5 takeaways from Michigan’s 49-11 loss against No. 13 Wisconsin

Michigan football captured another loss of the season to the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers. What are the five takeaways from the 49-11 loss?

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A third straight loss is one thing for a team, but when that third straight loss is by 38 points and at home, that says something else. Michigan started strong on defense after forcing Wisconsin to punt, and it seemed like Michigan would have a chance to make this game close. Then one play later, the momentum went in favor of Wisconsin and never left that side of the field.

Early turnovers by Michigan quarterback Joe Milton propelled Wisconsin to a quick 14-0 lead, and suddenly Michigan was in a hole that it couldn’t escape from. The hole would double in size at halftime as it was 28-0. Michigan didn’t have an answer on how to stop the Badgers offense, but also it couldn’t figure out what to do against their defense either. With the score being what it was, Michigan had to leave the running game and throw it through the air, which wasn’t working for them tonight.

This 38-point loss is the biggest Michigan football has had under head coach Jim Harbaugh outside of the two 39-point losses to Ohio State and the 39-point loss to Penn State. One of those three was at home, and now another 30+ point loss happened in Ann Arbor. Michigan has plenty to work on to try and figure out what is happening to them this season. What were the biggest takeaways from the 49-11 loss?

Michigan football veterans confident in emerging youth

How Michigan football bounces back against Indiana and what some younger players could look like if they’re forced into action vs. Indiana.

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After sacking redshirt junior Tanner Morgan five times in their season-opening victory on Oct. 24, the Michigan defense failed to register one sack of Michigan State’s Rocky Lombardi — another redshirt junior — in the upset loss on Halloween.

Responsible for one of the sacks against Minnesota, redshirt senior defensive tackle Carlo Kemp still turned in a solid individual performance in the home-opener, registering five tackles, tied with redshirt sophomore VIPER Michael Barrett for the seventh-best mark on defensive coordinator Don Brown’s unit.

Meeting with the media remotely on Monday, Kemp offered his thoughts on the defensive line’s showing in the battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy.

“That was a good unit we were facing, and they did some good things schematically to slow us down,” Kemp said. “Watching that tape, you really got to be (critical) of your performance, because it didn’t end up producing an outcome at the end of the game that you wanted.

“So, the things that you did, weren’t as impactful as you wanted them to be. Now, as you watch that tape and go forward, you got to be prepared to see looks like that again, and, when you get in those situations where it’s a look that you’ve seen, you got to do something that you’ve been practicing differently to get to the quarterback and cause some disruption.”

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Kemp, along with bookends Aidan Hutchinson and Kwity Paye, a junior and senior, respectively, all received at least third-team All-Big Ten recognition in 2019. Despite Michigan State holding this potent group in check, the Boulder, Colorado native was not caught off guard by the looks the Spartans presented.

“No, that’s something they had (done) in their previous game against Rutgers,” Kemp said. “Going into it, we were confident about what we were going to see and what we ended up seeing on Saturday.”

But what’s going on with the other side of the ball?

Given that Kemp goes up against the offensive line in practice, he has some insight on two young offensive linemen, redshirt freshman Trevor Keegan and freshman Zak Zinter, both 247Sports Composite four-star prospects in their classes.

“A big thing this year is just always trying to be ready,” Kemp said. “One thing we talked about is this year is definitely unlike any other year before where, at any moment, at any time, you got to be ready to play.

“Keegan, going into his second year here, has definitely developed into a player that is ready to go if his moment comes, if his time comes.

“Zinter, being at the young age he is, coming in as a freshman, kid’s just got better and better since he’s been here. He’s strong enough and he’s a very athletic interior guy, and I’m sure, if his number’s called, he’ll definitely be ready to step on the field and help us.”

Speaking to Kemp’s point of always being ready, redshirt freshman Karsen Barnhart was thrust into action when redshirt sophomore right tackle Jalen Mayfield was forced to leave the Michigan State game after being rolled up on in the fourth quarter.

Based on the praise from their elder teammate, it sounds like, if something were to happen to redshirt junior left guard Chuck Filiaga or right guard Andrew Stueber, another redshirt junior, Keegan and Zinter would be up to the task.

The Wolverines, who dropped ten spots to No. 23 in the latest AP Top 25, will look to return to the win column on Saturday when they battle the No. 13 Indiana Hoosiers at Bloomington’s Memorial Stadium at 12 p.m. EST on FS1.

