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Maurice Hurst Might Be Michigan Football’s Best Defender

By Chris Peterson

Sep 26, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines defensive tackle Maurice Hurst (73) celebrates a sack of Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Tanner Mangum (12) in the second quarter at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines defensive tackle Maurice Hurst (73) celebrates a sack of Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Tanner Mangum (12) in the second quarter at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jabrill Peppers and Jourdan Lewis have got a lot of attention for Michigan football this summer, but the best defensive player for the Wolverines might be Maurice Hurst.

There is no debate that the Michigan football team is going to have one of the best defenses in the country this season. However, if you want to determine who the best individual player is for the Wolverines, that is a much more difficult question to answer.

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Certainly, Jabrill Peppers and Jourdan Lewis both come to mind. After all, Lewis earned All-American honors at cornerback last season and likely would have been a first-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft had he thrown his hat in the ring,

Peppers also has big-time pro potential and always has the versatility and the athleticism that teams in the NFL now crave. The hybrid safety/linebacker is the wave of the future and Peppers fits that mold to a T.

However, as good as those players are, they may not be as good or as valuable to the Wolverines this season as defensive tackle Maurice Hurst.

At 6-2, 281 pounds, Hurst isn’t the biggest defensive tackle, but that doesn’t stop him from being disruptive. In fact, last season, despite playing just 418 snaps, he racked up 35 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.

Yet, in that limited time he made an impact and NFL talent scouts better take notice. Pro Football Focus definitely did, ranking him as the third best returning interior defensive lineman in the country and projecting him to be a first-round selection in the 2017 NFL draft.

Peppers and Lewis are both invaluable, particularly when it comes to playing coverage. Lewis is about as good a man-to-man corner as there is in the FBS and Peppers simply makes impact plays.

But, Michigan football is about the running game and on defense that means stopping the run, something Hurst will play a big part in doing.

Hurst is also a talented pass rusher and while he may have had just three sacks, that’s still a pretty impressive number for an interior rusher.

Collapsing the pocket and generating pressure on the quarterback from up the middle is one of the most disruptive things you can do to a passing attack and that’s an area where Hurst excels.

Another thing that will make his impact more wide-felt is that fact that he should see more snaps in 2016. There is no question he is one of the best defensive lineman on the Michigan football team and he needs to be on the field as much as possible.

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Now, it would be foolish to say he is definitively going to be the Wolverines best defender this season, but with his talent and the way he can impact the game, it’s an idea that’s not far-fetched. 

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