Wolverines in the NFL Draft: Predicting Where Each Michigan Football Player Lands

Michigan, one of the most represented colleges in the NFL, is preparing for another great draft class as their former football players get ready for this week’s 2023 NFL Draft.

Michigan Football Track Record in the NFL:

Few colleges and universities have produced NFL talent like the University of Michigan has. According to James Parks of FanNation, Michigan football ranks 5th overall in colleges with the most NFL Draft Picks All-Time, with 392 total selections.

In addition to its mass abundance of draft picks, the University of Michigan is one of the most represented colleges currently in the NFL.

Dylan Ruebenking, from The Transfer Portal CFB, analyzed the 2022 NFL Rosters, including the practice squads, and found that the University of Michigan ranks 6th in the number of players currently on NFL Rosters with 38 players.

Michigan football also has had a 1st round draft pick in four consecutive drafts. Can the Wolveines continue the first-round streak this year?

2023 NFL Draft Prospects

Michigan football has 13 draft-eligible players, including Mazi Smith, DJ Turner, Luke Schoonmaker, Olusegun Oluwatimi, and Mike Morris being the biggest prospects.

Before we get into the draft selections, let’s look at how each Michigan football draft prospect ranks overall and by position according to CBS

Mazi Smith is the highest-rated Wolverine at 50 and is the 5th-ranked D-Lineman in the draft. DJ Tuner is close behind with a ranking of 64 and is the 9th best Corner in a very heavy CB draft.

Schoonmaker comes in at 162 and just made the top 10 tight ends with a ranking of 10 in the position, and Big O, Olusegun Oluwatimi, is the 14th-best interior lineman, and has an overall rating of 165.

It should be noted that these rankings are different everywhere you look. Mike Morris wasn’t on CBS’s top 20 DEs but was on ESPN’s. On ESPN’s draft prospect list, Mike Morris is ranked as the 17th-best DE and is ranked overall at 159.

Here is a list of other potential Michigan football draftees:

• Jake Moody, #1 rated placekicker
• Ronnie Bell, #28 rated WR
• Ryan Hayes, #15 rated OT
• Gemon Green
• Brad Robbins, #4 rated punter

Michigan Football NFL Draft Predictions

There are a bunch of mock drafts out there, but after looking at most of the popular ones, it looks like Michigan has two potential players who can continue the streak of Michigan Wolverines drafted in the first round.

Despite being ranked behind Mazi Smith, DJ Turner looks like he has the best chance of being a first-rounder between the two. Each draft is unique in which position it is heavy on. This year’s draft is without question a very heavy CB draft.

This is great news for DJ Turner, who isn’t the best corner in the draft but could still sneak in late in the first round. It all depends on how fast the top corners go. If two of them are selected in the top 10, then it is a no-brainer for me that Turner will get selected in the first round.

Mazi Smith is the other potential first-round pick. Mazi may be the most athletic DT in the draft, but a couple of off-the-field issues may have caused his draft stock to plummet. However, I have seen a couple mocks with Smith getting selected late in the first.

Mazi is a great player to take a risk on, but he may not hear his name called on opening night. I personally think Mazi will be an early second-round selection, and I fear that he may even drop to the late 2nd round or possibly early 3rd.

The first-round excitement ends there as no other Wolverine is projected to come close to a round-one selection. I think Big O will be selected before Schoonmaker because interior O-lineman are scarce in this draft. Oluwatimi could go as early as the second round.

On a similar note, I like the chances of Ryan Hayes, the #15 ranked OT, being selected over Schoonmaker as well. Hayes is a massive human being, and the tackles in this draft are very scarce. He could go in the 3rd or 4th round.

The TE draft class is also very deep, and there could be as many as three tight ends drafted in the first round. Regardless of how many tight ends go in the first, I believe Schoonmaker will go in the 4th or later.

The Tight Ends are bunched into two different classifications. You have the big-name first-rounders like Mayer, Kincaid, and Washington, and then you have the Schoonmakers of the world who a lot of teams will wait for in a later round.

Ronnie Bell is an interesting pick because his combine numbers aren’t great and he has a history of injuries, but the kid can flat-out play football. This is also going to be a high-risk pick, and because of this, I have Ronnie going 5th round or later.

Morris is another player in a similar situation as Bell. Morris has also had a history of injuries and he is also a high-risk high reward player. I honestly have no idea where Morris will end up, but I have a feeling he will be selected very late in the draft.

Moody and Robbins top the list as highly-ranked special teamers. Despite Moody being ranked as the best placekicker, I don’t think he will be drafted any earlier than round 6 (unless Belichick and the Patriots decide to do something crazy).

Special teams players often don’t get drafted, and this will most likely be the case for Robbins, and possibly Moody.