Owning a 59-9 edge in the all-time series, Michigan has won 24-straight over the Hoosiers, with the last loss coming in Bloomington on Oct. 24, 1987.

Michigan football grades from Big Ten Week 1 win over No. 21 Minnesota

Michigan football dominated for a majority of the game as they defeated No. 21 Minnesota 49-24. What grade does each position receive?

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With months of anticipation, Michigan football returned Saturday night as it  defeated No. 21 Minnesota on the road 49-24 in a huge Big Ten Week 1 victory.

The Wolverines exceeded expectations. The offense was explosive with seven touchdowns, while the defense slowed the Golden Gophers’ strong offense.

Michigan saw multiple positions make big plays from a vast number of people at those fronts. The depth some of these positions have is ridiculous and gives Michigan more chances to win these big games. Having that depth gives players more rest with not much of a difference in the group’s performance. Check out how each position was graded in the win last night.

Offense

Quarterback: A-

Starting quarterback Joe Milton made his first career start Saturday night. While people were expecting fireworks, they didn’t see much firepower but still got a solid performance from the redshirt sophomore. Milton finished the game going 15 of 22 for 225 yards and a touchdown, along with eight carries for 52 yards and a touchdown. Milton didn’t connect on any deep passes people were hoping to see, but, overall, he performed well in his starting debut.

Milton was sacked on the opening drive, which was the only time he was sacked all game. Milton didn’t face much pressure, and when he did, he avoided it to keep the play alive or escaped and ran for a few yards. Milton had a few overthrown passes, but the accuracy issue many were concerned about didn’t materialize. He had a 68% completion percentage.

Milton looked calm all night and never seemed fazed by what the defense was giving him. He made smart decisions and didn’t get cute with the football. His performance last night was a great sign of the future he has in Ann Arbor.

Running Back: A

The four-headed beast that is the running back corps of Michigan football showed its teeth last night. Zach Charbonnet was the starting running back, and, on the second drive of the game, Charbonnet found the huge hole up the middle and ran for a 70-yard touchdown. Charbonnet finished with four carries for 70 yards and a touchdown. He wasn’t the only running back to score. Hassan Haskins produced 82 yards and two touchdowns on six carries.

The returning Chris Evans found the end zone and finished with five carries for 19 yards and a touchdown, along with a catch for 10 yards. Freshman Blake Corum also got the start and produced five carries for 24 yards along with two catches for 36 yards. Fullback Ben Mason got involved as well. He had the only receiving touchdown on an 8-yard catch.

The running game had 31 carries for 256 yards and five touchdowns. Despite Milton having a strong arm, Michigan will continue to pound the rock and score more touchdowns on the ground than through the air. This four-back depth at the position gives the Wolverines versatility and fresh legs on the field with a player that can make plays for them.

Wide Receiver: B

Another position with a swarm of playmakers is wide receiver. Last year’s leading receiver Ronnie Bell led the team once again with four catches for 74 yards.

The youngsters gained plenty of playing time. Freshman Roman Wilson had two catches for 34 yards and the other freshman A.J. Henning had a catch for 14 yards and a carry for 6 yards. Mike Sainristil had a catch for 11 yards, and Giles Jackson had a catch for 5 yards with one carry for 8 yards.

A few drops from the group hurt, but it didn’t change the outcome of the game. If they can catch more of those passes, they can put up more yardage through the air.

Tight End: C+

Starting tight end Nick Eubanks didn’t play due to an undisclosed reason, so Erick All got the nod, and his performance was fine. He dropped a wide-open catch with nobody in the area that he could have walked into the end zone. The next play after the drop, Milton threw it right at him to underscore his confidence in him.

All finished the game with two catches for 33 yards. Backup tight end Luke Schoonmaker drew a penalty and didn’t catch any passes. The group’s blocking was solid, but the group wasn’t as involved as they might usually be when Eubanks is on the field. Having Eubanks out was a blow to the offense, but Michigan can clearly put up points without him.

Offensive line: A-

The offensive line was the biggest question mark of the offense heading into the 2020 season, and outside of the opening drive, the unit played almost a perfect game. Right tackle Jalen Mayfield was the lone returning starter. Two positions had first-time starters: left guard Chuck Filiaga and center Andrew Vastardis. The other two players had started previously but were new to their roles: left tackle Ryan Hayes and right guard Andrew Stuber.

