Exit Vincent Gray to the NFL Draft
This one is less surprising. Though a returning starter, with the emergence of DJ Turner II as Michigan’s top cornerback, Gemon Green’s return from injury, the progression of Ja’Den McBurrows, and a wave of elite freshmen, including five-star Will Johnson, inbound, Gray was going to have to win a tough battle to keep his job. Already graduated, he will pass that up to see if he can catch in in the League, he posted on his instagram account.
Gray won a spot in the rotation behind Ambry Thomas and Lavert Hill in 2019, but there was a substantial difference between the production numbers…
Lowest completion % allowed by a B1G DB since 2014:
— PFF College Football (@PFF_College) June 22, 2020
1. David Long Jr, Michigan ('18) - 29.0%
2. Channing Stribling, Michigan ('16) - 30.2%
3. David Long Jr, Michigan ('17) - 31.0%
4. Jourdan Lewis, Michigan ('16) - 31.7%
5. Vincent Gray, Michigan ('19) - 32.4% pic.twitter.com/mYM3KMTxdo
…and the charting, which showed a marked difference between how well Gray and Thomas played the ball. Gray’s 2020 was rough, particularly the MSU game, but he bounced back to stay in phase or over the top as a switch to zone coverage made up for some of his limitations. While those limitations still left Michigan exploitable in the flats underneath him, Gray was a steady presence and won far more routes than he lost until Georgia got to him a couple of times in the playoffs. That’s a remarkable senior run considering how his junior campaign went. Though he leaves a redshirt and a COVID year of eligibility on the table, I think we got all we could ask out of Gray in his four years at Michigan, and hope he catches on as a pro. The dark times would have been much darker if he'd not been around.
Though Gray is the fourth CB to leave the program with eligibility remaining since the Orange Bowl, Michigan was expected to lose at least that many from a packed roster. DJ Turner is still around, and Gemon Green and his twin brother German are planning on returning for their 5th years, so the Wolverines should still have two experienced starters unless someone loses his job to a younger guy.
There’s a good chance at least one does. Ja’Den McBurrows passed a lot of guys older than him over the course of his freshman year in 2021, and combined with incoming Will Johnson, Kody Jones, and Myles Pollard, Michigan should be able to find two or three impact underclassmen to load the depth chart. Walk-on speedster Keshaun Harris, stolen off the track team, passed seven scholarship players to be the 4th corner for most of last year, until McBurrows overtook him. One of those passed, Jalen Perry, has seen over 50 live snaps at cornerback as well. So/Sr Quinten Johnson and Fr/Jr Eamonn Dennis, a converted slot not expected to be competing until 2022, could factor in as well..
January 8th, 2022 at 2:35 PM ^
Good luck, Vincent!
January 8th, 2022 at 2:37 PM ^
Not trying to be a dick with this question. Will he be drafted?
January 8th, 2022 at 4:58 PM ^
No. He probably won’t even be signed as an UDFA.
Let’s be clear: unless he has some kind of kitten-eating hobby that hasn’t come to light, Vincent Gray is awesome. I can’t remember the last time I followed a college player from the bottom of such a deep pit of adversity to the greatest Michigan stage (beating OSU). As well as Hutchinson played, I thought as an avatar of the 2020 season, it was fitting that Gray’s 4th down tackle of Olave effectively ended the OSU game. He is one of the best stories of a magical season we’ll all remember to the end of our days.
But the NFL is a totally different beast. He’s graduated so the draft is a “why the hell not” for him, and I’ll bet he knows his odds. But no, no team is gonna draft a CB with his measurables.
January 9th, 2022 at 3:34 AM ^
I mean, he'll probably at least get a UDFA shot I think. Hell, Brandon Watson (now Rusnak, not sure why), the poster child of getting roasted by OSU's NFL caliber guys has managed to stick on Jacksonville's roster.
Obviously he's athletically a borderline draft pick at best, but he's definitely improved to be playable and these training camp opportunities are usually pretty far reaching. Tougher to say if he sticks anywhere long term, we'll see then I suppose.
January 9th, 2022 at 3:34 AM ^
Double post zzzz
January 9th, 2022 at 11:00 AM ^
Exactamente, Donovan Warren was a 4* and a tick faster than Gray . Alas, he was a practice squad dweller.
January 18th, 2022 at 2:11 AM ^
Agree 100%
January 8th, 2022 at 2:40 PM ^
I am getting less and less optimistic that JH is staying
January 8th, 2022 at 8:14 PM ^
Based on what I am hearing, I would not be surprised at all if Harbaugh heads back to the NFL.
January 8th, 2022 at 10:34 PM ^
I don’t see why folks are downgrading this observation and while there are a lot of forces out there who would gain on spreading dis-information, Jim hasn’t come out and said it’s nonsense.
January 8th, 2022 at 2:40 PM ^
I am getting less and less optimistic that JH is staying
January 8th, 2022 at 2:52 PM ^
Honestly, this was brought up weeks ago as likely; he likely saw the depth chart and figured he might as well take a run at the NFL now versus possibly getting passed and having to transfer or be a backup.
I wish him luck but other than Hinton (and even that's not that surprising) none of the departures seemed out of the ordinary.
January 8th, 2022 at 4:44 PM ^
I don't think he saw the depth chart as much as it was what I was saying it was when this came up weeks ago (and earlier this week when I had him on draftwatch).
