2009 vs. 2010: The Offensive Line

From the North by Northwestern website

Let me start by saying this post may be fairly short because I, unfortunately, am not terribly good at analyzing an offensive line. So I apologize in advance for the brief, and no doubt unsatisfying, analysis.
Last Year: I will break down the line from left to right. At left tackle, we had Al Netter. Netter is entering his junior year and started all 13 games last year, as well as all 13 games his redshirt freshman year in '08. Furthermore, he was an honorable mention for All-Big 10 last year.
We saw multiple people in the left guard position. Desmond Taylor was a senior who opened the season in the starting position and started five games, but he struggled with injuries and illnesses throughout the season. Junior Keegan Grant played some, and redshirt freshman Brian Mulroe started the Outback Bowl after returning from injury.
Ben Burkett started all 13 games, and has, in fact, started all 26 games for which he's been eligible, beginning with his redshirt freshman season in '08.
Starting every game at right guard was Doug Bartels. He is a former walk-on who has started 21 consecutive games.
Finally, we saw some competition at right tackle. Kurt Mattes was a senior who started six games but occasionally had problems with injuries. The freshman Neal Dieters started the other seven games and won NU's offensive newcomer award.
Well, then, how did the line perform throughout the season? Overall, I would say pretty average. Their pass protection, overall, was pretty good. Kafka was only sacked once for every 18.2 pass attempts, a pretty good number when you consider how long Kafka often sat in the pocket. However, I cannot help but fault the line for some of our running difficulties. I rarely saw big, gaping holes for our backs to run through. But in the line's defense, often they did create holes, and the backs simply failed to find them.
Next Year: I will again break down the line left to right. Barring injury, Netter should reclaim the left tackle spot. Various publications have listed him as a preseason All-Big 10 nominee, usually second or third team.
Left guard could either be Grant or Mulroe. I expect a competition. Mulroe is projected to start at one guard position, according to his bio, so it's merely a question of which one.
Center: This should definitely be Burkett. He was named to the Rimington Trophy watch list for the second year in a row. Definitely a player to watch.
Right Guard: There is a lot of competition here. Bartels is an obvious contender for the position, as is Mulroe. Dieters also figures to move into this position and compete for the job.
Right Tackle: Patrick Ward seems to have this position locked up. He was a true freshman last year who saw little playing time, but Fitz seems to like him.
Improvement: I think this is a definitive yes. This unit has a lot of experience, which is a very good thing. The level of competition also indicates that there is a great deal of depth, meaning the team does not need to live in fear of injury. I expect a good year from the O-line.