The offensive line allowed a sack on the opening drive, but got its act together. Filiaga made a huge block to open the hole on that Charbonnet touchdown, which was the group’s turning point. The unit kept Milton upright after the sack, and he seldom faced pressure all game long.

Now onto the defense and special teams…

‘Gonna be elite!’ Michigan defensive players sound off on ‘explosive’ offense

It’s not just the coaches and Milton’s offensive teammates saying the Michigan football offense is ready to take things to another level.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — There’s been a ton of hype surrounding Michigan football’s offense, a unit that’s been nothing more than above average, at best, since Jim Harbaugh took over in 2015.

Now though, with Joe Milton the presumed starter at quarterback and offensive coordinator Josh Gattis entering his second year with the program, the Wolverines may very well be in a position to join the upper echelon of offenses around the country.

It all starts with Milton, but it hasn’t just been the local media or the offensive players who have been enamored with his skillset. Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer has been singing his praises this offseason, as has fellow FOX Sports personality Matt Leinart.

But those who have been trying to beat Milton in fall camp, the remnants of last year’s No. 11 defense nationally, have nothing but emphatic enthusiasm for the third-year QB and the rest of the players around him.

“Explosive,” fourth-year linebacker Josh Ross said of the offense. “Joe’s one of my good friends and to see him thrive and flourish, it’s been amazing. He’s been practicing really, really well and I can’t wait to see him go out there and ball. Our offense is gonna be elite!”

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High praise, but Ross isn’t alone.

Michigan defensive tackle Carlo Kemp had a lot to say about the offense as a whole having so much promise before eventually speaking similarly on Milton.

“This offense – I’m just excited,” Kemp said. “Because no one has really gotten to see all the talent and all the things that they can do. The only people that know are the people here at practice, and the people on the team and the coaches. But just getting to see these guys play, there’s a lot of chemistry on that side of the ball, as well. There’s just so many good players. At running back, there’s tremendous players. At wide receiver, there’s tremendous players. We’ve got a quarterback leading the offense, leading the entire team in a very special way.

“You look at Joe and you’re just excited for Joe because you know everything he’s gone through to get to this point and we watched him grow since his freshman year. I go back to Joe’s freshman year when he was the scout quarterback and how he led the scout team, you knew one day – ‘OK, this guy, here, when it’s his time, it’ll be his time and it’ll be very special.’ And now he’s grown up into his third-year with those guys he used to lead on that scout team and all of them have developed and gotten better, he’s gotten better himself. It’s like – seeing all of that coming into fruition is incredible.

“What we have at quarterback this year is very special – a very special leader, a very special guy and I’m very excited for him.”

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Have goosebumps yet? Well, Milton isn’t the only offensive player who’s ready to make a big impact.

Though the Wolverines are loaded with talent at wide receiver, tight end and running back, there’s one offensive player who can play multiple roles on offense that has Ross particularly salivating after seeing what he can do in practice.

As he puts it, essentially: meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

“I can’t say you guys haven’t seen him much, because he’s been there, but he’s back this year – and that’s Chris Evans,” Ross said. “He’s gonna have a fabulous year. Has been practicing really well and our whole time practicing in these past few months. He’s gonna make a big impact on Saturdays.”

We’ll see just how good this new-look Michigan offense might be on Saturday, when the Wolverines take on Minnesota at TCF Bank Stadium in primetime.

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Shaun Nua sees multiple players stepping up on interior DL

With the 2020 season around the corner, Michigan football DL coach Shaun Nua shared who’s been emerging at defensive tackle.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Perhaps one of the biggest concerns heading into 2020 for Michigan football has been who would step up on the interior defensive line. But to hear the staff talk about it, it’s sounding more like a strength than a weakness.

Going into a season with virtual unknowns is always a reason for fan anxiety, at least, and the Wolverines haven’t had solid push in the front-middle since Mo Hurst departed after the 2017 season. However, it appears there are several contenders in the middle who have made a strong impression this offseason.

Meeting with the media on Wednesday, defensive line coach Shaun Nua broke down the contenders, starting with a former five-star in Christopher Hinton — a player many anticipate could start opposite returning tackle Carlo Kemp.

