Tag: Sean McKeon

Cole Hikutini has chance of a lifetime, his lifetime, with Cowboys in 2020

Player profile for Dallas Cowboys tight end Cole Hikutini.

For some NFL players the path to their dream job is demanding yet straight forward. Play high school football, get recruited by big-name colleges, earn playing time, get drafted and move onto the league. For others, though, there are twists and turns that make reaching the pinnacle of American sports a bit more challenging.

Dallas Cowboys tight end, Cole Hikutini, despite always being immensely talented, falls into the latter group. Now, with the tight end room looking more different than ever in Dallas, Hikutini has a chance to carve out his most substantial NFL role to-date.

Before the NFL

Hikutini attended Pleasant Grove High School in Elk Grove, California, and didn’t play football until his sophomore year. Hikutini played both sides of the ball in high school, taking reps at defensive back and wide receiver. He didn’t garner much recruiting interest, possibly due to being overshadowed by 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead, his high school teammate, and an eventual first-round pick in the NFL draft.

The California native’s only scholarship offer was from the Sacramento State Hornets, which happened to be just a half hour from Hikutini’s hometown. Redshirting his freshman year, he started the last four games of 2013 and finished the season with five touchdowns. A coaching change at Sacramento State drove the developing wide-receiver-turned-tight-end, to a new school.

Hikutini landed at San Francisco City College, a junior college that he hoped would be a spring board to the FBS level. His decision would pay off quickly. In his first and only season with San Francisco, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound tight end was named a JUCO All-American. Entering the 2015 season, Hikutini decided to take his talents Midwest, to become a Louisville Cardinal.

At Louisville, Hikutini was able to team up with dynamic quarterback, Lamar Jackson, and the pairing would prove beneficial to both players. Hikutini started three games as a junior in 2015, but his real coming-out season was the next year. As a senior Hikutini led the team in receptions (50), receiving touchdowns (8), and was second in receiving yards (668).

Louisville moved Hikutini all around the offensive formations, and his combination of size, crisp route-running, and athleticism made him a nightmare matchup for most ACC defenders. These abilities caught the eye of many scouts, and at one point he was being slated to be picked in the mid rounds of the draft.

Ultimately, a knee injury in a bowl-game loss to Clemson hurt Hikutini’s stock, and he was not selected in the 2017 NFL draft.

The Big Leagues

Hikutini was signed as an undrafted free by the San Francisco 49ers shortly after the draft, reuniting him with the Bay Area. There he stayed on the practice squad until Week 7 of 2017, when he caught his first pass of his career against his current employer, the Dallas Cowboys.

The former ACC standout wouldn’t get many more opportunities in San Francisco, and was eventually released before the start of the 2018 season. Just two days following his release, Hikutini signed with the Minnesota Vikings practice squad, and spent the season there before facing the same fate he did in San Francisco.

On September 2, 2019, the Dallas Cowboys signed Hikutini to a practice squad spot, and on December 30 signed him to a reserves/future contract.

The Cowboys TE Room

For the better part of two decades future Hall of Famer Jason Witten locked down the tight end position in Dallas. Now, with Witten on the Las Vegas Raiders the only thing certain is that dynamic downfield threat Blake Jarwin, will have a noteworthy role within the offense.

It’s likely the Cowboys will keep two tight ends other Jarwin, though. Dalton Schultz is a well-rounded young player out of Stanford. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 draft by the Jason Garrett regime, and while he appeared in all 16 games a season ago, he recorded one catch.

In the offseason the Cowboys signed Blake Bell to a one-year, $1.7 million deal. Bell spent the previous season starting seven games for the Super Bowl Champion Chiefs. While Bell isn’t known for his receiving prowess, he is probably the best blocker of the group and that could be enough to secure his spot on the roster.

This year’s UDFA Sean McKeon out of Michigan is another big-bodied, all-around tight end that will be pushing for a roster spot as well. Hikutini is an agile pass-catching threat that is a willing blocker but still has room to improve in that department.

