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We're back with another BeaversEdge Mailbag!
Publisher Brenden Slaughter and Recruiting Analyst Jared Halus heard your questions posed on THE DAM BOARD and we've got answers!
This week's mailbag features questions about early predictions on the recruiting trail and for the team for the upcoming season, injury updates, the potential for attrition, and much more!
MORE: Beavers In The NFL: Week 18 Recap | Three & Out: Oregon State's Biggest Needs On The Recruiting Trail | In-State LB Chip Allers Talks Recruitment
281Beaver asks: Predictions on the DB group, specifically the safety group, going into spring ball and fall? Corner seems to be projecting up as a position group but safety needs improvement. Will we see more Ian Massey & Ron Hardge this upcoming year?
Brenden: I think the group has loads of potential, but they need to take another step forward in spring and fall camp to be even more productive in 2022. We saw the Beavers address the position in a big way in the early part of the 2022 signing class, and I think that's because the depth, competition, and overall play of the unit needs to go up.
With Blue Adams asking his defensive backs to be versatile enough to play both the corner and safety positions, specific positions aren't too important in my mind, rather just having a good amount of versatile plug and playmakers.
In terms of Ian Massey & Ron Hardge, yes, I definitely expect both guys to be more in the mix in 2022. We saw both guys get some run in 2021 and like many others in the room, I think the ceiling is high. It's now all about taking that ceiling and raising it even more to get even better play from the back end in 2022...
Jared: Hardge was a guy we had tabbed to make an impact by now, so I would definitely hope to see that come to fruition in the upcoming season. The overall group will be more experienced next season, so I think you should expect to see improvement.
