Jim Harbaugh, Chargers get a steal in Michigan football LB Junior Colson
You wondered how long it was going to take for Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh to draft a former Wolverine and the answer is early in round three.
Some thought that pick might be used on Blake Corum. Roman Wilson might have also been a consideration, but the former Michigan football head coach selected linebacker Junior Colson, who started for each of the past two seasons.
Colson is a freak athlete. In high school, he played some wide receiver and even returned a kickoff for a touchdown. He played a lot as a freshman during his first season for Michigan football and finished his career with the Wolverines with 256 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. He also broke up five passes and recovered two fumbles.
For many reasons, this is a steal for the Chargers. Colson is a great value in the third round because most draft experts expected him to come off the board early in the second. The Chargers will be running a new defense, coordinated by Jesse Minter, and now, they have an inside linebacker in Colson who knows it like the back of his hand.
Colson will probably be the play-caller for the Chargers and linebackers, like running backs, tend to make early impacts in the NFL. A true three-down linebacker in my book, Colson was probably the most underrated defender on the Michigan defense. He was that good and that important.
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Jim Harbaugh looked ecstatic after the selection on TV and he should be. The Chargers got a steal and he got one of his guys, who will start day one, much later than he should have been able to.