National Football League

Michigan Football Could Have A Lot Of Rookie Talent In The NFL Next Season

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 4:09 p.m. ET

Fansided, Tyler Fenwick/FanSided via GBMWolverine

With a loaded senior class headed to the NFL, Michigan football is going to be very well represented in the upcoming draft for the first time in a while.

The last time Michigan football sent more than three players to the NFL in one draft was 2008. That class featured names like Jake Long, Chad Henne, Shawn Crable and Mario Manningham.

It’ll take something spectacular to see less than a few names called in the 2017 NFL Draft. In fact, it might even be good enough to pass Ohio State’s mark of 12 last year. That could be an outlier of a goal, but Michigan is definitely going to be well represented in this draft.

Including players that won’t be drafted but could still end up on training camp rosters, some scouts believe the Wolverines could have as many as 24 rookies in the league next season.

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There are the obvious selections, most of which will come from the defensive side, like Jourdan Lewis, Jabrill Peppers and Taco Charlton. But there’s also players like Jeremy Clark, who reportedly was denied a sixth year of eligibility.

We’ll also be paying attention to Jake Butt, who tore his ACL in the Orange Bowl. Wilton Speight thinks that the New England Patriots taking Butt makes too much sense.

Jim Harbaugh thinks the number of Michigan draftees could reach the double digits.

“The feedback’s been really good, especially when it comes to the pro scouts, who have really been coming in,” Harbaugh said on the “Inside Michigan Football” radio show.

D.J. Boyer of DraftSite.com lists 10 Wolverines being drafted.

The last time Michigan had at least 10 players drafted was in 1972. Defensive back Thom Darden and linebacker Mike Taylor were taken in the first round.

Most mock drafts being released have Peppers and Charlton going in the first round, though the mocks don’t agree on who goes first. It’ll be interesting to see where players like Amara Darboh and Jake Butt (who could be second-round pickups and really good third-round pickups) end up once the mocks start evolving more. (Most mocks are still only covering the first round.)

In an era of showing recruits how many players you can put in the NFL, this draft might turn into a major selling point for Michigan moving forward.