There are two seasons, the University of Michigan has survived a great defense of all time to its first national championship since the 1997 season. A handful of these players went to the draft of the NFL 2024, including the defensive line player Kris Jenkins Jr. (Bengals), cornerback Mike specialist (Commanders) and secondary Junior Colson (Loaders) as top 100 choices. This year's Wolverines did not reach these same heights, but they had some players on this defense of the national championship which could be written in the first round next week.
Defensive Values Mason Graham And Kenneth Grantwith the corner half Will JohnsonEveryone has a chance to go to the first round – despite the fact that Michigan has a year of decline.
Advertisement
Why the slide? Five players from this championship defense were drafted, and 13 Total players were selected last spring. This quantity of talent and leadership, especially in attack, was difficult to replace. The players on this year's list could not get closer to this offensive production, putting even more pressure on the defense of Michigan, which has undergone a drop in its own production and performance.
However, the players who had to go to the top of the class Always have a reason to be considered that.
Graham will probably be the first Michigan player selected this year, but he had injuries during his last college season and had a left heel bike that prevented him from training in the NFL screening combination. Graham is a disturbing defensive tackle and supreme athletic which can go up the ground with ease when it is in good health. He played in the 12 games this season and scored seven plated for the loss and 3.5 bags. Michigan did not have the same depth in advance, which led Graham (and Grant) to play a more important role than before. Even with the injury season, Graham presented the skills and the ability to disturb to be considered a potential choice among the first five. Eye statistics were not extraordinary, but it is difficult to find defensive plates that move like Graham – and so far, it is not necessary to worry that these injuries were going in the NFL.
Will Johnson was dominant … In 2023. Last season, injuries largely held him on the sidelines, including during the combination of scouts and the professional day of Michigan. (Photo by Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
(Steph Chambers via Getty Images)
Grant was a good complement to Graham's play style and explosive. Grant is also explosive, but at 330 pounds, his explosion manifests itself in a different way. It is a terror at the point of attack and has been incredibly difficult to move for assemblies of university offensive lines. It is properly loomed as a nose tackle at the next level and showed its athletics at this size, entering seven plated for loss and three bags – a standard production similar to Graham. Grant’s ability to push the pocket to its size, associated with its stellar race defense, will give it a chance to be a first -round choice even if the perception of a precious race defense has taken a hit in recent years. This is shortened in the “planet theory” of Bill Parcels where there are so few people on the planet as big and this athletics that the teams cannot afford to transmit them. Grant will hear his name quickly during next week's draft.
Advertisement
Johnson is perhaps the biggest question mark in the first round, which is surprising after the way he played on this defense of the title in 2023. Johnson seemed to be a lock among the first five entering the season as a dominant prospect of departure corner – a player really difficult to find for the NFL teams. Johnson certainly had his moments of brilliance in 2024, but was hampered by a shoulder injury before suffering from the lawn of the lawn which prevented him from training at the combine harvester. An injury to the hamstrings did not allow him to perform in the professional day of Michigan, before the project. With some concerns about its long speed, it will be worrying for certain NFL talent assessors.
Johnson's journey process can overthrow him, but someone will take an early swing on him because of what he has already shown on a band. It is difficult to quantify the size of the Johnson risk, but it has undoubtedly crossed ups and ups in the past two years. However, the potential of a locking corner will be too difficult to pass for a team in the first round.
The defense of the Michigan championship continues to put players in the NFL, even if the team had a year down in 2024. Edge Rusher Josaiah Stewart and Makari Paige security are also projected in NFL players this draft class, but Grant and Johnson are those who keep an eye on the defense of Wolverines this last season.
