10 NFL Draft picks that lived up to the hype in Michigan football history
Michigan has a long history of draft picks in the NFL. Only two players were ever taken No.1 overall, but there have been 59 total players taken in the first round out of Michigan. There have been a total of 399 players drafted from Michgian.
With that number of players drafted, a lot of them have had very successful careers in the NFL. The one player that everyone ties back to Michigan is Tom Brady, who was drafted in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft and then went on to win seven Super Bowls in his long career in the NFL.
While Brady is known as the greatest player of all time in the NFL, he was not expected to do much of anything in the NFL when he was drafted. There have been a lot of Michigan players that were drafted in the higher rounds and lived up tot hype.
So while Tom Brady won't be on this list, here are 10 of the best draft picks in Michigan football history ordered based on when they were drafted.
Michigan Draft. Round 1, Pick 13. Charles Woodson. . Charles Woodson. 10. . 1998 NFL Draft. player. 485
Along with Tom Brady, Charles Woodson is the other big name from the NFL that people think of when they think of Michigan football history. Woodson was drafted with the 13th overall pick in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft.
Woodson played in the NFL from 1998 to 2015 with just two teams. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders, now known as the Las Vegas Raiders. He spent the first eight years of his career with the Raiders where he won Defensive Rookie of the Year his first season, a 4-time Pro Bowler, and an All-Pro First and Second team selection.
In his first season, Woodson started all 16 games and finished the year with five interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, two forced fumbles, and 64 total tackles.
After spending eight years with the Raiders, Woodson took his talents to Green Bay where he spent the next seven years of his career. At Green Bay, Woodson was a 4-time Pro Bowler, 2-time All-Pro First Team selection, 2-time All-Pro Second Team selection, and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2009.
Woodson decided to finish his career where he started it and spent the last three years of his career back with the Raiders. In his final season, he was voted to the Pro Bowl and was an All-Pro Second Team selection. Woodson retired after the 2015 season and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2021 as a Raider. Woodson was also inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2019 as a Wolverine.