“Hinton’s limited experience last year is definitely helping him,” Nua said. “Now he’s not playing like a sophomore. His footwork is a lot faster now. His knowledge and understanding of the game – even though it was at a good place is now at a better place, anticipating stuff. Those are the guys inside – Jeter, Carlo, Hinton, Julius Welschof, Mazi Smith is coming along, along with Jess Speight, Phillip Paea. They’re all doing good.

“The younger guys, especially Mazi Smith – I see the progress more than he does. It’s good and bad. It’s good that I see the progress that he’s – he wants to arrive already, but it’s a good problem to have from his point of view. He’s a competitive young man that has completely changed his body frame, and now he’s at a level where he’s really, really close to having that breakout experience right now.

“I feel really good with our inside guys. They’re fighting – it’s gonna be some good battles.”

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One player who has risen like a phoenix from the ashes this offseason is a German-born player who flipped not long before the 2018 class’ signing day in defensive end-turned-tackle Julius Welschof.

Welschof reported to campus at 253-pounds his freshman year, but is now up to 286 — further enabling his move inside. Head coach Jim Harbaugh said of him on his Monday radio show, “Keep an eye on him. He’s coming into his own.”

Furthermore, the 6-foot-6 tackle has frequently been mentioned on Twitter by Don Brown, having earned the coveted ‘dude of the day’ award from the Michigan defensive coordinator after practice on Sept. 14 and Aug. 21, as well as being ‘not a dude, but a guy’ on Sept. 10.

So why the sudden emergence? Nua explains.

“Julius Welschof is just experienced – the game of football wasn’t instilled in him at a young age,” Nua said. “The things he needed was a lot of repetition and the COVID time off, it was probably useful for him, especially to get into the playbooks and study. And then the next thing, the next step, was to get a feel for how to play the game to get his football instincts intact.”

With that in mind, we can project that either Donovan Jeter — who also earned considerable hype from Nua — and/or Christopher Hinton will be the tackle to start alongside Carlo Kemp. But expect to see Welschof and Jess Speight — the former walk-on who started against Alabama — to get in early and often while Mazi Smith and Phillip Paea continue to emerge in the defensive middle.

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Jim Harbaugh: Michigan’s defensive identity in 2020 starts up front

Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh shares why the DL is the team’s defensive identity and who’s standing out in the linebacking corps

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What’s kept Michigan from being as dominant the past two years defensively as it was the three previous?

The Wolverines are still in the upper echelon of college football in terms of total defense — meaning, yards surrendered per game — but 2018 and 2019 have seen some serious lapses, particularly against Ohio State. Still, the maize and blue have finished no worse than No. 11 in that metric since Jim Harbaugh arrived, but there has to be a reason why it hasn’t been able to keep pace with the Buckeyes, right?

One part of it certainly could be the lack of push up front. In 2016, Michigan had eight sacks against OSU. In 2017, it had three. But in 2018 it had zero and managed just one in 2019.

So to say that the defensive line needs to improve, particularly in that game, it wouldn’t be terribly novel of an idea.

Thankfully, it appears that’s the defense’s strength heading into 2020, as Harbaugh told Jon Jansen on the Inside Michigan Football radio show that he feels the defensive front is that side of the ball’s identity — starting with the two ends up front.

“I think if you can picture – I know you can picture it, but Kwity Paye and Aidan Hutchinson – two — wow,” Harbaugh said. “Tremendous players and they’re having great camps. I kinda look over at them and I see the identity for our defense in those two. Really talented, great, high-effort kind of players. Carlo Kemp and Chris Hinton – and now Donovan Jeter also is really surging and doing great. Such a natural and good football player. And Jess Speight, total Michigan man. Talk about position switches and a guy who will do anything for the team — In there playing nose.

“Also, Luiji Vilain, looking for him to have a very good year. Taylor Upshaw is surging as a player. Also say Julius Welschof, keep an eye on him. He’s coming into his own. Mike Morris, Mazi Smith, Gabe Newburg – really turning into great football players.

“That group of defensive linemen – a lot of identity coming out of that group.”

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Michigan will need more than the front four in order to get the defense back in the top four, nationally, in 2020.

Behind them are two household names in Josh Ross and Cam McGrone, but there’s a newcomer, in terms of starting, in VIPER Michael Barrett — a former quarterback in high school.

