The 3-2-1: Looking at UVa's first depth chart of the 2016 campaign

On Monday afternoon, Bronco Mendenhall held his first game-week press conference as UVa's head coach just a minutes after the team's first depth chart went live. Given some of the questions this preseason, the depth chart was especially enlightening both in who was listed but also in who was not.

Ahead of Saturday's season opener against Richmond (3:30 p.m., ACCN Extra), we dive deep into the depth chart, as well as Mendenhall's comments during the roughly half-hour session that he had with media members, to look at some of the main takeaways and lingering questions.

So, here is this week's installment of The 3-2-1.

1- Tim Harris is going to give it a go.

Considering Mendenhall's stated position last week that he would not comment publicly on injuries, there was some question if the 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior would be listed at all. Battling a left shoulder injury, Harris was listed as the backup to sophomore Myles Robinson at boundary corner in advance of Saturday's game. This means, at a minimum, that Harris and the team are looking at him possibly testing the shoulder out. If he's unable to play up to his potential, he's likely to shut things down later in the year (the same way Tra Nicholson did two years ago) and take a redshirt year.

2- OLB Malcolm Cook is dealing with a significant injury.

The news wasn't as encouraging elsewhere, as it appears that UVa will be without Cook for a while if not the entire season. On Monday, Mendenhall said that the Richmond native had "a medical situation that happened recently" that he couldn't speak on at this time but that more details would be coming "through the appropriate channels when that's available." That would seem to imply that an update on Cook's status might not come until UVa reveals its first injury report of the season prior to the game at Duke on October 1. For now, Cook's not listed on the depth chart, meaning that sophomores Cory Jones and Chris Peace are poised to be the major contributors at OLB.

3- Steven Wright and Eli Hanback will each play at DE.

One of the tightest position battles all camp was at defensive end, where the two redshirt freshmen were vying to be the starter opposite Andrew Brown. Mendenhall said Monday that Wright won the job in large part because he's had a life-changing summer. But he also said that Hanback would play and play a lot. Given that UVa is likely to use a smaller number of defensive players, these two young ends are going to see a lot of time in the rotation with the 6-foot-4, 255-pound Wright getting the early nod.

1- How playable is the defensive depth?

Aside from DE, there are several positions on the defense that seem especially thin, particularly when it comes to experience. At OLB, for example, true freshman Jordan Mack (who still hasn't earned a number) is listed as the backup to Jones. At field corner, classmate Bryce Hall is also listed as a backup without a number. Though the Hoos look strong at safety, these concerns are important when you factor in the relative lack of experience even among many of the defense's top players.

2- How many wideouts will factor in this fall?

UVa listed a two-deep at four receiver positions on Monday and those eight included a pair of players (Ryan Santoro and Ben Hogg) who came to Charlottesville as walk-ons. We'll have to wait to see if that means that talented true freshmen Joe Reed and Hasise Dubois are in the mix or if it's a function of Mendenhall (as he alluded to elsewhere) and his staff going with players they trust rather than players with the most ability.

RB depth will be Virginia's greatest strength in 2016.

The first player to choose his number during the ceremony on Saturday night wasn't Donte Wilkins or Taquan Mizzell or Micah Kiser. It was Jordan Ellis, a player listed as the "OR" backup to Mizzell at running back. In those two along with fellow RB Daniel Hamm as well as BB (big back) starter Albert Reid, the Cavaliers have a formidable and interchangeable group. Add in the solid play of senior Connor Wingo-Reeves and it's a recipe for success. While the O-line and quarterback must give the Wahoos a chance to win, the group at RB is by far the most productive on the roster and one that the team will rely on even more. That the players chose to let Ellis pick first shows just how important that unit is to the team as a whole but also how much respect they've earned.

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