Ja'Den McBurrows named a breakout candidate for Michigan football

Michigan football has plenty of elite players to replace going into the 2024 season. One of them is former nickel/cornerback Mike Sainristil who is one of the most clutch defenders to play for the Wolverines in a long time.

Mikey made big play after big play and his interception against Washington in the national title game will be remembered forever. The Wolverines will also have to fill his shoes and one of the candidates is Ja'Den McBurrows.

McBurrows even drew praise from Sainristil this offseason. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound cornerback from Florida played in 11 games last season for Michigan football. He had seven tackles, two tackles for loss, and an interception.

McBurrows was limited this spring but he should be a factor in the nickel job. It seems like it will be between him and Zeke Berry. However, McBurrows could also play more of an outside cornerback spot too. He's not as tall as some of the other outside cornerbacks, but he's tall enough.

Regardless, whether it's at nickel, which is probably his best position, or on the outside, McBurrows was touted by Pro Football Focus as a breakout candidate for the 2024 season, one of 10 names laid out by the website heading in the fall. Here's what was written about McBurrows:

"Michigan’s roster will look a lot different in 2024, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be any less talented. After all, there are plenty of big-time recruits waiting in the wings, especially at defensive back. McBurrows is one of those guys ready to step up and shine. He played 182 snaps last season, finishing with a 73.1 overall grade and a 73.9 coverage grade. In 2023, McBurrows recorded seven solo tackles with no misses and four run stops. He was targeted in coverage 13 times on the year but gave up just five catches for 40 yards, coming away with one interception and two pass breakups."

McBurrows is better in coverage than people realize and he's a great tackler. I have complete confidence in him to be the nickel, although Zeke Berry is going for it too. Michigan will play plenty of Nickel and Dime packages this season, so either way, McBurrows will have a bigger role.