Michigan Football: Which Wolverine will get picked first in the NFL draft?

There were 11 Michigan football players invited to the NFL combine. Which one will get picked first in the draft?

With 13 draft-eligible players and 11 invited to the combine, Michigan football is primed for a strong showing in the 2020 NFL draft this Thursday. There’s no way of knowing exactly who’s going to get drafted where, but we’ve got a pretty good indication of who’s going to be the first Wolverine off the board. Although, it’s anyone’s game and there are Michigan men expected to be selected very close together.

All it takes is one NFL executive to fall in love with some tape and convince his or her peers that the guy he or she wants is the right for the team. Meaning, at any point in the draft, a projected fifth-rounder could end up hearing their name called in the first or second round.

Overwhelming, however, Michigan’s dynamic center/guard Cesar Ruiz is thought to be the first one that will be taken. Some mock drafts have him picked up late in the first round, and others have him snagged very early, if not the first, in the second round.

Lance Zierlein from NFL.com provided the analysis on Cesar:

"Athletic and tenacious with the combination of skills and technique to fit into a variety of blocking schemes on the next level. Ruiz wins early with initial quickness and fast hands into first contact. He works to convert early advantages into wins. He’s consistent in securing down-blocks and has the athletic traits to become a second-level factor. He’ll give some ground to power rushers and needs help against wide-bodies, but the tape checks out. Ruiz has early starting potential and should develop into a good pro with guard/center flexibility."

Per NFL.com, Cesar was given the prospect grade of 6.40, which is interpreted as being a starter in the first two seasons.

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An argument can be made for Josh Uche as the first UM player drafted. Many analysts have commented that at Michigan, Uche was criminally underused and that his ProFootballFocus stats are off the charts.

Josh landed in the same grade range as Cesar, albeit slightly lower at 6.31. The problem with Josh is that he’s not really a linebacker and not really a defensive end, he’s a tweener. Once he’s at an established position in the NFL – most likely on the line – he should shine. What Uche is known for is his ability to get to the quarterback with his burst of speed and excellent hands. During the past two seasons, Josh accounted for at least seven sacks and over 40 tackles.

Here’s Uche’s NFL.com evaluation:

"Balancing Uche’s skill set and athletic potential against his inexperience and lack of instincts makes him a challenging evaluation. He’s unlikely to find sustained success as a situational rusher, but it should be in play for a team to turn loose his rush instincts and agility inside the pocket as a blitzer. He plays with closing burst, can tackle and is smoother in coverage than expected, but the difference in becoming a pro linebacker instead of a short-term, hybrid athlete will depend largely upon improving his second-level instincts and finding an eclectic defensive mind to unlock his potential."

There’s also Donovan Peoples-Jones, who didn’t live up to the hype after being one of the highest-ranked prospects to commit to Michigan football. As a high school senior, DPJ was ranked 12th nationally, the No. 1 WR, and No. 1 in-state (played for Cass Tech in Detroit).

After an underwhelming freshman year, DPJ had somewhat of a breakout sophomore season, posting 612 yards receiving. But then, the production under the new offensive coordinator fizzled out. DPJ didn’t reach the 500-yard mark during his third year in the Michigan offense. Still, People-Jones impressed many with his combine-leading 44.5 vertical jump, and his 4.48 forty proves he’s got NFL speed.

DPJ wasn’t able to keep with his teammates in the prospect grade aspect as he dropped into the backup/special teams category with a 5.94.

Here’s the evaluation:

"Former five-star and top-rated receiver coming out of high school, Peoples-Jones failed to find the success and production expected over his three seasons at Michigan. His route tempo is sluggish, but he has some savvy and shortcuts footwork for out-breaking routes to the boundary. He doesn’t run well enough to play outside in the pros but has decent tape as a big slot. His pro limitations go beyond Michigan’s spotty offense and he may not reach any higher than being an average backup."

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