2015 nfl draft

Previously: Devin Funchess, Jake Ryan

Only three former Wolverines were selected in the NFL Draft—Devin Funchess, Frank Clark, and Jake Ryan—but a handful of others will get their shot as undrafted free agents. Here's a quick look at where each UDFA ended up and their chances of sticking on an NFL roster.

Brennen Beyer, DE/OLB, Baltimore Ravens

Beyer was consistently solid the last few years, playing out a career reminiscent of Craig Roh; while never outrageously productive—he topped out at 5.5 sacks in a single season—he played disciplined defense on the edge. Beyer is almost certainly an outside linebacker in the Ravens 3-4 defense, which will be a transition after playing with his hand in the dirt for the most part at Michigan—he did start five games at linebacker in 2013. Like most UDFAs, Beyer has an uphill climb to make a roster; for comparison's sake, Roh spent one season on Carolina's practice squad, then played for the Omaha Mammoths of the FXFL in 2014.

Devin Gardner, WR, New England Patriots

Gardner is making the transition from quarterback to wide receiver, and he landed on the right team to do just that; the Patriots turned Julian Edelman, a 2009 seventh-rounder, from an all-MAC dual-threat quarterback at Kent State into one of the more reliable receivers in the league.

Of course, Gardner did get some experience playing the position in college, playing receiver in 2012 until Denard Robinson's injury forced him back into quarterback duty. Gardner displayed his great athleticism, especially as a red zone threat—he had four touchdowns in eight games as a WR—but his rawness at the position was also evident. The book on Gardner from his pre-draft preparation falls in line with what we saw in 2012:

A college quarterback, Michigan's Devin Gardner is making the transition to wide receiver for the next level, a position he played briefly in his Ann Arbor career. However, he is understandably still very raw as a wideout. During Monday's practice, Gardner rounded off routes, dropped passes and attracted a good amount of attention from the coaches as they tried to coach him up. He did some things well and has the athleticism for his size that should translate well, but it will certainly take some time before he sheds the “quarterback trying to play wide receiver” label.

How quickly Gardner learns the finer aspects of playing receiver will determine if he's worthy of a spot on the 53-man roster or gets the opportunity to refine his game on the practice squad. Even if it doesn't work out with New England, he should get a shot somewhere; there's no question he's got a lot of potential, and I think his hands NFL-quality—the UFR catch chart reveals that he caught all but one easy throw that season, and was targeted on a lot of uncatchable throws that significantly drag down his yards per target.

Delonte Hollowell, DB, Detroit Lions

MLive's Kyle Meinke reports Hollowell will be at Detroit's rookie minicamp this weekend, though it isn't clear whether he's been signed as an undrafted free agent or is simply getting a tryout. (I'd guess it's the latter.) Hollowell saw the occasional snap as a slot corner but mostly played special teams at Michigan. Unless he turns into a special teams demon, he's facing a major uphill battle to make a roster, especially given his relatively small stature.

Matt Wile, P, Carolina Panthers

Wile, who saw significant action as both a placekicker and punter at Michigan, will get his shot as a punter in Carolina. The incumbent Panthers punter, Brad Nortman, took a step back in 2014 after a stellar 2013 season, so there may be an opening for Wile to land the job, but to do so he'll have to beat out an established vetaran—one Carolina used a sixth-round pick on in 2012.

Previously: Devin Funchess

[Eric Upchurch]

We've reached the second day of the NFL Draft, and at least one former Wolverine—Devin Funchess—should hear his name called relatively soon when the second and third rounds begin this evening. Another Michigan player with some positional uncertainty is the next up in our draft profiles: Jake Ryan, who could find a home at either inside or outside linebacker in the NFL as a projected 4-5 round pick.

By The Numbers

Position: Linebacker
Height/Weight: 6'2", 240
40 Time: 4.65 (combine)

Senior stats: 112 tackles (67 solo), 14.0 TFL, 2 sacks, 5 FF, 1 INT, 3 PBU
Junior stats: 30 tackles (23 solo), 4.5 TFL, 1 PBU (8 games, coming off ACL injury)
Sophomore stats: 88 tackles (57 solo), 16.5 TFL, 5 sacks, 5 FF, 3 PBU

Strengths

By the end of his college career, Ryan proved very productive at two different positions, terrorizing backfields as a sophomore SAM and leading the team in tackles as a senior MIKE. He could end up at either of those spots in the NFL, and his versatility should help him secure a roster spot and make him a valuable backup regardless of his team's scheme.

While Ryan's combine numbers are merely average, his athleticism is more impressive on the football field. He closes quickly on the football and covers the field sideline-to-sideline, and when he's confident in his assignment he's very quick off the snap. Add in a relentless motor and good things happen when Ryan blitzes, whether off the edge or up the gut:

Ryan is usually a good tackler, though the above play does feature a weakness in that regard—he'll occasionally come in too fast and fail to break down in time to wrap up.

Ryan improved over the course of his career at diagnosing plays—something he had to re-learn a bit when he transitioned to the middle—and staying in his lane. He reliably set the edge as an outside linebacker, and in the middle he wasn't the type to jump over a gap and open up a cutback lane.

Weaknesses

I'm no coach, but even I could see some of the ways Ryan worked around blocks—especially early in his career—and tell you he needs to work on his technique; Ryan takes the occasional false step, and while he got away with that a lot at Michigan, it'll be harder to cover at the NFL level.

