(photo by Photos by Patrick Kleineberg and Max Franklin).

The SMU Mustangs approach the 2017 with as many talented offensive skill-position players as they have had in years — maybe decades. The talent stockpiled at quarterback, wide receiver, tight end and running back have the Mustangs, their coaches and PonyFans everywhere envisioning gaudy offensive numbers, in terms of both yards piled up and, more importantly, points.

But as every coach will point out — repeatedly — all the passers and runners and receivers are useless without an effective offensive line. When there are no running lanes, the rushing attack will grind to a half. When the quarterback is running for his life — or worse yet, getting crushed by waves of unimpeded pass rushers — the passing game loses all effectiveness. The big guys up front never get the headlines, and rarely have huge followings of fans, but they are as vital to the success of an offense as any position group on the team.

The Mustangs ended the 2016 season with few certainties on the offensive line beyond center Evan Brown, for whom the 2017 season will be the second in a row that starts with his name on the preseason watch list for the Rimington Award, which is given annually to the nation’s premier center. Brown was the lone known quantity to those who looked ahead to 2017. Chad Pursley is back this year at left tackle, where he emerged as a standout in 2015, but he missed all of 2016 with an injury. Bryce Wilds showed flashes in 2016 at right tackle, but also showed that there were times when he could have benefitted from another year of practice and coaching before assuming the right tackle, so his development was a question mark, as well.

Fast-forward to this year’s preseason workouts, and things look a lot different up front for an offense that averaged 427.3 yards of total offense and 27.67 points per game a year ago. Pursley appears to be all the way back, holding up well against defenders and moving well, including showing the lateral quickness that is vital to derailing pass rushers who try to beat would-be blockers with pure speed around the edge. Wilds has had a terrific camp; he is one of several Mustangs who appears to be in vastly improved physical condition and appears vastly more confortable in his role at right tackle.

That trio, of course, does not make up the entire line, which also lost guards Jerry Saena and Braylon Hyder; the SMU coaches have done a nice job in recent years of stockpiling young linemen, but the departure of Hyder and Saena puts a considerable dent in the unit’s depth. Nick Natour, who filled in for Pursley last year at left tackle, has slid inside to left guard, which appears to be a more natural fit for him and where he has earned repeated praise from the coaches; part of the reason for his strong showing is that the game is a little slower in the interior of the line of scrimmage, and his year of dealing with speedy defensive ends last year has made the slower (albeit sometimes stronger) interior linemen more manageable.

Also in the mix is Will Hopkins, a 6-foot-7 tackle who transferred to SMU from Oregon State. Hopkins is expected to compete with Wilds at right tackle, but is a smart, versatile player who head coach Chad Morris has said gives the coaches some flexibility because of his ability to play other positions along the line.

“I think, you look up front, you’ve got the addition of Will Hopkins, the transfer from Oregon State — he definitely would push some guys up front, with his experience,” Morris said. “We’re hoping for Will to emerge as a tackle, and that’s kind of where his skillset has been, but he’s also been a tight end, as well. So Will is a guy who can play both inside and outside, we can use him at center if we needed to, and he’s a guy that definitely gives us some stability and some depth at the o-line position … and be able to do some things that move him out to a tight end, as well.”

Offensive coordinator Joe Craddock said that the line, once a legitimate question mark, now is the basis for considerable optimism among the coaching staff.

Coaches have raved about the preseason work by sophomore Bryce Wilds, but he is facing competition at right tackle from transfer Will Hopkins (photo by SMU athletics).

“I’m really excited about them, honestly,” Craddock said about the offensive line. “Getting Chad back will help us move a couple guys around, and it’s just up to us, as coaches, to find the right pieces to the puzzle, to get five guys out there that are the best five. Again, who’s the best five? Get them in there, plug them in there — that’s when you’re most dangerous — and build some continuity between those guys, I think is the most important thing. Obviously getting Chad back, being able to move Nick Natour around a little bit — he’s a very versatile guy that’s really come along — I’m really proud of him. And then having Evan as your leader inside, man … we’re blessed, because he makes us go.

“Those guys don’t get a whole lot of notoriety, but man, I’m telling you right now, those guys are incredible with what they do up front, and I can’t brag on those guys enough. Everybody wants to talk about receivers, the running backs, the tight ends, the quarterbacks, but man, those (offensive linemen) are the guys that make it all go … and being an ex-quarterback — I know I’ve said this before — but being an ex-quarterback, man, I have a genuine appreciation for those guys and what they do on a day-to-day basis. But again, (we’re) bringing in a couple of freshmen that are going to help build some depth … (we’re) counting on a couple of those to come in here and be ready to play.”

One of the factors offensive line coach Dustin Fry has had to manage in his first two seasons was the fact that even at positions at which he had a clear-cut starter, the line has been dangerously thin, so adjustments like moving Natour from guard to tackle had to be made. Fry and the rest of the offensive coaches spent the year hoping to avoid any significant injuries up front; other than Pursley, the linemen were fairly fortunate in that area. But with a position that by definition involves hand-to-hand combat against big, strong defensive linemen, hoping to skate through a season unscarred is unrealistic. The training staff will do all it can to hold the starters together throughout the rigors of a season, but until players are allowed to take the field protected by bubble wrap, the nature of the position dictates that injuries will happen.

“We feel like we have a good nucleus of guys that are going to be able to help us and be really good up front,” Craddock said. “I’m not worried about those guys one bit. Coach Fry — I know I’ve said this before — but I think he’s one of the best coaches in the country, from a scheme standpoint and from a relationship standpoint. His guys love him, and they know that he knows what it takes to get them to the next level, because he has played at a high level in the NFL. So those guys are going to be great. I’m really excited about what we’ve got for this 2017 season.”

This year, for the first time, Fry has legitimate backups to rotate. In addition to whoever becomes the backup in the Wilds/Hopkins battle at right tackle, youngsters Kadarius Smith, Jacob Todora, Harrison Barton and Braxton Webb all have a year of work with Fry — and improved size and strength thanks to their work with Trumain Carroll and the SMU strength staff — and training against college defensive linemen. Todora got the first look at the vacant right guard position, although Barton will work there, as well. Playing offensive line, as much as any position, requires timing and chemistry and communication that can be developed only by working with teammates, so Morris, Craddock and Fry — like many coaches — wanted to do everything possible to avoid playing those players as true freshmen, to allow them to develop. By doing so, the young players were able to get a significant boost in their preparation for their roles.

Craddock mentioned the fact that a couple of true freshmen might be forced into action this year, if performances and injuries dictate it, and in the early part of camp, Alan Ali, Hayden Howerton and Matthew Huhn have suggested that they might become the players the coaches hoped they were getting when they recruited the young trio. But again, in an ideal world, the youngsters would redshirt, so that they would be a year older, stronger and better prepared when it is their time to take the field.”