Which current Michigan players do you think have 1st-2nd round draft potential?
Two of the more obvious candidates are probably Martin on defense and Lewan on offense.
People here seem pretty mixed on Denard. I've seen people post that his athleticism alone could make him a high pick but that he'd never get drafted as a QB no matter how well he develops as a passer. But after seeing where Pat White got taken who knows?
What other players on the team do you think could turn out to be high draft picks?
August 27th, 2010 at 11:13 AM ^
Death Roh if he keeps developing into a force as a pass rusher. But probably 2nd round would be more likely than 1st. But who knows.
Molk is another potential one with being an interior lineman who is one of the best in the Big Ten.
August 27th, 2010 at 11:47 AM ^
The team that is smart enough to take Molk in the 2nd round is going to have an All-Pro anchor for the next 12 years. It's probably going to be the Steelers...
August 27th, 2010 at 1:00 PM ^
It won't be the Steelers unless Pouncey suffers a career-ending injury.
August 27th, 2010 at 1:22 PM ^
Agreed. If he can stay healthy, he will be a beast on the OL for his whole career.
August 27th, 2010 at 11:15 AM ^
Oh wait.....never mind.
August 27th, 2010 at 11:19 AM ^
This joke never gets old for me. haha
August 27th, 2010 at 1:17 PM ^
the sad thing is if he had stuck around he very well could have been a first rounder. If not first he would have went second for sure (assuming he kept improving).
August 27th, 2010 at 1:48 PM ^
As long as he didn't try running the 40 while doing his taxes again. I still can't believe that time he posted.
August 27th, 2010 at 1:52 PM ^
I just can't see that. You don't go from an undraftable player to a 1st-2nd round draft pick in one year. Especially when it seems that it was Warren's physical limitations that prevented him drafted. I guess I'm just saying that Warren may have been a good college player but he was never going to be a first rounder
August 27th, 2010 at 11:16 AM ^
I would think Garnder would be more likely to be a high pick. DG has more of the prototypical NFL QB body.
August 27th, 2010 at 11:18 AM ^
If he is progressing as well as the coaches and his teammates are suggesting, after his senior year he could have a very good chance at being a late 1st or early 2nd round draft pick.
August 27th, 2010 at 12:17 PM ^
I think Stonum has the ability to get up there, but I doubt he's going to be able to put up the necessary stats in this offense. With other weapons like 'Tree, Tay, and Hemingway all on the field as the same time as him.. it might limit his production somewhat. That being said, he could be a great steal for some team in the later rounds.
August 27th, 2010 at 1:12 PM ^
I agree he probably wont put up gaudy number in this offense the way the ball will be spread around, but Arrelious Benn didn't have eye popping numbers and he went early 2nd. I think Stonum, Lewan, Death Roh, Martin and D-Rob can go in the first two rounds. D-Rob being taken to play WR like Randel El not a wildcat qb ala Pat White.
August 27th, 2010 at 11:19 AM ^
JORDAN FUCKING KOVACS and Taylor Lewan
August 27th, 2010 at 12:35 PM ^
With a big senior year, I could see Schilling, Woolfolk (next year) and Mouton sneaking into the second round. They seem to have the athletic ability.
Beyond that, Martin, Roh, maybe Marvin Robinson at linebacker on defense, maybe Will Campbell if he matures and works harder.
On offense, Denard Robinson (with a position switch in the pros), Darryl Stonum (if he learns to adjust to the ball and gets a qb who can hit a deep pass), Lewan, Omameh, Toussaint (if we are just talking about potential)
And of course Devin Gardner is going to be the first pick in the draft after he wins a heisman and national championship trophy.
August 27th, 2010 at 11:19 AM ^
It's really hard to say right now because alot of the talent is in the freshmen and sophomore class and we don't know how they are going to develop, but I wouldn't be surprised if Jibreel Black developed into a pass rushing threat capable of being a first or second round pick, and the other player who I could see based on the fact he is built like a truck, hits like a truck, and has a ton of athleticism is Marvin Robinson.
August 27th, 2010 at 11:25 AM ^
Darryl Stonum seems to have NFL level size and speed if he can put together a few productive seasons. He also has value as a return man.
August 27th, 2010 at 11:28 AM ^
Pat White did get taken high, but has been worthless and may be cut before the preseason is over with. That probably kills Denard's chances. He might be taken as a WR, sure, but college QBs/pro WRs rarely get drafted in the first or second round.
August 27th, 2010 at 11:44 AM ^
Reminds me of one Eric Crouch. Boy did his career fizzle out fast.
