Fearless defensive predictions sure to go wrong

I had my offensive predictions on Tuesday, so now it’s time to turn our attention to the defense.

Like the offense, there are some questions that will need to be addressed while head coach Kirby Smart and defensive coordinator Mel Tucker go about the business of re-establishing the depth at key positions on the team.

So, with that in mind, here are my defensive predictions sure to go wrong:

• Davin Bellamy will lead the team in sacks: Not making a number’s prediction here, but I’ve always been bullish on Bellamy, who will get his chance to shine this fall with Jordan Jenkins and Leonard Floyd no longer a part of the team.

• Natrez Patrick will lead the team in tackles: I know, it’s not exactly a stretch to predict that a middle linebacker will lead Georgia in tackles, but how many would have said Patrick? Oh, I’m sure and the reason I say this is Smart and the coaches absolutely love Patrick, a big, physical presence at the position.

• Trenton Thompson will be All-SEC: Not all former five-stars live up to the hype but I feel like that Thompson will. Strong as a moose and agile as a cat, look for Thompson to be a key cog on the defensive line. The SEC will recognize him at the end of the year.

• Michail Carter will be a starter toward the end of the year: Don’t know exactly why, but I’m just extremely high on this young man. At 315 pounds, IMO, Carter is very comparable to Thompson. I’m expecting a huge freshman season.

• Dawgs will attempt to be more aggressive in the secondary: Smart and Tucker want their cornerbacks to be able to match up more one-on-one, thus allowing the front seven to be more aggressive to get after opposing quarterbacks. While that’s a certainly a nice thought, I’m just not sure how consistent that group is ready to be. Malkom Parrish is probably still better against the run, while Juwuan Briscoe is just a sophomore, and although he had a great spring, is still the proverbial work in progress.

• Dominick Sanders is the best safety the rest of the league has yet to truly appreciate: Yes, Sanders made All-SEC, but how many folks outside of Georgia could truly say anything about him? While’s not the prototypical safety, he’s one of the bigger players as he proved last year with six interceptions. Don’t be surprised to see Sanders lead the Dawgs in picks again. I think he will.

• Will Lorenzo Carter finally live up to his potential? Granted, Jenkins and Floyd were ahead of him on last year’s depth chart, nevertheless, Carter didn’t quite have the season that many – myself included – predicted for him to have. Carter is coming off a very good spring, and there’s every reason to think the potential is still there, but the former Norcross standout still has a lot to prove. Right now, one has to wonder if he will. I hope he proves me wrong, but right now Carter still has some questions he's going to need to answer before I jump back on his bandwagon. I'm not sure he will.