I wanted to know what people thought about the potential some of Michigan's upperclassmen have with the NFL, both being drafted and actually being successful. Specifically, with these players..
Thoughts..
i hope minor stays. he's way
I think
I think this will be one of the worse draft classes Michigan has had in a long time. I wonder how long it has been since Michigan didn't get anyone drafted? BGraham could be a first day pick, and Trent and the DT's have a shot to go late, but beyond that it looks like slim pickins. The Coner should be able to take advantage of a weak QB class.
Also, isn't Ezeh a sophmore?
i thought i heard TT is a
i thought i heard TT is a first/early second rounder so i doubt he will be going late. and i don't know much about draft selections but i wouldnt be surprised if trent went undrafted. also, ezeh is a redshirt sophomore so he can jump ship if he wishes
All of these predictions are
I don't see Will Johnson
I don't see Will Johnson getting drafted. Or Morgan Trent, really, the way he's played. I don't think Harrison will get drafted, but I do think he has a role on an NFL team - he's super-fast and a good tackler, and excels at some things. Some coach out there can find a role for him using the things he does well.
I think Johnson will get
I think Johnson will get drafted late, based purely on his strength. He can be a clogger in the middle. He might be a short, somewhat undersized nose tackle, in the mold of Kelly Gregg or something, who doesn't make plays but allows his linebackers to do so.
I definitely think Harrison will find a niche in the NFL. I could see him fitting in with a team like the Steelers. Harrison has been pretty solid for the last couple years.
I'd pay Harrison the league
I'd pay Harrison the league minimum to bust heads on special teams and be on the scout team.
I think Mathews is tough to
I think Mathews is tough to evaluate - he has good hands, can go over the middle, and runs good routes. He could be a solid slot/3rd receiver, I think. It's tough to say because this year has basically been a "pass" for him.
I don't see Matthews going
I don't see Matthews going high, mid, or at all, necessarily. He lacks the speed to keep up with other NFL WR's, and his hands leave something to be desired, IMO. He's no Jason Avant, or even Arrington.
Before the season, some were predicting Trent to go as high as the first round! I didn't see it then, but I doubt anyone could have forseen his dropoff in play we've witnessed. He will be a late-rounder.
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I agree that Mathews is
I agree that Mathews is unspectacular. He has good hands, but he's not as adept at getting open as Avant was, and he's not as athletic as Arrington.
I would be shocked if Mathews
I would be shocked if Mathews got drafted. He's not bad at any part of his game, but he isn't good at any part either. He is a solid, but not great, Big Ten receiver. More than half the teams in the Big Ten have someone better than him, and a lot of other teams outside the BT do as well. He would need a magical senior season to get drafted, IMO.
FWIW
Brandon Minor said in an MLive article that he plans to stay the whole four years.
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This is slightly more
This is slightly more surprising than if Jim Potempa made the same announcement. But only slightly.
Even if he has an awesome
Even if he has an awesome last 4 games for this season, there's no way he could plan to enter the NFL draft. The only way he won't be in here in 2009 is if he decides to transfer, which I don't think he will, because the coaches are finally figuring out that he's the best running back on the team.
Not to bring this up AGAIN,
Not to bring this up AGAIN, but the coaches knew he was the best running back the whole time. He just had ball security issues in practice and in games. He took care of those issues; he's the man now.
Minor was also dinged up a
Minor was also dinged up a little at the beginning of the season.
He's finally getting some
He's finally getting some quality ball touches.
No question, Jim.
He fumbled against MSU. But
He fumbled against MSU. But they kept him in there. Why? Because he's a better option than McGuffie, Shaw, or Grady.
McGuffie was concussed.
McGuffie was concussed.
Shaw wasn't.
Shaw wasn't.
If the NFL draft were today
If the NFL draft were today and all those guys in the list declared, the only ones I see getting picked for sure would be Graham and Taylor, with Graham going somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd round and Taylor going somewhere 3 - 5. Minor might squeeze in there in a late round. Trent? I don't know. After last year, everyone seemed to think that he had a shot at being drafted, but I'm not seeing it based on this fall.
Barring some sort of combine miracle, everyone else has no chance at this point, IMO.
I only see a few slam dunks in maize and blue
The NFL craves players who are consistent, and I think the only two guys who most teams will see as potentially good players are Graham and Ezeh. The fact that Graham plays DE will get him drafted a little higher, and I think that Ezeh could be a really good pro in a couple of years. Personally, i have never been high on Taylor, and he reminds me of a smaller, less athletic version of Shaun Rogers in that he is woefully inconsistent, and he is the kind of player that will get in his own way.
Jamison may have a decent career. I like Brown and Minor, but both are too injury prone to be early picks.
Oh how I hate Ohio State!
I can see that Brown is
I can see that Brown is prone to injury (broken hand, sprained foot, hand surgery this spring, etc.).
But how is Minor injury prone? He tore his ACL in high school. Other than that, he's been available for every game when he's been at Michigan (correct me if I'm wrong) and if he's missed any time, it's been minimal.
The stated reason for him not
The stated reason for him not getting so much PT early was that he had been too "dinged up" to practice routinely.
Wait...so Minor is too injury
Wait...so Minor is too injury prone to play in the NFL even though he's never missed a game in his college career? Am I reading this correctly? Michael Bush is in the NFL even though he broke his leg in half and missed his last season. Willis McGahee is in the NFL even though his knee bent about 90 degrees in the wrong direction. Look, I'm not saying Minor is going to be successful in the NFL. We haven't seen him enough to gauge that. But to say he's too injury prone to play in the NFL because he's MISSED A FEW PRACTICES is absolutely fucking ridiculous. Honestly, it's one of the more ridiculous things I've heard from anyone not drunk or high on drugs (I'm assuming).
Way too early to tell on
Way too early to tell on Ezeh. Right now, he's not good. 2 years from now? Who knows.
Definitely way too early for
Definitely way too early for Ezeh. He's not even a particularly outstanding college player at the moment, so it's hard to imagine him making an NFL squad let alone being drafted. That being said, who knows - in the middle of his sophomore season one would not have predicted that David Harris would turn into a one-man wrecking crew and 2nd round pick in the NFL draft.
a prayer
Dear god, please let Ezeh turn into David Harris. Soon. Please?
Excellence is Good
Trent
Morgan Trent will probably be a late round draft pick. You can't teach speed as they say, so, I wouldn't doubt that some team scout would recommend to their organization to use a late round draft pick on him and consider trying him out on special teams.
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Tough Evaluations
Evaluating NFL talent is way different this year now that we're bad. I think Graham is a first day pick, hopefully in 2010. Trent will get drafted somewhere based on workouts. Terrence Taylor will probably be a 4th or 5th rounder. Beyond that who knows maybe some will be workout warriors and create some buzz. I think the other non-seniors on the list need to prove more next year. David Cone has a promising future signing and selling baseballs on ebay.
i hope minor stays. he's way better than i thought he would be