Ole Miss was good in a lot of areas in 2015. Pass defense was not one of those areas.

The Rebels ranked 13th out of 14 SEC teams, allowing 258.8 yards per game, a number good for 104th in the country.

Ole Miss lost its top two defensive backs in Trae Elston and Mike Hilton. The two were the second- and third-leading tacklers on the team with 70 each. Hilton was second on the team with 12.5 tackles for loss. Elston had a team-high four interceptions.

That’s production lost, but there isn’t much place to go except up with the replacements in 2016.

PASS-RUSH

Even losing the monster that is Robert Nkemdiche, the Rebels’ pass-rush is there. Junior Marquis Haynes was named All-SEC after finishing tied for fourth in the conference with 10 sacks. His 16.5 tackles for loss led the team, as did his 3 forced fumbles.

Haynes will be matched on the strong side by senior Fadol Brown, who started eight games and had 10 hurries. With D.J. Jones and Breeland Speaks at tackle, and Issac Gross returning for a fifth season at defensive tackle, the line should spend plenty of time chasing quarterbacks.

Jones and Speaks started only a combined five games last season but both had 5.5 tackles for loss, and Jones was second on the team with four sacks.

SACK ARTIST

Haynes carries that distinction. He is a load on the end and if Brown turns even a third of his 10 quarterback hurries into sacks, Haynes becomes even more dangerous.

Haynes’ 7.5 sacks as a freshman set the school freshman record, surpassing Greg Hardy and Denzel Nkemdiche. As a sophomore, he figured out how to get to the backfield even faster, aided instead of halted by his 222-pound frame.

Haynes will line up at the weak DE spot, his athleticism being the reason he has the potential to make the biggest play in any game at any time.

BALL IN THE AIR

The cupboard isn’t bare after the losses of Elston and Hilton. Kendarius Webster and Tony Bridges have already shown exactly what they can do. Webster started all 13 games last season, Bridges started 11 and was second on the team with three picks.

Hilton and Elston combined for 33 deflections and 27 breakups last season, while Webster and Bridges had 24 and 20.

At hybrid Huskie, Tony Conner returns as a potential first-round draft pick. His impact is most fierce when the ball lands in a receiver’s hands. Sophomore Zedrick Woods and junior C.J. Moore bring only two starts to Rover, but junior C.J. Hampton at free safety has the tools to become one of the SEC’s best and is in front of redshirt freshman and 2015 four-star, in-state recruit Armani Linton.

They will all be aided by the emergence of junior LB DeMarquis Gates, who after coming on for maligned Denzel Nkendiche, started four games and led the team with 76 tackles.

PICKOFF ARTIST

That’s one area of pass defense the Rebels excelled in. Their 15 picks ranked second in the SEC, behind only Alabama’s 19. Elston, Hilton and linebacker C.J. Johnson left with eight of those but the athletic Bridges (6-foot, 185) has a nose for the ball and can go get it.

GREATEST CONCERN

That is a lot of numbers going out with Elston and Hilton. There is a lot of talent, but at the same time, that talent was producing as offenses were well aware of getting too close to the defensive leaders. Elston was one of the SEC’s fiercest hitters and Hilton was a leader, moving from corner to safety last season.

ONE STAT THAT MUST CHANGE IN 2016

Ole Miss only lost three games last season. In those three losses to Florida, Memphis and Arkansas, the Rebels allowed a whopping 75 percent completion percentage. That led to nearly 1,100 yards, 13 TDs and only one INT. Ole Miss allowed only 10 passing touchdowns in its 10 wins.

BETTER OR WORSE IN 2016?

Ole Miss managed to have two of its top defenders come from the secondary, yet still ranked near the very bottom in the SEC in pass defense. The collapse in the three losses contributed to the low ranking, but numbers don’t lie.

The Rebels have a ton of talent returning, especially key players in Conner and Gross back from injury. Their expected production along with the continued climb of players like Bridges and Webster should make the Rebels better against the pass in 2016.