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Despite the 9-4 record in 2019, Michigan could send up to 12 players to the NFL Draft in April, a staggering number, considering that the team that was on the cusp of the College Football Playoff in 2016 set a school record with 11 draftees.
Granted, many of the seven-round mocks that have circulated recently have seen eight Wolverines selected, but in advance of the NFL Scouting Combine — which starts later this month — some former players are starting to rise up the draft boards.
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One of the latest NFL.com mock drafts, by Chad Reuter, has center Cesar Ruiz, who declared early, going in the mid-first-round, which would make him the highest-rated of the 2020 draft class if that’s to come to fruition. But the focus beforehand has been on players like Josh Uche — who still seems to have a third-round grade, and Ben Bredeson, who’s been rising as a potential second or third-round pick.
Daniel Jeremiah is the preeminent voice of NFL.com when it comes to all things NFL Draft — though Reuter, Bucky Brooks and Lance Zierlein also are notable in that regard. To date, he’s only released one mock draft, back in January, which is solely based in the first-round, where he had no Wolverines selected.
However, Jeremiah held a conference call on Friday, and discussed the top Michigan players at length, what he sees in them, and where they fall in his eyes with the combine and draft fast approaching.
Daniel Jeremiah’s breakdowns and our thoughts
Josh Uche
Starting with Josh Uche — a player that Reese’s Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy expects to get some first-round looks after his weeklong performance in Mobile — Jeremiah sees a player who’s versatile, aggressive and has extreme talent.
However, in some ways, his versatility has left some confused as to what he does best.
The way Jeremiah sees it, despite Nagy’s evaluation, Uche is still destined as a day two pick, given the uncertainty of his position at the next level.
“When you watch Uche, first of all he just plays really hard,” Jeremiah said. “That’s the first thing that jumps out to you when you study him. He’s eight and a half sacks, stands up, plays on and off the ball. Just really the motor is what jumps out to you. You can use him as a looper. He’s a finisher now.
“At 6-0-1-3, 241, you’re, like, what do I do with this guy? Where do you play him? Can he play on the edge? I thought at the Senior Bowl, especially in the game, he was dominant in rushing. I know when you get in sub packages he can rush off the edge. And I think he’s athletic enough that you could play off the ball on those early downs. So, I gave him a grade which kind of puts him in the third-round range. I think he’s just a really good football player and I like kind of the edge that he plays with.”
Verdict: His expertise aside, we anticipate that, given that Uche can be both a dominant pass rusher as well as use his speed in coverage, that his showing at the NFL Scouting Combine will cause many teams to consider selecting Uche much higher than currently anticipated.
Uche’s ceiling is in the first-round, but he’s more likely a second-round pick — his numbers at the combine being the biggest caveat.