Hikutini will be well-entrenched in a roster battle with the names mentioned above, but the Louisville product could certainly make the team should the Cowboys want to keep a third tight end that provides a versatile receiving option with room to grow.

This is part of our Countdown to the Regular Season player profile countdown. With 86 days* remaining until the NFL’s first game, up next is tight end Dalton Schultz.

| Antwaun Woods | Tyrone Crawford | Trysten Hill | Jalen Jelks |
| Dontari Poe | Randy Gregory | Gerald McCoy | Dorance Armstrong |
| L.P. Ladouceur | DeMarcus Lawrence | Blake Jarwin | CeeDee Lamb |

Sean McKeon signs undrafted free agent deal

Signing as an undrafted free agent, Sean McKeon has an opportunity to go to one of the top franchises in the NFL.

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While the Wolverines came within one NFL draft pick from tying a school record of 11 players selected, it’s still a pretty staggering fact that 10 Michigan players were selected out of the 13 available.

One of the key players left out, however, was tight end Sean McKeon.

McKeon only had light participation in the NFL scouting combine with his efforts focused more on Michigan’s Pro Day. However, it was canceled due to the novel coronavirus pandemic just one day before it was scheduled at Schembechler Hall.

The technically proficient tight end participated in an impromptu pro day with quarterback Shea Patterson and wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, and had yet another in his native Massachusetts, where he put up some eye-opening numbers.

Still, it wasn’t enough, and he wasn’t one of the 255 players selected in the 2020 NFL Draft.

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However, McKeon is getting something of a reprieve. He announced he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys, a team that just lost starting TE Jason Witten to the Oakland Raiders and didn’t pick a tight end in the draft.

In four years at Michigan, McKeon played in 27 games — 7 in each of the last two seasons due to injury — but compiled 60 catches for 668 yards and 11 touchdowns.

In Dallas, he rejoins former teammate Jourdan Lewis, who the Cowboys selected in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

WATCH: Sean McKeon holds his own Pro Day

Since he didn’t partake in drills in the NFL Scouting Combine, the Wolverines tight end held his own Pro Day.

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Like many others, Michigan tight end Sean McKeon was limited when he made it to Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine. Having only partaken in the bench press, where he put up 18 reps of 225-pounds, McKeon rested his hopes on Michigan’s scheduled Pro Day in Ann Arbor on March 13.

But, due to coronavirus concerns, said event was canceled on March 12, before any of the state’s ‘stay at home‘ measures were in place.

While he partook in something of a Pro Day showcase outside of Toledo with teammates Shea Patterson and Donovan Peoples-Jones, McKeon took it a step further, displaying his skills via the principal metrics highlighted at the combine, but in private on April 14.

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Given the numbers that came out of it, if accurate, it looks like McKeon had a solid performance.

It certainly emphasizes his skillset with less than a week now to go before the 2020 NFL Draft kicks off in April 23.

Watch McKeon’s entire Pro Day performance below:

The Athletic’s latest NFL mock draft sees two first-round Michigan picks

Dane Brugler released his fifth mock draft, a full seven-rounds, and saw 8 Wolverines selected, including two in the first-round.

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This is the first time we’ve seen this in 2020 mock drafts, but the theme is consistent with recent years when Michigan has put several players into the NFL.

In 2016, when Michigan led all of college football with 11 NFL draft picks, Taco Charlton and Jabrill Peppers were both selected in the first-round. In 2019, the Wolverines put Devin Bush Jr. and Rashan Gary into the league with the No. 10 and No. 12 picks, respectively.

According to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler in his NFL mock draft 5.0 ($), the maize and blue again had two first-round selections.

While many have prognosticated that early entrant, center Cesar Ruiz, would sneak into the tail end first-round, Brugler sees things similarly, but also says another Michigan teammate will join him, albeit several picks earlier.

It’s part of a seven-round mock that sees eight Wolverines selected, with a few changes compared to some of the usual suspects we’ve seen picked in other multiple-round mocks.

  • No. 27 (1) – Josh Uche – Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks are always a wild card on draft day so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a stunner here like Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor. But I’m going with Uche, who gives Seattle an explosive edge threat and a player just scratching the surface of his ability.

