Michigan has a chance to establish a record next month for the most players chosen in a single NFL draft.
ESPN’s Matt Miller believes it will, forecasting 16 Wolverines to be selected in his most recent seven-round mock draft, which was issued Tuesday. Georgia now holds the record, having selected 15 players in 2022.
There’s no debate about who will be the first Wolverine off the board. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s remarkable climb has analysts projecting him as a top-10 choice a month before the draft. Miller has the Denver Broncos trade up to take him at No. 4 overall.
“McCarthy is a tough, instinctive and accurate quarterback with plus-level mobility and great play from the pocket,” Miller said in a statement. “I’m not saying he’s Drew Brees, but the style of play would be very similar to what Payton ran in New Orleans.” McCarthy has only made 28 college starts, although he finished 27-1 at Michigan. Last season, he completed 72.1% of his throws and threw only four interceptions, and his third-down QBR of 86.7 ranked 11th in the nation. McCarthy would be a safe bet to beat Jarrett Stidham and start Week 1 in Denver.
Who will be the next Michigan player selected is more difficult to predict. MLive posed the subject to ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. last week during a draft preview call with reporters, and the longtime analyst indicated it might be multiple Wolverines.
“Mike Sainristil is certainly a guy that Jim (Harbaugh) has always loved, and he’s in that third-round mix as a nickel-slot corner, so he could be one,” Kiper told ESPN. “Looking at the person following J.J., who comes next? I believe it would have been Zak Zinter, but he was injured. He’s an excellent player. Kris Jenkins is effective against the run. He’ll give you some penetration and get after the quarterback on occasion, so I believe he’s in that mix. A 300-pounder who is extremely athletic. Junior Colson, an off-ball linebacker, is also somewhat underestimated in my opinion.
