Top analyst concerned with Michigan football O-line, pass protection

Michigan football is preparing for the annual spring game on Saturday, which will complete the 15 practices that comprise spring ball. And over the weekend, NBC Sports' Todd Blackledge got to take in a bit of a scrimmage in The Big House, it seems.

According to Blackledge, it was his sixth practice he got to take in during spring ball across the Big Ten, and he had some thoughts about what he saw in Ann Arbor from the Wolverines.

The most important thing he listed was that he feels like the quarterback position, led by Bryce Underwood, should take a massive step forward, which could pay huge dividends for the maize and blue this season. He also feels like running back, defensive line, and defensive back all look strong -- building on a bit of what head coach Kyle Whittingham said last week.

But the potential weakness still came up front on offense, as the offensive line apparently still has some work to do as far as pass protection is concerned.

While it continues to be a concern, last week, Whittingham shared that he feels like it's a correctable issue, noting that the group has an excellent mentor who is overseeing the unit.

"Well, the biggest thing we've done is hire Jim Harding as the O-line coach," Whittingham said. "He's outstanding, and been with me for 12, 13, 14 years. I've lost track, but he produces a quality product year in and year out. He's just terrific, and so I've got total confidence in Jim that he'll get everything right. Jason Beck is also very adept at, if you have weaknesses, covering them up and doing things that they can kind of take the focus off of that. And so between those two guys and their ability to teach and scheme, I think we're gonna be just fine."

We should get some idea of what it looks like, although not completely, at Saturday's spring game. Whittingham has already noted that 12-18 starters will not be playing and that it will mostly be used to evaluate depth. Plus, it will be something of a split squad rather than a ones vs. twos scenario.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Analyst shares Michigan football strengths and weaknesses in spring