  • No. 31 (1) – Cesar Ruiz – San Francisco 49ers

With the 49ers not picking again until the fifth round, good bet they look to trade back (maybe for a team looking to trade up for Jordan Love?). But if they stay put, upgrading the interior offensive line is on the priority list and Ruiz has big upside as a center-guard.

  • No. 107 (4) – Ben Bredeson – Cincinnati Bengals
  • No. 115 (4) – Donovan Peoples-Jones – Cleveland Browns
  • No. 161 (5) – Josh Metellus – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • No. 188 (6) – Jon Runyan Jr. – Buffalo Bills (from Cleveland)
  • No. 205 (6) – Michael Onwenu – Minnesota Vikings
  • No. 245 (7) – Sean McKeon – San Francisco 49ers

This is the first mock draft from a major publication that includes Michael Onwenu and Sean McKeon and we’ve found very few that have had Josh Metellus — though none this high. But it’s rare that we haven’t seen VIPER Khaleke Hudson, who had a solid showing in the NFL Scouting Combine, be selected in a seven-round mock, and we’d anticipate that CB Lavert Hill and DE Mike Danna could also be picks.

There has been ample speculation in recent weeks that former five-star QB Shea Patterson could go undrafted, such as this from Rivals’ Mike Farrell:

Overview: Patterson played in only 10 games over two seasons at Ole Miss as he dealt with injuries and then he transferred to Michigan to re-spark his career. Rated as the third-best prospect in the 2016 class, Patterson posted good numbers in Ann Arbor but he hardly showed elite passing ability and there’s a decent possibility that he will go undrafted. He finished his college career with 8,800 passing yards with 68 touchdowns and 27 interceptions, only 52 fewer yards than Joe Burrow in two fewer games. An early Arizona pledge who then ended up at Ole Miss, only Rashan Gary and Dexter Lawrence were ranked higher than Patterson in the 2016 class.

Farrell’s take: Patterson had everything you wanted in a quarterback coming out of high school. He was mobile, his arm strength was solid and he had that moxie and confidence you want. It never really showed consistently on the field at either Ole Miss or Michigan, and that’s surprising. Size was the main question about him in high school, but now there are many more questions surrounding him.

The 2020 NFL Draft is slated to begin virtually on April 23.

Detroit Lions All-University of Michigan mock draft

With mock drafts coming in left and right, ever curious to see what if the Detroit Lions drafted from just the University of Michigan? It may not be as crazy as you might think.

Mock drafts are everywhere right now and the majority of them have the Detroit Lions taking either Jeffery Okudah, Chase Young, Derrick Brown, or Isaiah Simmons with their first pick.

After a while, the mundanity can set in seeing the same few players getting slated to the Lions, so we at Lions Wire decided to add a twist to traditional mock drafts by introducing a series of mock drafts that select prospects exclusively from one school.

To kick off the series, we are staying in-state and beginning with the University of Michigan.

Round 1

Pre-combine there may be only one Wolverine that might receive first-round consideration, interior offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz.

Ruiz has been gaining steam as of late to a point being regarded as the top interior lineman in the draft. He a versatile chess piece having played both center and guard while at Michigan and can fit into any scheme. With his strong mobility in space and heavy anchor, he was the highest-graded pass blocking center in 2019 through PFF. With it looking more likely Graham Glasgow leaves in free agency, the Lions could look to dip their toes in another versatile Michigan lineman to help the offensive line.

The Lions are too far up in the draft to take Ruiz, but if the Lions make a trade and acquire the 26th pick from the Dolphins, the Lions could theoretically take Ruiz to shore up the gaps that plaque the offensive line at the bottom of the first round. If Ruiz has a strong showing at the combine, he could boost his draft stock and go from a fringe first-round prospect to a sure one.

The Lions have a need at Ruiz’s position and he could anchor the vacant guard spot for years to come.

Round 2

I feel like there are two Michigan products the Lions could tag as their second-round pick, JACK linebacker Joshua Uche or receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones. Uche enjoyed a major rise to his draft stock after a dominant showing at the Senior bowl and Lions fans instantly fell in love with the local product.

