Upperclassmen in the NFL

Submitted by anup414 on

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..

  1. Morgan Trent
  2. Brandon Minor
  3. Terrence Taylor
  4. Brandon Graham
  5. Will Johnson
  6. Tim Jamison
  7. Carlos Brown
  8.  Greg Matthews
  9. Obi Ezeh
  10. Brandon Harrison
  11. Kevin Grady
  12. Leterryal Savoy
  13. Carson Butler
  14. David Cone (lol - I had too)
Thoughts..
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Michigan Football NFL Upperclassment

GNM

October 30th, 2008 at 2:39 AM ^

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?

Joined: 09/15/2008

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lhglrkwg

October 30th, 2008 at 2:44 AM ^

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

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PattyMax64

October 30th, 2008 at 4:31 AM ^

All of these predictions are based on current stance.  Any of these guys could really boost their stock or hurt it with a bad combine.
  • Morgan Trent-Mid 4th to Mid 5th
  • Brandon Minor-Mid 4th to Mid 5th, uf he continues to rush like he has recently it could be 3rd
  • Terrence Taylor- Late 1st with crazy combine, likely late 2nd
  • Brandon Graham-Could be Late 1st with a great finish
  • Will Johnson-5th to 6th
  • Tim Jamison-6th to 7th
  • Carlos Brown-Undrafted
  •  Greg Matthews-Mid 5th to Early 7th
  • Obi Ezeh-Can't tell at this point, too young and raw to be graded
  • Brandon Harrison- 6th to 7th
  • Kevin Grady-Undrafted
  • Leterryal Savoy-Undrafted
  • Carson Butler-Could go in 2nd based on physical talent, but will drop significantly due to character issues.  Maybe even 5th to 6th.  He isn't playing TE anymore and that will really hurt him.
  •  
    •  
    We will have people drafted for sure, and you can pencil Taylor and Graham in for 1st day (write Graham in pen).  A lot of the guys in tis list could really be helped by a great combine.
     
      Butler will also be interesting to watch. If he doesn't transfer, he will likely be at DE, not his NFL position. I am curious to see whether he will be avoided because of his past, but he does have the talent and raw ability to be a very serviceable NFL TE.

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    chitownblue (not verified)

    October 30th, 2008 at 10:01 AM ^

    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.

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    Magnus

    October 30th, 2008 at 10:14 AM ^

    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.

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    chitownblue (not verified)

    October 30th, 2008 at 11:27 AM ^

    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.

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    M - Flightsci

    October 30th, 2008 at 12:02 PM ^

    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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    WolvinLA

    October 30th, 2008 at 1:33 PM ^

    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.

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    Magnus

    October 30th, 2008 at 2:13 PM ^

    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.

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    The Squid

    October 30th, 2008 at 2:19 PM ^

    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.

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    littlebrownjug

    October 30th, 2008 at 3:59 PM ^

    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.

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    Magnus

    October 31st, 2008 at 9:58 AM ^

    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.

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    Magnus

    November 1st, 2008 at 10:35 AM ^

    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).

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    The Squid

    October 30th, 2008 at 4:33 PM ^

    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.

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    Jay

    October 31st, 2008 at 11:50 AM ^

    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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    Pitch the Ball Ecker

    November 2nd, 2008 at 1:59 AM ^

    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.

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