U-M players' NFL combine preview
This should be viewable for even non-subscribers.
If not, well, I apologize, and summarize below:
Risers: Uche, Ruiz, Bredeson
Sleepers: Onwenu, Hill, McKeon
Draftable career backups: DPJ, Runyan
????: Patterson
Destined special teamers: Hudson, Metellus
February 24th, 2020 at 11:05 AM ^
As I learned, never date a girl with kids.
February 24th, 2020 at 11:09 AM ^
Never. That's the stone cold truth right there.
February 24th, 2020 at 11:08 AM ^
According to early reports, Joe Burrow has small hands.
https://ftw.usatoday.com/2020/02/joe-burrow-hand-size-2020-nfl-draft
February 24th, 2020 at 11:10 AM ^
What, like carnies?
February 24th, 2020 at 11:23 AM ^
They smell like cabbage.
February 24th, 2020 at 11:59 AM ^
Still bigger than mine ?
February 24th, 2020 at 7:58 PM ^
Measured thumb to pinky. Any better?
February 24th, 2020 at 2:50 PM ^
But can he spin it?
February 24th, 2020 at 11:14 AM ^
I still have no idea how Shea got an invite to The Combine. Not a horrible QB by any means, but saw nothing that said "This kid will play in the NFL". Questionable decision making and inability to throw accurate balls to receivers downfield.
February 24th, 2020 at 11:16 AM ^
It’s a combine. It’s not like they’re limiting it to the top 200 players. Combine invitations aren’t player evaluations.
February 24th, 2020 at 11:31 AM ^
Like the poster above, I always thought they screened the best players, assuming spots were limited and they wanted only the most likely to be drafted included.
Then I noticed Lewerke was invited. Your post is valid, 'nuff said
February 24th, 2020 at 11:27 AM ^
How could you have seen nothing? His brother told everyone that Shea "...would be a G in the League".
But yeah, whatever. I don't even know what a 'G' is...
February 24th, 2020 at 11:34 AM ^
Golfer is the meaning in this context
*rimshot*
February 24th, 2020 at 12:18 PM ^
"gofer"
February 24th, 2020 at 11:34 AM ^
A (partial) list of QBs attending the Combine:
Brian Lewerke, MSU
Jake Luton, Oregon State
Cold McDonald, Hawaii
James Morgan, Florida International
It's not like all these guys are superstars.
Ultimately, Shea Patterson threw for 8,800 yards and 68 career touchdowns playing in the two toughest conferences in the country.
February 24th, 2020 at 11:37 AM ^
Will Cold McDonald find time away from his farm to attend?
February 24th, 2020 at 12:31 PM ^
I prefer Hot McDonald to Cold McDonald at any time.
February 24th, 2020 at 2:52 PM ^
The McDLT purportedly solved that problem, but it never really caught on.
February 24th, 2020 at 11:42 AM ^
You had me at Lewerke
February 24th, 2020 at 12:10 PM ^
Hell, he's as good as, if not better than all those guys.
February 24th, 2020 at 12:10 PM ^
They invite so many from each position and the QB group is not that special.
February 24th, 2020 at 11:46 AM ^
If anybody here had asserted when DPJ committed to Michigan that he would end up as "draftable career backup" they'd have been negbanged all the way to Bolivia and then down to Tierra del Fuego.
February 24th, 2020 at 11:54 AM ^
I'm beginning to hate star ratings. If most players had DPJ's or Rashan Gary's output I would remember them fondly. I'll still have fond memories of them but they'll always be tinged with the disappointment of what could have been. I'm glad Charbonnet never got his fifth star.
February 24th, 2020 at 2:54 PM ^
I’m still more willing to blame a coaching staff that seemingly has no idea how to manage, develop, and effectively utilize talent.
February 24th, 2020 at 11:55 AM ^
I understand that this is the time of the year when people make wild projections about distant outcomes, but nobody really knows anything about how these prospects will do in the league (if they did, they'd be paid millions of dollars to lead the NFL's most successful front office). Despite his moderate production in college, DPJ is still a world-class athlete. He's the kind of guy who could blow up in the right system. Or he could be out of the league in three years - who knows. The point is that DPJ hasn't "ended up as" anything.
February 24th, 2020 at 4:07 PM ^
He seems like a super talented guy who will continue to be plagued by injuries. Wish him well and will definitely be rooting for him
February 24th, 2020 at 3:02 PM ^
Yeah, it's why freaking out about rankings is always a dicey proposition.
That said, most of the WRs from that class who didn't wind up at Alabama or are Tee Higgins had a rough go of it. Highlights how hard it is to evaluate kids who tend to be immensely more athletic than the guys they play against in HS.
February 24th, 2020 at 11:57 AM ^
I could see Khaleke Hudson being a valuable Special Teams only player.
February 24th, 2020 at 12:06 PM ^
While it's impressive to see so many Michigan players invited, and hopefully all of them get drafted and have successful, long careers, the combine list also underscores Michigan's biggest problem: lack of high-end, game-changing talent.
The team has had a lot of good to very good players in Harbaugh's tenure, and a few truly great ones--Mr. Bush and Mr. Hurst, come on down. But not enough to consistently beat top-tier teams.
How many of the 11 invited Michigan players get drafted in the Top 3 or 4 rounds? That' what really matters, and the answer is probably about what you'd expect for a 9-3 team in the Big Ten.
February 24th, 2020 at 12:56 PM ^
Shea was a multi-year starter at two big schools who did "above average". The NFL over-values QBs to the point where he might be drafted in the mid rounds!
I'm bummed that Danna and Glasgow didn't get invites. I think both are talented enough to stick on a roster somewhere and contribute.
February 24th, 2020 at 1:32 PM ^
NFL Combine site shows these grades:
- Potential Starters = Bredesen(6.14), Ruiz(6.41), Uche(6.26)
- Backups = Hill(5.97) , Metellus(5.96), Onwenu(5.90), DPJ(5.90), Runyan(5.88)
- PFAs = Hudson(5.46), McKeon(5.61), Patterson(5.60)
While we have 11 guys at the combine, only 3 show some potential to start in the NFL according to their grading.
February 24th, 2020 at 2:09 PM ^
Another year goes by and another year without a skill position drafted in the 1st.
February 24th, 2020 at 3:48 PM ^
Who was our last 1st round offensive skill player ? No seriously, can't remember because it was so dang long ago. Braylon Edwards in 2003 (17 years ago). And before that ? Tim Biakabutuka in 1996 (24 years ago).
Face it, we have never really produced offensive skill players at the 1st round level. Maybe Gattis can turn that around over the next few years.
February 24th, 2020 at 3:59 PM ^
Off the top of my head, Chris Perry and David Terrell also.
February 24th, 2020 at 8:49 PM ^
Braylon Edwards, Anthony Thomas...but yea...the last 20 years haven’t been pretty. To be fair, offensive skill positions only take about 10 slots out of a typical 1st round; so, that’s 200 of the best of the best of the best...in the last 20 years. Perspective is everything.
We have a lot of defensive players in there. In fact, quite recently...offensive “skill” guys are dime a dozen...”non skill”offensive, we have a bunch (Long, Lewan et al)