell's outstanding defensive lineman a year ago.

"They want us to get after it."

Roger Mellado and his fellow defensive linemen are ready to make some 𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘦.#ACT | #rayBucknell pic.twitter.com/IrEqkzKtvv
— Bucknell Football (@Bucknell_FB) August 12, 2019

"Mellado is a guy who has a really high motor," Cecchini said. "He has that unique ability to be a physical football player and a speed guy, that fast-twitch, explosive guy who comes off the ball fast. He's very effective in both the run game and the pass game. He sheds blocks quickly and has a lot of tools to get to the quarterback."

Cecchini also had high praise for Unachukwu, a 6-foot-7 physical force, and Cherubino, a dynamic player who led all Bison defensive linemen with 35 tackles as a newcomer in 2018.

"Unachukwu is a beast in the middle," Cecchini said. "He's a great run stopper, and we're going to ask a lot of him this year. The sky is the limit for Cherubino. He's a younger player who really impressed us during the spring."

Hunt, who was a key member of Bucknell's defensive rotation in 2017 before losing much of 2018 to injury, also impressed Cecchini during the spring.

"On defense, Hunt was one of the most improved players," Cecchini said. "He was physical and showed toughness. He moved up the depth chart."

Cecchini is especially pleased with his depth at defensive line. Projected as backups are fifth year Joe Schiano, seniors Sean Naiman, Jimmy Sheehan and Blake Fletcher, junior Clay Myers and sophomore Ryan Betz. Cecchini said that having experienced defensive linemen waiting in the wings is especially valuable in today's college football landscape.

"With the up-tempo offenses that are starting to permeate college football, you need to play eight defensive linemen over the course of the game," Cecchini said. "It's a physically demanding position. You're going to have to defend 80 or sometimes even 90 snaps in a football game. That's hard to do at defensive line. Having that group of battle-tested, physical upperclassmen will help us. You don't want to have a really big dip from your starters to your backups, and we shouldn't have that. We expect big things from this unit."

NOTES: The Bison have 13 defensive linemen on the roster: one fifth year, four seniors, three juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen ... The defensive linemen are coached by Kevin Bracken ... Bracken has been one of the most enthusiastic and vocal coaches on the sidelines ... The defensive line was disruptive during Bucknell's scrimmage on Aug. 11, posting multiple sacks and applying consistent pressure on the quarterbacks ... Joe Schiano returns for a fifth year after being granted an extra year of eligibility due to injury; Schiano, who lost his first three seasons to injury, was a key piece of the Bison defensive line rotation a year ago, appearing in all 11 games with three starts ... Schiano's father, Greg, and grandfather, Tom Mitchell, played football at Bucknell ... Mitchell, who also played in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders, Baltimore Colts and San Francisco 49ers, is a member of the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame; Greg, who was most recently the defensive coordinator at Ohio State, served as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Rutgers ... John Hunt is one of six seniors who are three-time letterwinners ... Hunt is the lone Georgia native on the roster ... Hunt and fellow seniors Blake Fletcher, Sean Naiman and Jimmy Sheehan have taken on leadership roles ... Roger Mellado and offensive lineman P.J. Barr are the only two juniors who have appeared in all 22 of Bucknell's games during their time in Lewisburg ... Mellado is also one of 10 players who enter the season with at least 10 career starts; he started 17 games over the past two seasons, placing him in a tie for second among Bison with senior wide receiver Justin Bethea ... Mellado and Grayson Cherubino have been making plays throughout camp ... At 6-foot-7, Nnamdi Unachukwu is the tallest player on the roster; he is a full foot taller than the shortest player on the roster, sophomore running back Jared Cooper ... Unachukwu has been taking full advantage of his height and wing span to disrupt the offense ... Junior Clay Myers and sophomore Ryan Betz have been making the most of their opportunities ... Sheehan's younger brother, Daniel, is a sophomore on the defensive line; Jimmy and Daniel make up Bucknell's lone pair of brothers on the 2019 roster, though junior safety Conner Romango's older brother, Alexander, played for the Bison from 2013 to 2016 ... Freshmen Cade Brennan and Jack Miller are adapting well to the Bison's defensive schemes; Miller, whose father Christopher was a four-year football letterwinner at Bucknell, has also taken punts.