It’s difficult to know what to expect from Missouri in 2016, the first season of coach Barry Odom’s tenure. The Tigers went 5-7 last season, painfully losing many close, low-scoring games despite having one of the best defenses in the SEC.

Missouri’s top tackler from 2015, LB Kentrell Brothers, is now with the Minnesota Vikings, but the core of the defense will be back. The offense pretty much has to be better by default, and there were some encouraging signs of progress in the Black and Gold game.

With spring practice completed, these are Mizzou’s 10 best players – even if they aren’t all healthy:

10. P Corey Fatony

Laugh if you like, but punters are people, too. The Freshman All-American selection by Sporting News and USA Today is back after an 81-punt rookie season. Hopefully Fatony doesn’t have to punt as often in 2016, but if he does, he’s got the leg to do it.

Fatony’s big leg is an excellent complement to Mizzou’s defense. If the Tigers offense improves in 2016, winning the field position battle could swing some decisions in MU’s favor.

9. WR J’Mon Moore

Some Missouri fans are hoping to see Alabama transfer WR Chris Black give a boost to the offense, but for now, Moore looks like the passing game’s best all-around threat. His 64-yard touchdown reception in the spring game, in which he blew by CB John Gibson, certainly inspires hope for more big plays in the fall.

Moore logged 29 catches for 350 yards last season. That doesn’t seem like much, but both numbers were tops among Missouri pass-catchers. His biggest competition for leading receiver in ’16 will likely be Nate Brown.

8. RB Ish Witter

Witter had a mediocre ’15 season (126 carries, 518 yards, TD) as part of a tandem ground game with Russell Hansbrough. This spring, Witter has added some bulk and it should translate to a more productive fall campaign.

“Because of that, he’s competed in a much more confident fashion as we’ve progressed through spring ball,” offensive coordinator Josh Heupel told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He saw himself do things maybe physically he could not or wouldn’t do a year ago.”

7. QB Drew Lock

Lock had a rough freshman season, thrown into the fire due to Maty Mauk’s off-the-field issues. On top of that, Lock had to play behind one of the least effective offensive lines in the SEC.

After a 5-7 season in which Missouri’s offense ranked in the triple digits, it’s not surprising that Lock wasn’t publicly guaranteed the starting job by Odom, but he put any starting quarterback questions to rest with a solid outing in the Black and Gold game.

6. S Anthony Sherrils

An excellent athlete and hard hitter, look for Sherrils to line up at strong safety this fall. With cornerbacks being relegated to strictly pass coverage, safeties could see more run-stopping responsibilities. Last season, Sherrils finished third on the team in tackles (64).

Sherrils has extra motivation to make this his best season at Missouri. He has talked about leaving for the NFL after one more fall on the gridiron and graduating the following May, a year from now.

5. CB Aarion Penton

Just like Sherrils, Penton is motivated by his NFL prospects and is looking to take his game to the next level. After getting his draft evaluation, Penton opted to return for his senior season and that’s a big boost for the Tigers secondary.

Penton was excellent at breaking passes up last season (8 PBU). Maybe in ’16 he can turn more of those breakups into interceptions (one pick in ’15).

4. LB Michael Scherer

Scherer’s 93 tackles as a redshirt junior in ’15 were overshadowed by fellow LB Kentrell Brothers, who led the team with 152 tackles. As the leader in the middle on a stout defense, the senior will definitely get noticed this season.

It should come as no surprise that Scherer led all Tigers with six tackles in the Black and Gold game.

3. DE Charles Harris

Harris missed spring practice rehabbing from shoulder surgery but is expected to be full-go for summer drills. With that optimistic outlook, it’s not surprising that many outlets are considering the defensive line to be a key strength in ’16.

Last season, Harris was second in the SEC in tackles for loss (18.5), including seven sacks. As long as the shoulder rehabs well, expect even more from the redshirt junior in ’16.

2. DT Terry Beckner Jr.

Similar to Harris, Beckner was out of the spring game (non-contact participant in spring practice) but is penciled in as a starter next season on everyone’s depth chart. In 10 games, Beckner logged 27 tackles, including 8 TFL.

Beckner’s numbers should only get better with a year of experience under his belt and the opportunity to play in a full 12-game season.

1. DE Walter Brady

The case could be made for any of the Missouri defensive linemen to be No. 1 on this list, but with Brady actually fully participating in spring drills, he gets the bump over Beckner and Harris. As a freshman, Brady contributed seven sacks, tying Harris for the team lead.

The Tigers faced a spring game scare when Brady left with an apparent knee injury, but MU finally got some good injury news when it was revealed to be just a sprain that will not require surgery.

Honorable mentions: WR Chris Black, WR Justin Smith, DL Rickey Hatley, DL Marcell Frazier