Michigan Football: Maurice Hurst finds new NFL team after being cut

After being waived by the Oakland Raiders, Maurice Hurst, a former Michigan football All-American has found a new home with the 49ers.

Not every former Michigan football player goes on to have a successful career in the NFL after playing for the Wolverines.

For every Tom Brady or Charles Woodson, there’s a bust and it’s just part of the game. One Michigan football alum that never felt like a potential bust though was former All-American defensive tackle Maurice Hurst.

Hurst was drafted by the Raiders in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Some health issues were surrounding Hurst leading up to the draft that hurt his stock, otherwise, the 6-foot-2, 290-pound D-lineman should have been a first-round pick.

But, during his first two seasons, he played very well with the Raiders, being credited with 7.5 sacks. He also had 18 total pressures during his first season. Last year, Hurst had eight pressures in 10 games and three starts. He’s also been a productive tackler throughout his career and his contract wasn’t going to be up until after this season.

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However, Oakland waived Hurst earlier this week, in a reminder that the business of football can be a harsh one, especially in the world of the salary cap.

The biggest issue with Hurst throughout his career in the NFL has been injuries but to be fair, he has only missed a possible total of eight games in three seasons.

That’s not bad at all and considering how hard it is to find quality pass rushers on the interior defensive line, it’s not a big surprise that Hurst has already been picked up by Jim Harbaugh’s former team, the San Francisco 49ers.

Hurst was a consensus All-American after the 2018 season at Michigan football, in which he had 59 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks. Hurst was highly productive throughout his U-M career though and not just that season. He finished with 130 tackles 13.5 sacks and 32 tackles for loss. He also batted down three passes and forced two fumbles.

We’ll see if Hurst makes the 49ers 53-man roster because that’s what really counts. But if he does, at least he was able to find a new team without having to go very far.