Many people thought the run game's struggles this season (okay, the offense in general) would reflect poorly on Lewan's draft status. SI disagrees.
Well fuck.
If he finishes this season out with his draft status
unchanged, then it would be hard to believe that he doesn't go pro.
That's OK. I'd rather have guys on the team that are NFL material after their Jr year rather than CFL material or worse after their 5th year.
Let's us get used to reloading rather than rebuilding.
We don't have any "reloading"
We don't have any "reloading" options ready for next year though. Losing Lewan means we lose 4 of 5 starting linemen. As mediocre as our interior line has been, having 2 or 3 RS freshmen starting next year is a scary proposition.
If I had to guess, our line if Lewan bolts is:
LT - Magnuson (RS fresh)
LG - Kalis (RS fresh)
C - Miller (RS soph)
RG - Burzynski (RS junior, walkon)
RT - Schofield (RS senior)
This could grow into a solid unit, but it's also completely unproven and very young.
Switch Schofield and
Switch Schofield and Magnusun.
Switch Magnusun with
Switch Magnusun with Magnuson
heh heh
Actually switch Magnuson with Braden at RT
Braden starts next year.
You are assuming we have a
You are assuming we have a right-handed QB. Just sayin'.
Devin Gardner is going to
Devin Gardner is going to start throwing left handed?
To be fair...1 game. It is no
To be fair...1 game. It is no shoe in that Gardner will be the starting qb. If he plays the rest of the year like he did in the spring game...MgoBlog panic will commence
To be really fair Gardner
To be really fair Gardner will be a senior or a redshirt junior with two full years with this coaching staff and 3.5 years at the collegiate level. People are questioning his path to starter because Shane Morris has great physical tools and completely ignoring the fact that Shane will be a true freshman who didn't even get to enroll early and missed a chunk of his senior year to mono. Devin may not be a shoe-in but if he doesn't start it will likely be due to injury or other extenuating circumstances not because he simply isn't as good as Morris.
Braden
Maybe Braden at RG? Definitely has the size for it
This might sound arrogant, and if it is, it is. We’re Michigan.
Chris Bryant in there too
Chris Bryant in there too
Cool; could we adopt that plan
in 2014?
Denard
Did anybody else hear if Denard will be out until the Ohio game? Apparently it was on M Live radio. I didn't personally hear it, but a friend of mine heard it.
Walmart Wolverines are OK in my book!
Way to stay on topic, dude.
But if you heard it on M-Live radio, I'm sure it's true.
you're right
I should have labeled it as OT. Also, i don't actually believe anything until i see it here on mgoblog. Then i roll with it.
Walmart Wolverines are OK in my book!
Depends where on MGoBlog
In content by the proprietor and his staff, fine. In the board or in the comments, eh, not quite as much.
NOTY
Can we talk for a second about how the top three projected draft picks might go 1-2-3 in the Name of the Year draft as well?
Barkevious Mingo
Bjoern Werner (OK this one isn't that great)
Star Lotulelei
The last projection had him
The last projection had him going #14 or so if I remember correctly. This one has him #5 and my guess is that, Lewan, being the best left tackle in college football will move up again before the actual draft takes place.
If the last few drafts are any indication he'll probably end up going in the top three. And then the boy will get PAID! Good for him - it's why we all went to college now isnt it?
not like the old days though
2012 # 3 overall pick Trent Richardson got 4 years and 20.5 mil (13.5 guaranteed) whereas 2010 #3 overall pick Gerald McCoy got 5 years, 63.4 million with 35 million guaranteed
now, 13.5 mil is nothing to sneeze at, but I'm blindly holding on to the belief that the reduced money may make a run at a MNC with Team 134 a bit more appealing to Taylor.
/straws grasped
ALWAYS remember the golden rule: He who has the gold, makes the rules
That is a huge monetary gap between #3 and 4
It even makes it financially worthwhile to stay in College 1 more year to move up that one spot in the draft board. Basically you will have to earn $42.9 Million (63.4 - 20.5) over 2 years for it to be financially smart to leave early this year (without taking into account time value of money). Of course this does not factor in the risk of injury and his "pleasure value" of another year in college, but still, WOW at the difference.
The Michigan Difference. Oh yea, it is real.
Tyrone Wheatley would argue
Tyrone Wheatley would argue that sometimes coming back for that last year CAN make difference and not always a positive one. He was generally considered a top 5 pick after his Jr year in 93 (yes back in the stone ages when RBs were still considered to be worthy of top 5 picks), came back for his Sr year, got injured and slid down the board dramatically eventually getting picked #17 in 94.
So remember, bird in the hand yadda yadda and all that sometimes is true.
The differential between
The differential between McCoy and Richardson is the result of the rookie pay scale in the new CBA, not the difference in being picked 3 vs 4.
No offense...
but you are insane if you think we are making a run for the MNC next year, with or without Taylor.
no offense taken
I've had people telling me for years that I'm insane. Some only I can see
ALWAYS remember the golden rule: He who has the gold, makes the rules
The First Round Thing....
The prospect of Lewan (or any potential first round pick) going pro and getting taken high in the first round is interesting in part because of the rookie wage scale that came into place in the contract last year. I think there are limits now on first-year salary and over the maximum four-year deal, although I believe they are allowed a club option for a fifth year if they are a first round pick. The only types of salary allowed now, I believe, are base, workout bonuses and performance incentives as well. The huge bonuses are gone in this contract, so I understand, but I assume depending on how they apportion the pool, you could still make a nice salary (looks like $4 million or so was about average for the first round this year). I wonder if things like this would factor into the decision of anyone projected to go in the first round.
