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

In the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, Michigan football could have as many as three players selected, and here are their projected landing spots. 

The long wait for the 2022 NFL draft is nearly over. The first round will begin tonight in Las Vegas and it should be a busy night for the Wolverines as a trio of Michigan football players could hear their names called.

We know that Aidan Hutchinson is going to hear his name called pretty early. There was talk of him being the No. 1 overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but Travon Walker of Georgia is trending for that spot now.

Still, Hutch seems like a solid top-five pick and many Michigan football fans would certainly love to see him fall to Detroit at No. 2. Yet, that’s assuming the Lions would take him and Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic didn’t in his latest Lions Mock draft.

Still, it would be hard to see the Lions passing on Hutchinson. His relative athletic score was better than either of the Watt or Bosa brothers so this talk that he doesn’t have upside is ridiculous. He’s got tremendous character and leadership skills and could be the face of the franchise, at least until Detroit finds a quarterback.

So our projection for Aidan Hutchinson is still going to be the Detroit Lions, although on draft day, as we have learned, anything can happen.

Daxton Hill: Packers

Daxton Hill might not make it to the 22nd overall pick but if he does, I can see the Green Bay Packers selecting him. I know that everyone is talking about Green Bay getting a wide receiver for Aaron Rodgers but the Packers have another first-round pick and the draft is very deep at receiver, meaning good players will easily be available in the second and third rounds.

Defensive backs like Hill are rare though. He’s got 4.3 speed and can line up literally anywhere in the secondary — outside, the slot, and at safety. He can cover in man-to-man, he can tackle, blitz, cover tight ends, play in the box and his potential isn’t close to being reached.

Charles Woodson was once a dominant defensive back for the Packers and Hill could thrive in that slot role too, plus Green Bay needs a long-term answer at safety because Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage, the two current starters, are both pending free agents.

What about David Ojabo?

If Ojabo hadn’t hurt his Achilles during Michigan football’s pro day, I believe strongly that he would be among the first 10 players off the board. He showed his incredible potential last season with double-digit sacks and at the combine, he showed his impressive athletic traits.

The top half of his first round is pretty solid but it’s a weak class at the top and the injury to Ojabo didn’t help. He’s been mocked to go early in the second round, which makes sense because of the injury, however, I wouldn’t be shocked at all if the Bucs, Chiefs, or Packers took a flyer on him late in the first round.

The Packers took Rashan Gary back in the 2019 NFL draft and didn’t get a ton of production from him in his first season. Now, he looks poised to become an All-Pro. And by selecting Ojabo in the first round, teams would get to control his rights for five years, not four.

And with the going rate for pass rushers, spending a late first-round pick on a top-10 talent could be a bargain, especially for a team like Green Bay or Kansas City where Ojabo could essentially redshirt and be ready to make an impact in 2023.

I still think he will fall past the first 32 picks, so my guess is two Michigan football players are selected tonight, with Ojabo going somewhere in the top 40 overall.