August 27th, 2010 at 11:31 AM ^
August 27th, 2010 at 11:33 AM ^
Lewan, DG, Stonum, Martin, and I believe Cullen Christian has a chance to a great corner.
August 27th, 2010 at 11:35 AM ^
Shaw, Fitzy, or Hopkins all come to mind. But one obviously has to establish themself as the clear-cut 1A option. Wishful thinking, FTW!
August 27th, 2010 at 11:39 AM ^
Martin, Roh, Omameh, Lewan, Molk, Denard, Campbell, Gardner
August 27th, 2010 at 11:46 AM ^
Offense - Denard, Schilling, Lewan, Stonum
Defense - Martin, Roh, MRob, Cam Gordon
August 27th, 2010 at 12:14 PM ^
NFLDraftScout, the CBS affiliate, already has players that HAVEN'T yet STEPPED ON THE FIELD ranked by their NFL potential. You think I'm kidding. For example, Ricardo Miller is ranked as the 21st best WR in the 2014 draft class. For reference, their 21st best from this year was projected as 5-6th round (he went undrafted). If you wanna kill some time, you can go browse through their musings.
Well I'm sick and home from work today, so I have nothing better to do. For 2011, the round is where CBS has them projected. Beyond 2011, it's where they projected the 2010 equivalent, i.e. 2010 3rd best FS is Nate Allen, projected 2nd round, so Cam Gordon is projected second round. Anything here should be taken with a grain of salt. Probably less, to be honest. I'm just killing some time.
Some Notable Semi-Highly Placed Names:
Stephen Schilling: 2011 4th round pick
Jonas Mouton: 2011 6th round pick
Obi Ezeh: 2011 7th round pick
Martell Webb: 2011 7th round pick/ FA
2012
David Molk: 4th best center (5th round)
RVB: 5th best DE (2nd round)
Kevin Koger: 6th best TE (3rd round)
Mike Martin: 15th best DT (???) (5th round)
Mike Shaw: 19th best RB (7-FA)
Darryl Stonum: 32nd best WR (7-FA)
2013
Death Roh: 4th best OLB (1-2nd round)
Big Will: 6th best DT (I guess Scout nailed that one) (2nd round)
Jordan Kovacs: 9th best SS (6-7th round)
Tate Forcier: 20th best QB (Undrafted)
Vlad the Impaler: 22nd best SS (Undrafted)
Patrick Omameh: 39th best OG (6 Places Behind Mealer WTF) (Undrafted)
Denard: 64th best QB (Haters gonna hate!!) (One behind 'Drick Beaver LOLZ) (Undrafted)
2014
Will Hagerup: Best Punter (OH YEAH ZOLTAN 2.0) (6th round)
Brendan Gibbons: 2nd best kicker (Woo special teams) (7th round)
Cam Gordon: 3rd best FS (I guess they listen to hype) (2nd round)
MRob: 6th best SS (5th round)
Taylor Lewan: 9th best OT (2-3rd round)
Devin Gardner: 10th best QB (5th round... 2010 QB he's compared to is Jarrett Brown. NO WAY)
Quinton Washington: 19th best OG (Undrafted)
Christian Pace: 25th best OG (Undrafted)
Cullen Christian: 27th best CB (First Team Freshman All American status should change that) (6-7th round)
August 27th, 2010 at 1:32 PM ^
Some of those sound about right like Death Roh and maybe Big WIll. But others are way off IMO, like Lewan and Omameh. Then again this is all speculation, some of this will change for sure.
August 27th, 2010 at 2:03 PM ^
For not having stepped on the field yet, Lewan in the 2-3 round seems like a fair assessment based on hype. Omameh I totally disagree with, if he's below Mealer then they're not doing their homework on that one.
August 27th, 2010 at 2:24 PM ^
Yeah Omameh doesn't seem right at all. But since it is based on hype, it is hard to tell for the most part.
August 27th, 2010 at 11:52 AM ^
Moundros definetley has the size and ability to play fullback or linebacker
August 27th, 2010 at 1:28 PM ^
Considering that only 2 fullbacks were drafted in 2010 (5th and 7th rounds), he was originally a walk on (speaks to his athletic ability), and is in the first year of a position switch to linebacker, Moundros may be the least likely of any of the 2010 senior class to even be drafted at all.
August 27th, 2010 at 11:52 AM ^
Moundros definetley has the size and ability to play fullback or linebacker
August 27th, 2010 at 11:53 AM ^
I can see Martin on a team that values a DT who penetrates, but isn't planet-sized -- might work well as a 3-technique in the Tampa 2? I also think he'd convert well to a 3-4 DE at the next level. Those guys have to be able to hold up at the point of attack rather than be a pass rusher, and Martin is absurdly strong.
