Spring practice provided an initial look at the Michigan Wolverines football team, and the takeaways were promising.

While the quarterback competition commanded the nation's attention, the strength of Jim Harbaugh's 2016 roster—the defense—showed how special it could be.

But that wasn't simply a product of depth emerging at every spot. The coaching staff used some creative thinking to address a weakness.

Early prognostications loved Michigan. After a terrific spring, the mid-summer round of predictions will too.

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