He was able to show he can handle not only edge rushing, but play sticky coverage on tight ends and running backs. With his versatility as a JACK/SAM linebacker, he screams fit for the Lions.

People-Jones production in Michigan was something left to be desired considering how much of big-bodied receiver he was but with the low level of targets, it’s hard to lay the blame solely on him. With his size, speed, and ball skills, he could easily be a productive receiver at the next level. Even though his route running could improve, he has the look of receiver coaches who would love to get their hands on.

Even though the Lions have another high second-round pick, one could make an argument for either player to be the Lions’ selection. Uche will help shore up a disappointing pass rush and People-Jones could become a versatile piece in the receiving corps. It would be tempting to give Matthew Stafford another weapon, but the Lions need to look at improving their defense and Uche will help in not only edge pressure, but strong coverage abilities where the Lions lack in their linebackers.

Round 3

The Wolverines had one of the more impressive offensive interior lines this past season and the Lions could look to double-dip into that talent by selecting guard Ben Bredeson in the third round after selecting Ruiz in the first round.

Bredeson might not be as athletic as his counterpart, Ruiz, but he makes up for it with strength and power. He will plant you in the ground and have a smile on his face doing it because he loves setting the tone early. With his strong physicality, he is a great fit in a man heavy scheme perfect for what the Lions what to do in the trenches.

Even though the Lions tagged Ruiz as their first-round pick, the guard spot is in a flux and could use more bodies and they could do worse than Bredeson manning one of those spots or provide a quality backup.

 Round 4/5

The Lions’ secondary could use some help and thankfully for them the Wolverines offer a couple of intriguing options Day 3 of the draft, cornerback Lavert Hill and linebacker/safety Khaleke Hudson.

Hill’s skill set allows him to play outside, but because of his size, he is more favored to play in the slot. Having only one season of starter experience his production is minimal, but between his sticky man coverage, strength, and ball skills, he could be a diamond in the rough in the later round. The Lions could use him a potential prodigy to Coleman and provide depth on the outside in case of injuries.

Hudson is going to be one of the player’s teams might not know how to use him having played the VIPER position during his Michigan tenure. Essentially think of Hudson as a poor man’s Isiah Simmions, a free-roaming defensive chess piece, having logged snaps at off-ball linebacker, edge defender, slot corner, box safety, and deep safety. If a smart team can get ahold of him and figure out the best way to use the versatile defender they could have a player who can match up well against offenses. Since the Lions love versatile players, Hudson could match up well, starting on special teams, but could work his way to defensive snaps.

With their second fifth-round pick, the Lions might have to reach a little bit to grab a Michigan player, but tight end Sean McKeon could match up well in the Lions offense. McKeon is of those versatile tight ends who could be a three-down player with strong skills at catching and blocking. He is a technical, smart player who understands how to use leverage to his advantage and either seal off defenders or find the open spot for the catch.

The Lions likely aren’t looking for a top tight end after taking T.J Hockenson in the first round last year and signing Jesse James to a big contract, but McKeon could be one of those players who can sneak in and provide quality play as a TE3 for the Lions.

Round 6

Late in this draft, you aren’t looking for someone to contribute immediately, but the Lions could select this once highly regarded prospect who they got a first-hand look at the Senior Bowl, quarterback Shea Patterson.

Even though Patterson showed good mobility and arm strength, accuracy has plagued him constantly. He has the ability to extend plays but might tend to panic quickly and take off if his first read isn’t available or take the check down option. Patterson does have the tangibles to slide into a backup role and maybe, with some good coaching, groom into something bigger. Since the Lions were able to coach Patterson at the Senior Bowl, they know what they are getting with him and possibly vision a role for him.

Summary

Here is how the Lions draft could shape up with all Michigan players:

Late 1st- Cesar Ruiz, C
2nd- Joshua Uche, JACK
3rd- Ben Bredeson, G
4th- Lavert Hall, CB
5th- Khaleke Hudson, LB/S
5th- Sean McKeon, TE
6th- Shea Patterson, QB

Now some of the players may be reaches at this time, but with the Combine still to go, it is hard to tell how the draft will play out. Uche, Bredeson, Hudson, McKeon, and previously mentioned Patterson all participated at the Senior Bowl, so the Lions got a personal look at the majority of these players and General Manager Bob Quinn love drafting from the Senior bowl.

