As second-ranked Clemson gets closer and closer to its Sept. 3 opener at Auburn, the depth chart on Clemson’s defense is starting to take shape.

Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables says the Tigers feel good about being three deep at almost every position, but he said following Tuesday’s practice they are still working through some of that. Right now, he says, it is about focusing on guys they can trust to play at a consistent level without there being a real drop off.

“What if this guy goes down and who can do more than one thing? We are still working through that process,” Venables said. “There is still some clarity on a few guys. It is still a little bit gray at some other positions.”

What are those areas?

Though Venables did not clarify, safety could be one issue. Clemson’s defensive coordinator seems fine with starters Jadar Johnson and Van Smith. However, there is concern about who plays behind them.

Other than Johnson and Korrin Wiggins, who is also projected to help at the nickel position, the Tigers are really young at the safety positions. Smith is a sophomore, while his backup, Tanner Muse, is a redshirt freshman. Denzel Johnson is also a redshirt freshman and K’Von Wallace, who is already showing flashes of being something special, is a true freshman and is still learning the defense.

Another gray area is at defensive end. The most experienced guy, sophomore Austin Bryant, is out with a foot injury that will cause him to miss the first three weeks of the season. That means Christian Wilkins has moved out from his tackle spot to help with depth, while Jabril Robinson was also moved over in camp to help out as well and that was before Bryant’s injury.

Other than Wilkins, no one has any real playing experience at end, but Wilkins is raw at that position and the verdict is still out on how well he will perform in a game out there. Richard Yeargin and Chris Register are both sophomores that have a ton of potential. However, they have little playing experience, and the verdict is still out on them, too.

Then there is Clelin Ferrell. He is expected to be one of Clemson’s next great defensive ends, but he has never played in a game at the college level and he is just a redshirt freshman.

“It’s not a bad thing, and it is not like we don’t have depth … we have some level of depth everywhere. It is really that second-tier guy as much as it is anything. Who do we trust to go in next? At some positions there are more than a couple of guys.”

But how many of those guys are ready? That’s the question.