Roh's performance as a freshman portends great things (he held his own as a true freshman despite being terribly undersized for what he was doing, and he's a hard worker likely to improve). If he's healthy, he's going to be a holy terror by the end of his career.
Lewan has an ideal frame for an OT, and despite limited experience is already pushing for a starting job as a redshirt freshman. He's got lots of room to improve having come late to the position, and he's only going to get stronger and better in technique with experience. If he stays healthy he's a stone cold lock to be drafted, and fairly likely to get himself into the early rounds.
I'm not sure Molk will go in the first two rounds (some hardware would get him some more attention -- needs to stay healthy), but someone will get themselves a hell of a football player. You don't see centers drafted in the first round usually. He can execute tough blocking assignments, is nimble, smart, and has the nasty streak NFL teams love to see in offensive line prospects - as he says himself, he really loves to hit people.
There are others with some obvious potential but they've got a long ways to go to get there.
August 27th, 2010 at 12:09 PM ^
While I think there's a lot of potential top talent, to me, Craig Roh is at the top of that list. Every year you see teams picking 4-3 DEs from college with the hopes of making them 3-4 pass rushing OLBs. These guys get picked near the top 10 despite the risk of moving them to a new position.
If Roh continues to develop, I could see him going top 10 or higher, depending on team need that year. He's basically already playing that 3-4 rush OLB now, with 3 years of experience playing that role, I can see teams salivating over bringing in a guy with that kind of talent that already knows the position.
I can also easily see Martin getting picked somewhat early as a 3-4 DE. Many teams in the NFL are switching to the 3-4, and unless that suddenly takes a 180, there will be a lot of demand for that type of player.
One sleeper I could see is Martavious Odoms. With a very strong combine, I could see him slipping into the 2nd round. Great speed, good ability to block(especially after 4 years in this offense) and some high potential value in kick returns.
Depending on how many teams start to emulate New England's passing attack, I could see Roundtree sneaking into the 2nd round as well. I think he could easily fit in the Wes Welker mold. Quick and agile receiver with good hands and willingness to go over the middle, with top end speed not required.
August 27th, 2010 at 12:12 PM ^
Devin Gardner
Denard Robinson(as an athlete)
Taylor Lewan
Patrick Omameh
Craig Roh
Will Campbell
August 27th, 2010 at 12:39 PM ^
Demetrius Hart.
Bank on it.
August 27th, 2010 at 1:31 PM ^
I say Mike Martin, Darryl Stonum, Taylor Lewan, Will Campbell, Marvin Robinson, Cullen Christian, and Kevin Koger all have first round talent. For guys like Will Campbell, Darryl Stonum, and Kevin Koger they just have to play up to their potential because they have talent to spare. Mike Martin, Taylor Lewan, Marvin Robinson, and Cullen Christian have NFL size at their postion and I expect all of them to have really good NFL careers.
August 27th, 2010 at 1:53 PM ^
I don't know how high Josh Cribbs was drafted, but I feel that Denard can play that role. Also they are both fast, have dreads and wear #16.
August 27th, 2010 at 1:54 PM ^
RB:
Mike Cox and Fitzgerald Toussaint (two best athletes at RB on the team)
WR:
Darryl Stonum (really the only WR on the entire roster with the proto-type NFL size and speed combo. I could see him going late 1st or early 2nd with productive years)
TE:
Kevin Koger (terrific athlete, if he fixes his issues with the drops has a shot at 2nd round, maybe late 1st with a great 40 time)
OL:
Patrick Omameh (I think he is going to be our best guard in a LONG time and he's got the size and athleticism to go in the 1st)
Taylor Lewan (has the look of a future Top 10 pick....don't want to pin too much expectations on a guy that hasn't played, but that young man looks like a proto-type Tackle that was made in the same lab as Jake Long)
Steve Schilling (he has the size and athletic ability to be a 2nd rounder guard)
DL:
Mike Martin and Will Campbell
DB:
Troy Woolfolk (if he comes back healthy and has a productive 5th year, b/c the guy can run and is one of the best athletes on the entire team)
August 27th, 2010 at 2:11 PM ^
I could definetly see Denard in a Josh Cribbs role, return specialists and then develop into a wide receiver.
August 27th, 2010 at 6:06 PM ^
Cribbs was a QB I believe in college and wasn't drafted till late but Cleveland knew they had something there that first camp.
Lewan and Omameh on Offense. I just can't see many skill guys going real high. I can certainly see a few having a Stevie B type NFL career once they get to the league though.
Roh and Big Will could go that high. Jury is still out on many others. There are some possibilities here though.