That being said, he is great in pass protection and a very good blocker who can definitely use his 6"7", 310 lb. self to his advantage on the line and has done so with flair. I can't imagine many NFL teams that wouldn't want at least one more guy like that on the line.
"Funny isn't it, how naughty dentists always make that one fatal mistake."
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These are reasons why more
These are reasons why more players may leave early to get to the 2nd contract sooner.
"No man is more important than The Team. No coach is more important than The Team. The Team, The Team, The Team"
Lewan is likely the 2nd best OT
In the draft. Luke Joeckel from Texas A&M is the consensus top OT in the draft. Regardless, he is projected to be drafted in the 1st round
If by consensus
You mean that not everyone believes Joeckel is the best OT, then yes.
Did you look at the link? SI.com has Lewan as the #1 OT, the #5 player in the class, and puts him five spots ahead of Joeckel. Now, who knows how this will end-up on draft day, but Lewan is definitely in the hunt to be a top 10 pick, maybe even top five.
Thank you, Coach Hoke, for bringing Michigan back.
Si is the only one
Who has Lewan as the best OT in the draft. Everybody else said it's Luke Joeckel. Lean is more of a mid 1st rounder than top 5-10. It's still very good
UNC year-in-year-out has a
UNC year-in-year-out has a slew of 1st and 2nd round picks yet can't put a team on the field that is better than 8-4 (with or without paying them).
Class of '97: 4 Years -- 4 Four-loss seasons
That sounds a lot like
That sounds a lot like Clemson... Maybe the coaching in the ACC is just terrible.
Or the story of Miami (FL)
for the last 10 years.
So yeah..it's the ACC
It's hard to run with their
It's hard to run with their wallets dragging them down.
So depressing
It is so depressing to see a few of the names on this list. Barkevious Mingo was offered and aggresively pursued by the previous coaching staff (actually it may have been Fred Jackson if he was the one recruting Lousiana at the time). We were in Sam Montgomery's final group too, both Roh and Lewan were trying to recruit him at the UA game. And well, we all know the story about Hankins. Not saying they all would have developed at the same level, but they all would have had at least 2-3 years with the current DL coaches. Sigh....what could have been
Yeah, but we got Chris Rock,
Yeah, but we got Chris Rock, Ken Wilkins, and Terry Talbott, so things worked out pretty well on our end.
Don't forget
Ray vinopal
So hot. Milk was a bad choice.
i'd say...
that hankins hurts the most since we've been so thin at DT for so long now...
But! But!
He likes college!!!! And he has that twosie! And..nothing replaces your senior year...and...he can help the young guys..and....
#grasping
Mom, MGrad and life long fan living in So Cal
Any chance Gardner would
Any chance Gardner would leave after this year? Seeing what his OL is gonna look like next year, I don't know that I would blame him if he leaves. That's assuming he could even if he wanted to leave.
no
no
"The straightest line from A to B is straight: From A to B"
"When you have Denard Robinson, you can have everything"
~George Walden
What has Gardner possibly
What has Gardner possibly done that would make anyone think he could leave after this year? Unless, of course, you're talking about a transer, which I don't think you are...
Mile High Wolverine, I think
Mile High Wolverine, I think you need to come down from the mountains.
Too much thin air.
Recent referendum in full
Recent referendum in full effect.
Jake Long stayed for his RS
Jake Long stayed for his RS senior year when after 06 he was projected as a top 15 pick if I recall. Now I know what I'm about to say is a broad generalization but it does seem that top prospected OLmen tend to return to school more then similarly ranked skill position guys. or DLmen.
Apples and Oranges
Long was returning to a team that had been highly ranked all the previous season due to starting 11-0, and was considered to be a heavy national championship contender thanks to the return for their senior years of Henne, Hart, & Long himself, amongst others. Obviously we all know how that season wound up going, but I think he was returning for a shot at the championship.
Lewan will be returning to a team with a new starting QB after 3 years of Denard, having 3 new linemen on the line with him, and not likely to be a championship contender, sad to say. If he's a top 10 pick, I don't see him coming back (but of course I hope I'm wrong).
Twitter: @MikeCohodes
My Blog - posts on movies, tv, and books; politics; and fatherhood Updates minimum 3x a week
Happy for us if he stays.
Happy for him if he goes. He's a great team player and deserves a big NFL contract. The kid singlehandedly introduced the word "twosie" into the Michigan fan base lexicon. He's got a mustache tattoed on one finger and "Shhhh" on another. And he's blocked for one of the most exciting football players ever to wear the winged helmet.
So, I'll miss watching him on Saturdays but will cheer his team on Sundays. Either next year or the year after.
I would be happy if he stays.
I would be happy if he stays, but it makes sense for him to leave after this year. Either way, he's had a great career at Michigan and he will make some NFL team happy when he shows up to practice in his twosie.
I certainly wish Taylor the
I certainly wish Taylor the best, but I do hope he stays. He's an amazing player, a great interview, and he would be a big help to our MANBALL transition. In fact, the offenses transition to MANBALL might be a selling point for him; he would learn more about blocking in a pro-style offense before heading off to the draft.
That said, I believe he's worthy of a top 15 pick, and I hope he makes whatever decision is best for him.
Thank you, Coach Hoke, for bringing Michigan back.
Er...
Keep in mind that a year in the NFL, instead of a year in college, will teach you a little something about blocking in a pro-style offense. +Millions of dollars!
Well fuck.