Starting with Barrett, Harbaugh broke down the linebackers, including who could spell the starters as the game wears on. All-in-all, he appears happy with the depth.

“He’s a rock-solid guy,” Harbaugh said. “Tough competitor and experienced player. Feeling very good about the linebacking position with Michael Barrett, Josh Ross and Cam McGrone. And some other players are behind them. Ben VanSumeren is looking for, competing for a starting spot at the SAM backer, along with David Ojabo. Adam Shibley has really surged here the last couple months and is doing a great job at the MIKE position. He’s got versatility to play both MIKE and WILL. Outstanding young player.

“Anthony Solomon is a sophomore, but he’s doing a heckuva good job. The two freshmen to really look at are inside backer Nikhai Hill-Green and Kalel Mullings — both doing really well, especially for only being freshmen. So starters and depth are being developed there at the linebacker position. Jaylen Harrell – make another note, right there with Nikhai Hill-Green and Kalel Mullings standing out as freshmen – Jaylen Harrell is doing that as well.”

We’ll see all of the above in action in mere weeks, with the season opener at Minnesota kicking off on Oct. 24 at 7:30 P.M. EDT. The game will be nationally televised on ABC.

Michigan’s 2020 freshman class ‘is gonna be ridiculous’

Though we don’t know when they’ll see the field, the first-year players are making a big impression on senior Carlo Kemp.

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It’ll either be around four months or a year before we finally get to see them, but there are high expectations for Michigan football’s 2020 recruiting class.

It has a little bit of everything: dynamic skill position players, speed on defense as well as maulers up front on both sides of the ball. The Wolverines started fall training camp just days before the Big Ten season-rug was pulled out from underneath them, but the team has gained some semblance of practice in as the conference continued to let the team work for 20 hours weekly — though that number is being reduced to 12, per week.

Michigan defensive tackle Carlo Kemp has been around a long time as a fifth-year senior, and from what he’s seen, this class is the most impressive. He shared last week on a Zoom call why he believes the 2020 freshmen will be something to behold once they’re finally able to take the field — whenever that may be.

“This freshman class that we have – I don’t wanna sound – I could name specific players – but I think it’s a good thing to just give this whole freshman (class) credit, the praise that they deserve,” Kemp said. “Just because there’s so many players in this freshman class that – when we were going, we were going. You could just see it. These guys, they get this stuff early. One big thing about them is they’ve taken this whole thing, this whole process, everything that’s going on and they’ve just attacked it. They’ve bought into our whole culture, our whole system here and you can see that. Those guys just want to learn.

“One of the biggest things that was exciting was just watching. We only got to do a few competitive team periods – 7-on-7s, 11-on-11s. But you could just see it early. There’s so many players in this freshman class that they’re gonna be very good players for Michigan. Probably even early on. You can just see it. These guys are phenomenal players. But they’re just good people, and that translates so fast onto the field and I’m excited for these guys. And they get this extra opportunity to get better. It’s gonna be unfair. These guys get the extra training time from the point they’re already at. It’s gonna be ridiculous.”

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Some players are more instant impact than others, though. On the defensive line, it seems Braiden McGregor and Kris Jenkins could see early time once the team can resume play. The trio of safeties, Makari Paige, Jordan Morant and R.J. Moten, also seem ready to see the field.

On offense, receivers Roman Wilson, A.J. Henning and running back Blake Corum seem destined to play the moment the Big Ten resumes its football schedule, as well.

Why Michigan DT Carlo Kemp believes the players deserve a voice

As the Big Ten made its decision to postpone the 2020 college football season, it did so without consulting the players. Why the Wolverines senior DT feels that was a poor choice.

As the Big Ten made its decision to postpone the 2020 college football season, it did so without consulting the players. Why the Wolverines senior DT feels that was a poor choice.

With new faces in rotation, Kwity Paye expects DL to be ‘phenomenal’ in 2020

Senior Kwity Paye shares who he thinks will be ready to take a massive step forward in the upcoming season.

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Entering last season, one of the big questions was how a new look defensive line would look under a brand new position coach in Ann Arbor.

It answered the call, exceeding many’s expectations, but things reset year-to-year. Despite returning Shaun Nua as the D-line coach and three of four starters, without an obvious 3-technique defensive tackle now that Michael Dwumfour has transferred to Rutgers for his fifth-year, questions return.