His stock isn't going to get higher by coming back. At least not considerably. He pretty much is who he is. So why risk injury or having a year that is worse than this one?
I'll use the same example. I acknowledge there is no possible way to know exactly where you are going to get drafted...but it's the point I'm trying to make.
Let's say Gray is a 5th/6th round pick right now.
He's pretty much maxed out but even after a good year...that gets you where? 4th/5th round?
Does it make sense to risk coming back and NOT having as good of a year or getting injured and falling out of the draft completely? Plus you have class. And you're not getting paid.
You're delaying for a year and there is a reasonable chance you end up in the exact same place...and that's if you don't get exposed or if you don't get hurt.
It's not worth it unless you just love school or you have team goals you want to accomplish.
Gray is Gray, he's been relatively the same for 3 seasons, he was just terrible in 2020 because of the system.
Plus, don't forget. He's losing the best combo of edge rushers we've had...maybe ever. That means he's got to cover longer.
If I was advising him, I'd absolutely tell him...you've got to go now.
January 8th, 2022 at 4:46 PM ^
Sidenote, I've said this before as well.
Will Johnson is as good as Vincent Gray is today...minus the experience and strength and conditioning.
German Green can start as the 2nd CB until Johnson is ready to take over outside (he's not a NB...please, let's not do that again. He's a press man, or off man with inside or outside leverage, CORNER).
January 9th, 2022 at 11:05 AM ^
He’d almost certainly have a worse year. The lethal rush neutralized most passing attacks so he didn’t need to cover long. His stock likely falls after another season. Nevertheless, we all wish him the best of luck as many Michigan players are better on sundays.
January 8th, 2022 at 2:41 PM ^
The rotation would not have been kind to him this year, but if he can't cover Georgia wideouts, who thinks he can cover the ones in the NFL?
@ 5:27 WTF?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jZM-kVXnqE
January 8th, 2022 at 2:54 PM ^
He improved alot from the 2020 MSU game. I hated it that he got beat for a deep ball again in his last audition for the NFL.
January 8th, 2022 at 2:50 PM ^
Wish him luck. This has been hinted at for a while and I get wanting to take my shot at the NFL. He had a rebound in 2021 and I could see him sneaking in as a ST player.
January 8th, 2022 at 4:02 PM ^
A top thing I didn't expect to read today. Interesting times. I hope he proves everyone, including myself, wrong and makes millions in the league. But I saw him as slow, with poor technique on playing the ball, and inclined to mental mistakes. Can't see how having a "tough battle to keep his job" in a college secondary translates well to the next level. Prove the haters wrong VG.
January 8th, 2022 at 4:20 PM ^
Seems like two years of free room and board at a UM grad school makes this a potentially bad financial decision.
January 8th, 2022 at 4:31 PM ^
Good Luck Mr Gray
January 8th, 2022 at 4:36 PM ^
Not surprised at all.
January 8th, 2022 at 5:11 PM ^
He's been here for four years and played for all of them. Now's the time for him to leave especially with a degree. In a normal system he would be leaving this year anyway and frankly, I think it's healthy for him to do so.
Relative to expectations he was a big hit and I'm glad he played here. Best of luck to him.
January 18th, 2022 at 2:13 AM ^
Perfect
January 18th, 2022 at 2:16 AM ^
Since all you are doing is posting meaningless responses in old threads to pick up cheap points, your account is suspended for 48 hours.
Once the suspension is lifted, if this resumes, further suspension(s) or banning may result.
If this was a new account I was dealing with for the same thing, it would result in an immediate ban. It's happened on several occasions.
January 8th, 2022 at 5:17 PM ^
More power to him.
He was much maligned after the 2020 "season"--fans had really low expectations to the point where his play was something of an inside joke. Then, he went out and had a solid 2021 season after being put in a better position by coaching/scheme. Goes to show how important it is to utilize the talent that we do have correctly (instead of only wanting more 5* recruits). It's really both.
I hope it turns out well for him and think he's a really good example of one of ours persevering through adversity and not giving up.
January 8th, 2022 at 7:07 PM ^
He and Green looked so bad last year - nothing was worse than watching them get smoked by Rocky Lombardi, as if Rocky were Dan Marino 1984.
Glad he was part of a great turnaround and was pretty solid during the year. The UGA game was just a bad matchup for many of our players and Kirby's team was very focused (with far more 4, 5 star talent) and drew up a brilliant gameplan.
Still think he was better off coming back and trying to raise his stock - showing that he can cover even without two 1st round DEs crashing the pocket. If he makes special teams as an UDFA that's something.
David Long and Lewis were superior in performance and probably better talented as well - so he got a good resume for this year.
I'm happy with what this team will bring to the table next year - more reason JJ will be the QB as we will need to win some 38-31 contests.
January 8th, 2022 at 10:25 PM ^
Good luck Vincent.
January 8th, 2022 at 11:09 PM ^
What I take from the embedded tweet is David Long was undervalued. Way undervalued.
January 9th, 2022 at 7:46 PM ^
"Gray won a spot in the rotation behind Ambry Thomas and Lavert Hill in 2019, but there was a substantial difference between the production numbers…"
Speaking of Ambry Thomas, he just made the game-inning interception for San Francisco (v. St. Louis) in the last few seconds of OT.
I'd been looking for his number (and the other ex-Wolverines) all night, and didn't see it. And suddenly I saw his name on the back of the player who saved the day.
January 18th, 2022 at 2:15 AM ^
Wishing him the best.
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