Football

For the second straight year, Michigan picked up a kicking transfer. This time they've nabbed one with two years of eligibility, and off the roster of an upcoming opponent.

Zvada was the kicker who scored all 12 points against Ohio State a couple of years back. He's also one of the best kickers in America; by my statisics his career EPA is fourth among active kickers, behind Boise State's Jonah Dalmas, Arizona's Tyler Loop, and last year's Groza Graham Nicholson, who transferred from Miami (No not THAT Miami) to Alabama. Zvada was a 2022 Groza Semifinalist, and carries a career 34/40 mark with a long of 56 in two seasons with Arkansas State.

RANKINGS

Only On3 has a ranking for him. He's their #3 portal kicker and an 80. Since Zvada was only in the portal for as long as it takes to announce he's going to Michigan, it's reasonable to assume not even On3's really bothered to look at him yet. The players ahead of him there are Nicholson (who's missed 7 extra points over his career), and South Carolina's little-used big leg who committed Notre Dame. They all have 80s.

PFF had Zvada 62nd last year with a 78.8 score, and 5th (one spot behind Jake Moody) in 2023 with a 91.5.

CAREER THUS FAR

Zvada's been the starting kicker for Arkansas State since 2022, when he won the job as a true freshman, hit from 29, 38, 34, and 45 against Ohio State in the opener, and kicked a 56-yarder against Texas State after missing one from 51. Zvada finished his first season 17/18, with an average attempt distance of 36.3. He had a PAT blocked, but went 30/30 on the rest of them and was a Groza Semifinalist.

Because #College Kickers Are Weird, Zvada then whiffed on three of his next four to start the 2023 season, with misses from 44, 43, and 34 yards. He went 17/19 the rest of the way, but one of those misses was a chip shot against Coastal Carolina. He also nailed a 53-yarder against Southern Miss and went 41/41 on extra points. Career kick chart:

[After THE JUMP: Thing this is like]

Tonight the football world turns its attention to downtown Detroit and the 2024 NFL Draft. Over the years of the Jim Harbaugh era we've grown accustomed to Michigan to having quite a few players drafted, but the next three days has the opportunity to be historic. Harbaugh himself was talking up the possibility of Michigan setting NFL Draft records in 2024 last summer and now with only a few hours to Draft Day, it remains plausible. Georgia's 2022 draft remains the record, with 15 players taken off the Bulldogs' national title winning roster. Can Michigan tie, or exceed 15? Today we'll go through each player, their chances of getting drafted, and what NFL Draft scouts are saying about the heroes from Team 144: 

Certain to be drafted (7)

JJ McCarthy

Consensus Big Board ranking: 23 

Likely Draft Day: Thursday  

What scouts are saying: In all likelihood, the first Wolverine off the board will be the QB, JJ McCarthy. Where exactly he goes is up in the air, as it could be as high as #2 (theoretically) and could be somewhere in the teens. The consensus of scouts seems to be more bearish on McCarthy when it comes to actually ranking him, as the consensus big board puts him 23rd, but the sense is that because QB is a premium position, JJ will go higher than that in the actual draft. 

Scouts seem to like McCarthy's athleticism, intangibles/leadership, and arm talent (velocity and accuracy). His winning ways in both high school and college, in addition to his raw tools and mobility as a passer are certainly tantalizing. However, McCarthy's reads and decision-making are seen as areas for uncertainty. The low volume of throws that JJ has made over his Michigan career relative to some of the other top quarterbacks are another example of that uncertainty, a bit more of a mystery component than other QBs posses. Some suggest that it may be best for JJ to sit a year behind an experienced QB, while he continues to develop as a QB reading through his progressions. We shall see whether whichever team inevitably drafts McCarthy in the first round has that plan in mind. 

Kris Jenkins

Consensus Big Board ranking: 49

Likely Draft Day: Friday

What scouts are saying: Jenkins has been on NFL Draft radars for several years now and he seems likely to follow Mazi Smith's path into the league. Smith was drafted 26th in last year's draft, a bit higher than anticipated, but Jenkins' profile and projected ranking is in a similar ballpark. Good, and among the best DTs in the class, but perhaps not an elite stud a la Byron Murphy II or Jer'Zhan "Johnny" Newton. Jenkins generally falls in that second tier of tackles after Murphy and Newton, alongside Ohio State's Michael Hall Jr. and Florida State's (formerly WMU's) Braden Fiske.  

Jenkins' profile is a bit of an unsexy one to a lot of scouts, but with some safe projection. Like most Michigan players, he's lauded for his work ethic and intangibles, the sort of guy NFL teams want to draft. His run defense generally gets favorable reviews from scouts and he graded out very well athletically at the NFL combine. There's also more safety in Kris Jenkins' NFL pedigree through his father, even though the two are built rather differently. Jenkins' counting stat production and general pass rush is what grades out a bit more negatively to scouts, wondering if he has that explosive, home run upside. Still, for teams looking to beef up the D-Line with a safe run stopper who may still have upside to explore (remember Jenkins' body transformation at Michigan), Jenkins is a solid bet and I'd expect him to go in the 2nd round on Friday night. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: all the other guys]

The Franklin thing in a nutshell. PSU's OL coach catching strays from Anonymous NFL OL Coach:

Penn State’s Olu Fashanu

“He’s extremely athletic for his size. Their system is hard to watch. You’ve gotta sift through that stuff. The guys shuffle. They play with high-pad level. They don’t snap and strike guys. But he’s got all the traits. He’s a good prospect.”

Phil Trautwein has been their OL coach since 2020, but PSU's grim OL goes back farther than that.

Also. A couple of Michigan takes from that article:

Michigan’s Michael Barrett

“This is a really good player someone will get in the fifth or sixth round. Just a tough-ass kid. He’s a junkyard dog. Plays faster than what he runs. I hate saying that because once you get to the NFL that stuff catches up to you, but I like him a lot. I think he’ll be a really good special teams player too.”

And on Sainristil:

On Michigan’s Mike Sainristil

DB Coach 2: “He is one of my favorites. The habits are just so good. I’m not leery of his size because I think he plays a lot bigger. I have no reservations about him. He’s so aggressive and plays the ball so well in the air. I think he uses his lack of size to an advantage because he’s super quick and he’s able to get around blocks and people can’t get their hands on him.”

Scout 1: “He’s one of the best football players on anybody’s board if he’s on their board. Some guys will think he’s too small. Some guys will take him too high. Really good zone nickel. Really good player. He’s versatile, but the size is a concern. I like big guys. If he adds to your culture, it makes sense.”

DB Coach 1: “I’m not as high on him as some people. I think he’s a really good zone nickel. He has all the production with his eyes on the quarterback. He’s really good at that but does that fit what you do at that position? To me the highest value of the nickel is, can he cover the slot? And you don’t really see that as his major skill set.”

[After the JUMP: additional basketball man?]