However, if you ask senior end Kwity Paye, there’s no question. The line is going to be good, if not great.

Asked about the state of the defensive line by Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches podcast, Paye shared why he’s enthusiastic about the group, including one who he anticipates to be the new starter in the middle.

“I think our D-line is gonna be phenomenal this year,” “We got Chris Hinton – he started some games last year – but I feel like he’s coming into his own. Being a true freshman as a 3-tech that’s nothing easy, being in the trenches. I feel like him having experience last year and coming into his own this year, he’ll step up big time. Me and Aidan off the edge – arguably the best duo in the country. So we’re just gonna come back and do our thing.

“Carlo Kemp, a leader on the D-line, he’s gonna come in and give it all he got. You saw last year, he played most games injured. There were some days where he was struggling to walk but he still a leader and wanted to come into the game. He gave it his all.”

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But it’s not just the starting caliber players that Paye is eager to see.

Though he never got the glimpse he had hoped to get with spring ball, as it was canceled less than a week before it was set to begin due to the coronavirus pandemic, there are a lot of fresh faces that Paye anticipates will take a massive step forward in 2020. Some are names that have been discussed — at WolverinesWire, we’ve been anxious to see Luiji Vilain take the field, while players midseason often mentioned freshman David Ojabo as coming along nicely. While others he mentions are relatively newer names.

“I’m so excited for our D-line, because we have some ballers behind us,” Paye said. “We’ve got Luiji Vilain, we’ve got (David) Ojabo who’s gonna come off – an athletic freak. Gabe (Newburg)’s huge! I don’t know what he was doing down there in quarantine, but I seen Gabe yesterday and he was just huge. Oh my God! I’m excited for our guys. Mazi Smith. Phill (Paea).

“I feel like with spring ball being lost, it was kind of a bummer, because I was excited for those guys to shine and get some more reps and work on their craft a little bit more. But we’re gonna start a player-led something soon, so we’ll catch them up.”

If the season goes on as scheduled, Michigan football fans will be able to get a glimpse of the revamped defensive line come Sept. 5, when the Wolverines travel to Seattle to take on Washington.

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Power Ranking: Michigan football future NFL draft potential

Where we envision the current crop of Wolverines to be drafted as of today if not much changes between now and next year.

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The 2020 NFL Draft is firmly in the rearview, but that means we can start taking a look towards the 2021 draft for the potential of those currently on the Michigan team.

The Wolverines had a tied second-best haul this past April, sending 10 players to the league — behind only LSU, who had 14. Could 2021 see even more of the maize and blue hear their name called by Commissioner Roger Goodell?

It’s certainly possible, even though Michigan is reloading on both sides of the ball. But, one could argue, that Jim Harbaugh is building a program more adept at sending more players to the pros.

So, we took all of the starter-quality players — and a likely starter, hence we’re not prognosticating a quarterback or a player who’s not the obvious winner at his position — who are entering their third year or beyond to estimate as of right now where they could go in the 2021 NFL Draft.

It’s a feature we very well could update during the season as it progresses.

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Future NFL draft Power Rankings:

1. Jalen Mayfield

Unsurprisingly, the top guy we picked is the one that ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. foresees as a future first-round draft pick.

2019 was Mayfield’s first year as a starter, but he already has the body to be an NFL caliber tackle, and he’s shown his prowess on the offensive line, helping contain Ohio State’s No. 2 pick overall in Chase Young in The Game this past November.

Linemen from either side of the ball from Michigan are more likely to be early-round picks, as evidenced by some of the latest first-round picks in the Jim Harbaugh era: Cesar Ruiz, Rashan Gary and Taco Charlton. Yes, Jabrill Peppers and Devin Bush Jr. were also first-rounders, but when you also look at the other early rounds, that’s where we’ve seen players like Josh Uche, Chase Winovich and Chris Wormley picked.

Given his upside and the fact that he’s only played one year as a starter and is looked at so highly at this juncture, Mayfield has the ability to potentially capitalize on an early departure if predictions hold true.

Where we see him as of now?

We’re going with Kiper and slating him as a first-round pick if he does choose to leave early, assuming he continues his level of play in 2020.

NEXT: An early-round wide receiver off the board?