Losing Byrd is going to affect the secondary, but I think Brandon Spikes should help out our run D tremendously (he was on the radio this morning, sounded super pumped about being here). Hopefully Kiko can still thrive outside, and hopefully Dareus and step his professionalism and maturity up.
I have faith Manuel is going to be a decent "learner" of the game, and things will slow down for him this year. I'm not sure that I see his ceiling as high as some fans, with regards to some awful footwork he was showing on the field last year. With the addition of Wakins, more freedom for Hackett will certainly allow for more interesting attacks, but we'll have to see how that plays out on the field.
I think we'll see Spikes as the most important on D, and Watkins for our offense.