The University of Michigan will be well represented with the second most participating players giving the Lions another opportunity to get a first-hand look at the players. So it’s not out of the realm of possibilities to see some of these players finding their way on the Lions roster come draft day.

Michigan second-most with 11 NFL Scouting Combine invites

The Wolverines have the second-most players invited to Indianapolis of any school in college football.

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NFL mock drafts have been all across the board as it pertains to Michigan. But it’s undeniable that the Wolverines has talent in 2019.

The maize and blue lost two draft-eligible juniors who declared, but also have nine seniors that very well could find their name picked come April in the NFL Draft.

But the road to Las Vegas starts later this month in Indianapolis with the annual NFL Scouting Combine, and the Wolverines boast the second-most invitees, tied with Ohio State with 11, but behind LSU who has 16.

That said, there’s a strong case to be made that all 11 could be drafted.

While most mocks to this point don’t include any now-former Michigan players in the first-round, we’ve seen some with center Cesar Ruiz near the tail end, and we wouldn’t be surprised if Josh Uche makes a push.

Here’s all 11 invitees:

  • Ben Bredeson, OL
  • Lavert Hill, DB
  • Khaleke Hudson, LB
  • Sean McKeon, TE
  • Josh Metellus, DB
  • Michael Onwenu, OL
  • Shea Patterson, QB
  • Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR
  • Cesar Ruiz, OL
  • Jon Runyan Jr., OL
  • Josh Uche, LB

7-round NFL mock draft sees 8 Wolverines picked

The site predicts all seven rounds of the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft and has 8 Wolverines going to the league formally.

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It seemed obvious coming out of the 2016 season that Michigan was going to have a bevy of NFL Draft picks. 11 selections later, the Wolverines led all teams with players coming out of Ann Arbor headed to the pro ranks.

It’s been slim pickings since then, with just a handful of former Michigan players going each year, but the 2020 NFL Draft looks like it could certainly have a maize and blue flair.

At least according to Bleacher Report.

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NFL Draft prognosticator Matt Miller put together his post-Super Bowl seven-round mock draft this week, and an astonishing eight Wolverines made the class of 256 players selected overall, including one surprise going in the first-round.

Miller explained why he has former Michigan center Cesar Ruiz, who left a year of eligibility on the table, picked 31st overall by the NFL runner-up San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers clearly have a defense talented enough to win the big games and have promising young players on offense, led by Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. Up next to improve is the interior offensive line.

Cesar Ruiz is the draft’s best center and has shown the ability to handle power and speed on the inside. He’s smart, athletic and versatile enough to handle the 49ers’ zone-blocking scheme at any inside spot.

Here’s all of the Michigan picks as predicted by Miller:

  • 31, (1): OC Cesar Ruiz, San Francisco 49ers
  • 44, (2): WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, Indianapolis Colts
  • 70, (3): EDGE Josh Uche, Miami Dolphins
  • 100, (3): OL Ben Bredeson, Seattle Seahawks
  • 171, (5): LB Khaleke Hudson, Baltimore Ravens
  • 207. (6): TE Sean McKeon, Jacksonville Jaguars
  • 216, (7): S Josh Metellus, Cincinnati Bengals
  • 228, (7): CB Lavert Hill, Indianapolis Colts

There are two notable omissions here, of course. Miller has QB Shea Patterson and OL Michael Onwenu both as undrafted in his seven-round mock — though it’s likely that one or both could be late-round picks by an NFL franchise.

Of course, we’ll have a better idea later this month when the NFL Scouting Combine kicks off, putting much more of the upcoming draft in perspective.

Players share why Shea Patterson has upped his game recently

How Shea Patterson upped his game to suddenly live up to his five-star status.

