Michigan Football: How many Wolverines will go in NFL draft?

Michigan football and Jim Harbaugh have sent a number of players to the NFL over the years, but how many Wolverines will get picked in the 2021 NFL draft? 

Jim Harbaugh’s record as the head coach of Michigan football hasn’t been all that impressive. It’s probably not as bad as some make it out to be, seeing as Harbaugh has won at least eight games in five of his six seasons.

However, Jim hasn’t beaten Ohio State, won a Big Ten title, or reached the College Football Playoff. Hell, the Wolverines haven’t even reached the Big Ten title game in Indy.

One thing Michigan football has done pretty well under Harbaugh is churn out NFL talent. In the first five drafts under Harbaugh, Michigan has had 31 players selected including 10 last season.

Five of those players have been first-round picks, and it looks like a strong bet that Kwity Paye will become the sixth first-round pick for U-M under Harbaugh.

But as far as everyone else, there is a lot of variance. Truth be told, this is a hard class to evaluate. Most teams didn’t play a full season and Michigan played just six games. That makes it very tough to evaluate, especially someone like Jalen Mayfield who just doesn’t have a ton of game tape.

Nico Collins is another prospect that could have contended for the first round if he played in 2020. Sitting out definitely hurt him and Ambry Thomas. Both could still go on day two, but each missed a chance to be a top-50 pick.

Collins still could be. At 6-foot-4, he has some impressive traits at wide receiver. But it’s also a deep class, which could push him into round three.

How many Michigan players will get picked?

There are five guys who are going to get selected in this draft: Paye, Collins, Thomas, Mayfield, and Cam McGrone. I’d be shocked if they weren’t all gone by the fourth round.

McGrone didn’t have a great season. Yet, he played really well in 2019 and his athleticism will make it hard to pass on for teams — same with Thomas, who I also expect off the board by round 4, which is a solid value.

Thomas is a really solid man-cover corner, who can also add something instantly in the return game. I also personally believe Ben Mason will get picked in this draft. Fullbacks are a dying breed, but he can offer enough other things that some team will take him. If not, he’ll make a 53-man roster as a rookie free agent.

Mason is among a group of Wolverines who will be waiting until the final few rounds to hear their names called. These guys include running back Chris Evans, tight end Nick Eubanks and defensive lineman Carlo Kemp.

Evans should get picked at some point, although running backs sometimes slide because the position isn’t as valued as it once was. He could be a priority free agent.

However, I think teams will see enough in these Michigan prospects that at least eight will wind up going and over the next two days, we’ll break down each prospect and where they could land in the 2021 NFL draft, so stay tuned.