Jim Harbaugh Has Turned Michigan Football Into NFL Factory
In a short time, Jim Harbaugh has helped the Michigan football program become a factory for NFL talent.
Michigan football players used to get drafted all the time. Offensive lineman, quarterbacks, wide receivers, linebackers, defensive backs, defensive lineman, all of them were drafted consistently.
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In addition to fewer Michigan football players being drafted, fewer Michigan players are getting drafted early. Yet, thanks to Jim Harbaugh, that is changing and it’s changing quickly.
Harbaugh is still in the process of building Michigan football into an NFL powerhouse and he’s doing it in a couple ways. One, is recruiting with the NFL in mind. The other is developing the talent currently on the roster into NFL-caliber players.
In that regard, Harbaugh has been pretty successful. Jake Rudock wasn’t an NFL quarterback before he came to Michigan and he went in the sixth round. Others like Jake Butt, Jehu Chesson, Jourdan Lewis, Maurice Hurst, Amara Darboh and even Jabrill Peppers have seen their stock rise significantly in the past year.
Peppers, Lewis, Butt, Chesson, Chris Wormley, Hurst and maybe even Ryan Glasgow could all be picked in the first few rounds of next year’s NFL draft. And there’s a number of others with NFL potential that could see their draft stock soar with a big season in 2016.
Of course, this is done on purpose and it’s a brilliant strategy by Harbaugh. When he was first hired, he made the NFL a priority, by hiring a number of assistants with playing or coaching experience at the next level.
That, coupled with Harbaugh’s own playing and coaching experience and success in the NFL, made Michigan an it place for talented college recruits.
Looking at some of the recruits Harbaugh and the Wolverines have reeled in and it easy to say it’s working. Michigan signed the No. 1 defensive prospect in defensive tackle Rashan Gary, the top-ranked running back in Kareem Walker and one of the pocket passers for 2017 in Dylan McCaffery, as well as a slew of other stars.
“I think it does help that there has been NFL experience in our coaches’ background,” Harbaugh said. “A lot of our players, that’s one of their goals, to make it to the NFL.”
Playing in the NFL is the goal of many players and Harbaugh has been able to tap into that. However, he has also helped his own cause by showing his ability to develop talent.
Harbaugh did that at Stanford, he did it with the San Francisco 49ers and now he is doing it with Michigan football.
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It’s no wonder big-time players are flocking to the Wolverines and then onto the NFL, faster than they have in some time.