I also have my doubts about Ryan's ability to play in the middle. While he had excellent performances his senior year against the likes of Indiana and Penn State, flawed and therefore predictable offenses, he struggled against more well-rounded teams. When offenses kept Ryan guessing, he was slower to diagnose plays, which mitigated his explosiveness off the snap; that often resulted in Ryan catching a blocker without the momentum to do anything about it:

While opponents had a very difficult time keeping Ryan blocked during his sophomore season, when he came off the edge, they had an easier time controlling him when he lined up in the middle. He's not always as physical as he needs to be when taking a block head-on, making it difficult to shed and make a play.

Ryan also had his issues in coverage, mostly with putting himself in the right spot in zone coverage. Given those problems, I think he fits better as a SAM.

Outlook

Ryan's stock could be a whole lot higher if he hadn't essentially lost a year to a torn ACL before switching positions. Instead of establishing himself as an elite SAM or having a year of playing the MIKE under his belt, he spent much of his senior season still learning the finer points of playing in the middle.

On the plus side, his experience at multiple spots gives him versatility that's very coveted at the NFL level; anyone who can fill multiple roles while taking up just one roster spot is quite valuable. Ryan has the opportunity to add to that by being a special teams demon; he seems well-suited for that role.

Ryan has the size and physical tools to be an NFL starter. Whether or not he gets there depends on how quickly he can improve his technique and instincts.

[Bryan Fuller]

The NFL Draft begins on Thursday, and while Michigan doesn't have a long list of potential draftees, at least a couple former Wolverines will hear their names called this weekend. The first of them will almost assuredly be Devin Funchess, who's projected as a second- or third-round pick with a small chance of sneaking into the end of the first round. What should an NFL team expect to get from Funchess? Here's a look at one of the draft's most intriguing boom-or-bust prospects.

By The Numbers

Position: Wide Receiver (or Tight End, if you're not into the whole blocking thing)
Height/Weight: 6'4", 232
40 Time: 4.70 (combine), 4.47 (pro day)
Vertical: 38.5"

Junior stats: 100 targets, 62 receptions (62% catch rate), 733 yards (7.3 YPT/11.8 YPC), 4 TDs
Sophomore stats: 92 targets, 49 receptions (53% catch rate), 748 yards (8.1 YPT/15.3 YPC), 6 TDs

Strengths

The most striking aspect of Funchess is his physical talent. He pairs solid, though not elite, wideout speed with a tight end's frame. He's too fast and fluid in his movements to be defended by most linebackers and safeties, while his size can prove overwhelming for smaller cornerbacks—at least, it did when Michigan actually decided to take advantage of his mismatches.

Despite his size, Funchess isn't ponderous in his movements. He reaches top speed in a hurry, and when he's at his best he can be a sharp route-runner who gains separation with quick, fluid breaks and some nice deception:

Funchess' size helps him on his routes; he's tough to jam at the line, and he uses his hands well to disengage from defenders on his breaks.

A former basketball standout, Funchess can get up—he boasts a 38.5-inch vertical—and high-point the ball. While he's not the most natural pass-catcher (more on that later), he's able to make very difficult catches look relatively easy because of his athleticism.

Funchess is dangerous after the catch, capitalizing on his speed/power combination to run through opposing defensive backs—or occasionally leap right over them. While he's more of a straight-line runner than a dynamic open-field juke threat, he covers ground in a hurry and utilizes a solid stiff-arm in the open field.

Weaknesses

Funchess too often allows the football to get too close to his body, which leads to some awkward catches and, with frustrating frequency, flat-out drops:

His route-running needs more consistency. The sharp, fluid breaks mentioned above weren't always apparent last season, though much of that may be due to the toe injury that lingered for most of the season.

Then there's the reason Funchess moved to wide receiver in the first place: his blocking, or lack thereof. He simply couldn't hold up as an in-line tight end, and his blocking didn't improve much when he moved outside. When putting together this post, I asked Brian for a canonical example of Funchess blowing a block:

Brian: there isn't one because there are so many
Brian: there are three in the ND UFR

That's referencing the 2013 Notre Dame game, when Funchess still played tight end; his blocking performance in that game may have expedited his move to receiver. Unfortunately, that move didn't mask Funchess' issues with both technique and effort as a blocker:

While most of Funchess' efforts weren't that egregiously bad, he's got a long way to go as a blocker.

Outlook

If you asked me after his sophomore season, I'd say without hesitation that Funchess is on his way to being a very productive NFL receiver. When healthy, he's a matchup nightmare, and NFL offenses are finding more ways to incorporate oversized, TE-like receivers. Then last season cast a lot of uncertainty over Funchess for reasons both within (drops, blocking) and outside (playcalling, QB play, injuries) of his control.

I still think Funchess can be an impact player worthy of an early-round selection. He can be a red zone threat right off the bat, and if he limits his drops he can be an every-down player. I like the CBSSports comparison of Funchess to Carolina's Kelvin Benjamin, who has a similar build (6'5", 240) and profile—Benjamin was the Panthers' go-to receiver as a rookie of out FSU, and while he was very productive (73 catches, 1,008 yards, 9 TDs), he had issues with drops (52% catch rate) and route-running. I'm not sure Funchess is as ready to be an instant-impact player; replicating Benjamin's rookie season is likely a best-case scenario.

I think Funchess is at the mercy of which team selects him more than a lot of receivers. If he's drafted by a franchise that tries to turn him back into a tight end, he's likely to be a bust. If his new team lets him go to work on the outside, he's got the chance to develop into a productive downfield threat, especially if he's paired with a receiver who works well underneath.