Defensive line showing off its depth

FAYETTEVILLE — One player’s rise inevitably leads to a teammate’s fall.

Unless, of course, the fallen still rises above his situation to act, practice and perform like a firstclass first-teamer in all respects.

Ja-Michael Winston accomplished that in a starting-become-subordinate role for last season’s Arkansas Razorbacks. Certainly Winston filled the bill when circumstances elevated him to first-team defensive end again during Saturday’s scrimmage.

Elected a defensive team captain starting last season as a fourth-year junior after starting 12 of the 7-6 Razorbacks 13 games in 2014, Winston, 6-6, 260, started last season’s first six games.

But with last year’s emergence at both ends of third-year sophomore Tevin Beanum and junior college transfer Jeremiah Ledbetter while previously injury-plagued Deatrich Wise blossomed off the bench — becoming Arkansas’ 2015 sacks leader and 2016 preseason All-American candidate — Winston’s starts ceased and his playing time diminished.

Nevertheless, Winston remained a force. When he played, some in every game, he still acted like a captain, despite decreased playing time.

Winston persevered in the spring and in August, always practicing with a team-first/first-team attitude.

Saturday, Winston’s scrimmage time truly became first-team.

Ledbetter has moved from starting defensive end to starting defensive tackle.

Wise was excused to attend his grandfather’s funeral and Beanum, excused to report late this preseason while tending to personal issues, was still fulfilling the NCAA’s mandatory first four practices without full pads.

Though all first-team scrimmage stats were skewed since the first offense and defense skipped full tackling rather than risk injuries so soon before the Sept. 3 season opener with Louisiana Tech at Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Winston still stood out. He unofficially was credited with four quarterback sacks.

“Yeah, I thought Mike was taking advantage,” Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said after the scrimmage.

It came on the heels, Bielema said, of a Friday conversation after the Razorbacks’ kickoff luncheon at the Springdale Holiday Inn.

“I said, ‘Man, when you play with your hands, and you strike where we’re supposed to strike and keep your eyes where they need to be, you are a very, very good player,’ ” Bielema said. “I think he knows that now.”

“His attitude has been great,” Bielema said. “He’s probably one of my favorite players to go to and bounce ideas off. He’s got great leadership skills.”

Last Saturday the Pritchard, Ala., native showed he can still lead on the field, too.

“To lose Deatrich and have a guy continue to play like that, it shows you the kind of depth we have,” Bielema said.

Much defensive line depth stems from a surprising source.

Former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino was known as almost strictly offensive. But among Petrino’s final Arkansas recruiting class remain fifth-year seniors Wise, Winston, Taiwan Johnson and Brandon Lewis all doing fine for Bielema’s defensive line.