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WINTER GARDEN, FL — Michigan’s offense really turned itself around midseason, with the noticeable uptick coming after halftime at Penn State. The biggest component that has helped propel these Wolverines? Senior quarterback Shea Patterson.

Until that point, while there were moments where Patterson looked the part of his former five-star ranking, it wasn’t consistent — which, given what he was asked to do in his first year in Ann Arbor made sense. Michigan’s offense was predicated mostly on being a game manager at the quarterback position, and not making mistakes. However, with the offseason hire of Josh Gattis as offensive coordinator, expectations rose sharply, given Patterson’s reputation as a gunslinger while at Ole Miss.

But it took a moment for ‘speed in space’ to take ahold, and one it had, Patterson didn’t look back.

While the next two games for the Wolverines weren’t barnburners through the air, the final three were. The Notre Dame contest was predicated on the run, given the inclement weather, and against Maryland, Michigan looked mostly to get in and out of town.

But against Michigan State, Indiana and even Ohio State, Patterson had his best three games, yardage-wise, as a Wolverine, passing for over 300 yards in each — the first time in Michigan football history that a quarterback has had three consecutive 300 yard games.

His former teammate in high school at IMG Academy, center Cesar Ruiz, spoke during fall camp about Patterson doing ‘Shea things’ like what he had seen out of him as a five-star recruit. Once Michigan’s offense started clicking again, that’s precisely what Ruiz saw again out of his signal caller.

“I just saw him playing football,” Ruiz said. “Just being comfortable, not worrying about a lot of things, just going out and doing what he does, just playing football.”

Comfortability seems to be the key here. But how does one get comfortable in a new system?

Gattis’ pro-spread seemed tailor-made for a listed pro-style quarterback who has shown a proclivity towards scrambling. But Patterson — who was hurt on the very first play from scrimmage in 2019 — didn’t look comfortable until said Penn State game.

But it wasn’t just health that propelled him. It was also a strong desire to know all of the ins and outs of the offense he was running. Once he had a full command of the new playbook, that’s when Michigan’s offense really took off.

“I think he just feels really comfortable in the offense right now,” senior tight end Sean McKeon said. “Countlessly watching film, studying — more than I ever have and he did it this season. I feel like he knew the offense in and out, knew his reads. He’s gotten a lot better at reading coverages, too, which is what to attack.”

Now Patterson has maybe his biggest test of his career, save for those games against Ohio State.

Patterson began his career in the SEC, trying to face down a staunch Alabama team that ruled the college football landscape. The sole time he faced the Crimson Tide, in 2017, it did not go well. First, Alabama was ranked No. 1 in the country, as it were. Patterson threw for under 50% as a true sophomore, playing in his seventh career game, throwing for just 165 yards, two interceptions and no touchdowns.

This year, Patterson gets an opportunity to even the score, a chance at redemption. And having some familiarity, having prepared for and played Alabama before, despite the horrific stat line, it could be just the key for the departing senior quarterback.

“Obviously, they weren’t as good of a team as we are now when they played Alabama,” McKeon said. “He knows some of those guys, knows how they play. Just gotta focus and take everything really serious. I know we’re at a bowl game and we have fun activities, but we gotta focus in on football when it’s time to play football.”

Patterson will suit up in the maize and blue for the final time come Jan. 1, when Michigan takes on Alabama in the VRBO Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

Alabama can be beat, ‘They’re not an NFL team,’ one Wolverine notes

One Wolverines offensive player noted that the Crimson Tide can be beat, noting ‘They’re not an NFL team.’ More on the defense and team.

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WINTER GARDEN, FL — While Michigan’s biggest challenge vs. Alabama seems to be the defense against the high-flying Crimson Tide offense, it seems like the other side of the ball is flying under the radar.

Yes, despite the injury to Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama hasn’t missed a beat in the month of November, still averaging 526.8 yards per game, good for seventh in the country last month. At 60th in the month of November in total offense, it doesn’t quite seem like the Wolverines are on the same plane in that category. But in passing, while the Tide are still 7th for said month, Michigan is 19th — a far cry from where it once was.

