Monday, May 1, 2017

The Draft

If you’re an NFL fan, I’m sure everything I’m posting today with even more information that I haven’t captured here is known to you.   If you’re not an NFL fan but would like to know how the Wolverines did on Thursday, Friday and Saturday:
With a little help from MGoBlue.com:
This year's figure: 11 players selected from the University of Michigan led all schools and stands as the 12th most in draft history and is the third-highest total since the draft was reduced to seven rounds.  As recently as last season, OSU had 12 players drafted.  Michigan is tied at 11 with multiple schools.
The Big Ten had 35 total selections with Michigan accounting for 31 percent of the picks. Ohio State had seven selections and Iowa followed with four.
1.    Safety/linebacker Jabrill Peppers (Cleveland, 25th overall) and defensive end Taco Charlton (Dallas, 28th overall) were selected in the first round, giving U-M multiple selections in the opening round for the eighth time in draft history and the first time since 2005.
2.    Michigan had four players selected in the third round with defensive end Chris Wormley (Baltimore, 74th overall, and to brother of Michigan Head Coach Harbaugh), cornerback Jourdan Lewis (Dallas, 92nd overall), safety Delano Hill (Seattle, 95th overall) and wide receiver Amara Darboh (Seattle, 106th overall) earning calls.
3.    On the final day of the draft, linebacker Ben Gedeon (Minnesota, 120th overall), defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow (Cincinnati, 138th overall) and wide receiver Jehu Chesson (Kansas City, 139th overall, Kansas City) were selected in the fourth round, while Jake Butt was the first selection of the fifth round (Denver, 145th overall). Cornerback Jeremy Clarkwas the final player selected with his call coming in the sixth round (197th overall) by the New York Jets.
4.    Peppers became the 14th Wolverine drafted by the Browns all-time and 16th U-M player selected by a Cleveland organization (Cleveland Rams). Peppers is the first U-M player selected by the Browns in the first round since Braylon Edwards in 2005 (first round, third overall).
5.    Charlton and Lewis became the sixth and seventh Wolverines, respectively, drafted by the Cowboys all-time and first since 1991 (Tony Boles). Charlton is the first U-M player selected by the Cowboys in the first round since 1985 (Kevin Brooks, 17th overall).
6.    Wormley became the third Wolverine drafted by the Ravens all-time and first since 2016 (Willie Henry). Hill and Darboh became the first U-M players selected by Seattle since Frank Clark in 2015 (63rd overall).
7.    Glasgow is the 13th draft selection by Cincinnati and the first U-M pick since Morgan Trent in 2009 (179th overall).
8.     Chesson is the eighth draft selection by Kansas City and first since 2012 when Junior Hemingway was picked in the seventh round (238th overall).
9.    Butt is the 10th U-M player chosen by Denver and first since Michael Schofield in 2014 (95th overall).
10. Michigan currently has 21 players in the NFL.  This brings the total to a potential 32.
Sheesh….Shouldn’t they have won more games in 2017???

Here’s and interesting chart:  Schools with the most ever players drafted:


I cut the list off at 200....

Observations:  Again, when that much talent is seen or discovered and then taken by the NFL, I’m looking at the coaching staff and wondering what gives?  You know what else I’m looking at?  A lot of these players were Hoke’s legacy.  Very impressive, Coach Hoke.  Very impressive.  If you would have only had an O-Coordinator and a D-Coordinator when you were here.

Further, the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys (yuck) are now teams I have to, kind of, well….I guess I will find time to watch and pull for those guys when I’m not rooting for the Lions.  Who REALLY PISSED ME OFF when they took a Toledo Tight End vs. Jake Butt (who went 5 or 7 picks later).  Dumb-ass Lions will never, ever win a Super Bowl in my lifetime, assuming I live to 100.  Maybe even two lifetimes…

Oh, and Butt dropping to the 5th round from that ACL injury (he had been a consensus 2nd round pick and around 4th TE overall) even with the insurance policy, probably cost himself at least $2M in the process.  For one lousy game that didn’t count that Michigan lost.  Think the end of the bowls aren’t coming when more and more seniors (and most likely juniors) start opting out or meaningless bowls?  Think again!  That will escalate quickly and schools will try to counter with if you’re an underclassmen, you’re playing!!!  Which sends an I don’t care about you or your future in the NFL.  Yeah…  Let’s see how far that goes…

Back to the draft:  I’ll give the Lions a C+ as they addressed needs but they DIDN’T DRAFT A RUNNING BACK which, don’t they desperately need one of those?
What else:  The Jets got a steal when they grabbed Jeremy Clark.  Before he went down to injury, he was the semi-equivalent to Jourdan Lewis on the other side of the field, defensively.  A lot of Michigan guys have signed as undrafted free agents and I’d be willing to bet several of them make pro rosters. 


Overall a fun three days if you were a Michigan Fan and that kind of success on draft day will translate into recruiting.  Always does.  

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