Ohio State Football: New Depth Chart Shows Where Areas of Concern Are

Urban Meyer finally unveiled his post-spring depth chart, one that is very likely to remain unchanged between now and the start of the season.

When you first look at the depth chart, two positions absolutely jump out as glaring needs: wide receiver and linebacker.

The wide receiver corps has been an area of concern for several months, as Meyer was unable to land a big-time playmaker in recruiting who could have been a dynamic force from the start.

He does have some experienced, fast players in Corey Brown, Devin Smith and Evan Spencer starting at the three starting receiver spots.

The problem with the receiving corps is that there has really been little to no buzz surrounding this group. And that's mostly because they haven't really shown much of anything.

Brown has shown some great speed, but has inconsistent hands. Smith and Spencer each have speed as well, but neither one has enough catches to create major hype.

Freshman Michael Thomas is the backup out wide after having a very strong spring, and Verlon Reed is expected to come back from an ACL injury he sustained last season.

Help in the receiving corps may not come until the 2013 class, when Jalin Marshall and potentially one or two other wideouts will be on the way.

The position is a huge concern, as Meyer has expressed multiple times, so this group really needs to show significant growth this year.

On the defensive side, the linebacker depth chart shows a stunning lack of experience.

Only four linebackers on the roster have actual game experience and starting MLB Curtis Grant has the least amount of experience among the four.

The rest of the backups are either redshirt freshmen, early enrollees or players who will likely never start at Ohio State.

That alone should be a huge red flag.

The Buckeyes' LB corps will get a huge boost when freshmen Camren Williams and David Perkins each step on campus in the fall. Both linebackers bring tremendous athleticism and impactful presence that should help give this group depth.

They may need one or two more in recruiting in 2013, but they have not filled that vacancy just yet.

Looking at this depth chart, it is pretty shocking to look at the lack of depth and thinking that just two years ago, Ohio State won its sixth straight Big Ten title and ended their losing streak to the SEC in a bowl game—both of which were wiped out due to the NCAA sanctions.

A decent portion of the roster looks fine, but it's those two areas that could make this season a little tougher than fans hope.

Going undefeated seems like a very, very unlikely task at this point. Ten wins is certainly a possibility, but they will need some help from the WR and LB positions, where depth is a huge concern.

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