Of course, there’s the situational aspect of it all. Alabama lost twice — to LSU and Auburn, in what both ended up being shootouts. Michigan lost once, at Ohio State, and blew out every team it faced except its rival.

This will be tight end Sean McKeon’s last go-round with the Wolverines, and he’ll be tasked — along with the rest of the offense — at exploiting what he can against the Alabama defense.

So what does he see in that regard?

“They’ve got a really big D-line, a lot of 300-pounders-plus playing D-tackle, D-end,” McKeon said. “A lot of good athletes in the secondary, linebackers. But we have just as many good athletes as they do, in my opinion.”

Defensively, as a whole, the Crimson Tide are still excellent, but perhaps not quite as elite as in years past.

Looking back at Alabama’s championship seasons since 2012, the defenses were suffocating. In 2012, it allowed an average of 250 yards-per-game, only allowing over 300 yards four times, and over 400 yards of offense twice. In 2015, it allowed 276 yards-per-game, and again, only two 400 yard games. In 2017, it allowed an average of 243 yards-per-game, and only one 400 yard game in a loss to Auburn.

But that’s when things changed. In 2018, despite making a national championship appearance — a blowout loss to Clemson — it allowed 319 yards-per-game and four 400 yard offensive performances. This year, it’s been more of the same, with five games with over 300 yards allowed and three over 400, with a 318.5 average, per game.

Looking at Alabama’s defense, Nick Saban’s calling card, the scheme seems to be the same, McKeon notes. He shared the tenets of what Michigan expects to see on that front and why they still tend to be a difficult matchup.

“I think Nick Saban’s defense has been the same for most of his years,” McKeon said. “But it’s a pretty complicated defense. They play high with even spacing. They play different coverages. They’ve got a lot of good athletes on defense. Just overall really solid.”

McKeon continued, noting that Michigan has seen some similar looks, but certainly not with athletes that are quite as high caliber: “Maybe a little bit Indiana – they kind of play a little even high. Maybe Maryland. Kinda similar. Cover 3, cover 4.”

So what does he say about Michigan’s chances?

Given that the offense has been rolling, despite many who simply see the name Alabama and assume a blowout loss, McKeon notes that they’re still college-level athletes. It can be beat.

Just like it has twice this year.

“They’re not an NFL team – they can be beat,” McKeon said. “Like any other team. Just because they’re Alabama doesn’t mean we can’t compete and beat them. Obviously they’ve lost twice already.

“(For us to win, it’ll take us) just playing our best football and I think we get the job done.”

We’ll see if he’s right come Jan. 1, when the Wolverines take on the Crimson Tide in the VRBO Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

Five Wolverines accept invites to participate in Reese’s Senior Bowl

If you thought that just SAM linebacker Josh Uche and tight end Sean McKeon would be the sole representatives for Michigan in the Reese’s Senior Bowl, think again. On Tuesday, the NFL Draft showcase for league scouts featuring outgoing seniors …

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If you thought that just SAM linebacker Josh Uche and tight end Sean McKeon would be the sole representatives for Michigan in the Reese’s Senior Bowl, think again.

On Tuesday, the NFL Draft showcase for league scouts featuring outgoing seniors revealed the full list of college football players who had accepted invites to participate in the Jan. 25 bowl game in Mobile, Alabama and the maize and blue are the second-most represented school on the list.

With five soon-to-be former players having accepted invites, it promises to be a maize and blue affair, with only the Utah Utes having more representatives with six.

The aforementioned Uche and McKeon were announced shortly after the culmination of the regular season as participants, but three more are joining.

Michigan QB Shea Patterson accepted his invitation to participate, meaning that, like McKeon, he’ll be going straight from the East-West Shrine Bowl in Florida directly to the Reese’s Senior Bowl the following week.

Also participating in the prestigious all-star game will be safety Josh Metellus and left guard Ben Bredeson.

But first, naturally, the five have one more game to play in maize and blue, with the VRBO Citrus Bowl coming up Jan. 1 vs. Alabama.

The Reese’s Senior Bowl kicks off at 1:30PM CT at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile on Jan. 25. The game will be televised on NFL Network.

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