Who is the most surprising UM bust in the NFL to you?
Who are the guys you thought would be great at the next level, but busted?
I'll start the bidding with Devin Bush. I guess I knew it was possible that being undersized could be an issue for him, but his speed and tackling and football IQ were so insanely high in college that I never seriously considered that he'd spend his NFL career getting paved by 320lb guards who are also insane athletes.
February 27th, 2024 at 11:59 AM ^
David Terrell. Seemed like such a sure thing
February 27th, 2024 at 12:16 PM ^
Didn't Bush hurt his knee ?
February 27th, 2024 at 12:35 PM ^
I don't dunk on UM alums, thanks.
February 27th, 2024 at 12:43 PM ^
Bush is an easy pick. Was such a dominant force in college, and went to a very strong, stable, respected team with a defensive culture that has been rooted in place for decades. I thought he'd be the next big defensive star in Pittsburgh. Injury definitely played a role with him, though.
Charlton is probably the other one. Even though Michigan lost, I remember watching him ransack OSU's offensive line in 2016 and thinking to myself "that man just made himself A LOT of money today." Just never translated in the league, for whatever reason.
Won't pretend to know why.
February 27th, 2024 at 12:50 PM ^
Im a little taken aback - I thought Maurice Hurst was gonna be a superstar. I know he struggled with medical issues though
February 27th, 2024 at 12:52 PM ^
David Terrrrrrrrrrell.
February 27th, 2024 at 1:01 PM ^
John Okorn:
He was the "best prepared player in the draft" or something to that tune.
But really, Jake Rudock has spent considerable time as a backup to some big time QB's. Is he Mahomes? No. But he would be servicable.
February 27th, 2024 at 1:13 PM ^
Logged in just to upvote the O’Korn reference. When I saw he was entering the draft I couldn’t believe it. But good on him for giving his dreams a shot.
February 27th, 2024 at 1:03 PM ^
David Terrell or Chris Perry
February 27th, 2024 at 1:06 PM ^
Bush got injured his rookie season - before that he was kinda killing it. Wasn't the same after the injury
February 27th, 2024 at 1:14 PM ^
I don't know...it just doesn't sit right with me to point out busts, especially from our beloved wolverines. There's "busts" in every sport, but remember, those "busts" still made it further than 99.9% of people. I'd rather look at guys who outperformed their projections rather than point out those who fell short.
February 27th, 2024 at 1:27 PM ^
Two former wolverines come to mind:
Shaun Crable - His ceiling seemed so high, but we'll never know for whatever reason.
Devin Gardner - I thought his athletic abilities, knowledge of the game, and self-confidence would have translated into a longer, more successful, NFL tenure.
February 27th, 2024 at 1:30 PM ^
Zoltan Mesko
While an amazing Space Emperor, he didn't quite conquer the NFL.
February 27th, 2024 at 1:30 PM ^
Tyrone Wheatley.
One of the best RB's in school history, crazy size-speed combo. Watch his college film and he stands out as a Bo Jackson or Herschel Walker type athlete. Injuries started to ruin his potential already in college.
Had a very middling, non-starter role in the NFL before retiring with nagging injuries.
February 27th, 2024 at 3:24 PM ^
Along those lines I also thought Jon Vaughn would have a bigger impact in the pros. Same with Tim Biakabutuka.
February 27th, 2024 at 8:30 PM ^
My first thought was, half our starting running backs from 1988 until 2000.
I could be overlooking someone, but my recollection was we had a lot of great RB pass thru the program and none of them ever became a premier NFL RB
February 27th, 2024 at 1:59 PM ^
One of my favorite Wolverines has to be very high on this list … Drew Henson. He needed to choose baseball or football. If he stays one more year , he’s probably the Texas 1st pick ever and “who knows what happens then”.
February 27th, 2024 at 2:15 PM ^
Steinbrenner threw $$$ at him after he beat osu in the toilet bowl in 2000.
February 27th, 2024 at 2:11 PM ^
Tom Brady. Most people are nearing the height of their careers at age 44, but this dude just quit.
February 27th, 2024 at 2:15 PM ^
David Terrell. Great size, speed and length, and so dominant at Michigan, not sure what happened with him in the NFL.
February 27th, 2024 at 2:18 PM ^
Maybe not a 'bust' per se since he was drafted in the 3rd round of the NFL draft, and the hit rate there isn't high, but maybe Chase Winovich? Thought he was perfect as situational pass rusher / OLB in this NFL era, but clearly didn't have it.
February 27th, 2024 at 3:01 PM ^
I was going to say this too as the more obvious choices have already been offered. I thought Chase would have a good career but alas it only lasted a couple of seasons.
February 27th, 2024 at 2:23 PM ^
David Terrell.
February 27th, 2024 at 2:26 PM ^
Settling on a definition of "bust" is a challenge, but I am a Desmond contemporary and thought he was the Second Coming when drafted to the Washington. Didn't seem like a fit from jump, given the way Washington was constructed, but still thought he was underutilized to the point of "bust-ish" perception. The Resurrection in Green Bay and a SBMVP, notwithstanding, I thought he was a HOFer coming out of the Heisman year...
Also, thought Wheatley was going to be the next Jim Brown. Still the most impressive athlete I've seen live on a college football field to this day. Again, what separates underachieving/surprising disappointment and "bust" has a few subjective filters, I guess.
February 27th, 2024 at 2:27 PM ^
Mary Markley had some bigguns.
oh, I read the question wrong.
February 27th, 2024 at 3:43 PM ^
I don’t know if you can really call him a bust considering when he was drafted but I thought Mario Manningham would’ve been a good WR in the NFL. Maybe not a #1 but a solid #2/3.
February 27th, 2024 at 4:03 PM ^
Justin Feagin?
February 27th, 2024 at 6:57 PM ^
Devin Bush was a pro bowler until he blew out his knee. Hard for me to think he was a bust just because of the injury.
February 27th, 2024 at 7:26 PM ^
I don't really like the premise of this OP. I prefer to celebrate that our guys got to the NFL. This can come off some type of way.
February 27th, 2024 at 10:03 PM ^
Ernest Shazor. I still dont know what happened. He skipped his final year, went undrafted, and then played 2 games for the Cardinals. From first team AA & Thorpe finalist to undrafted and out of the league after 2 games?!?! For me (and maybe it was just me) the biggest delta between "what I thought would happen" and "what actually happened" of any player I can recall.
Maybe it was me. Maybe there was something glaringly obvious I missed. Maybe there was something that I just never heard about, since it was 2005 and not quite EVERY thing was on the internet. But I really thought he was going to be special
February 27th, 2024 at 11:36 PM ^
I honestly thought Braylon Edwards would be a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame. Wasn't a bust, but I certainly thought he'd be elite.
February 28th, 2024 at 12:45 AM ^
Bush was playing fine before he blew out his knee. Tough break for sure.
For me it's David Terrell.
This may be unpopular but Desmond Howard gets honorable mention. Sure, he was an all pro returner and won a super bowl MVP, but he was drafted 4th overall and never did anything as a WR.
Also I love/hate this thread. Don't ask me to hate on wolverines who made it to the league!
February 28th, 2024 at 2:15 PM ^
I will go with "guys I thought would have good/great NFL careers, but did live up to my expectation"
1. Chad Henne - still had a great longevity in NFL, but I thought we would be a perennial starter
2. David Terrell - I still blame this on being drafted by the Bears
3. Braylon Edwards - same as Terrell but with Cleveland and the NYJ
4. Chris Perry - the 605 rushes, his junior and senior season may have taken it's toll.
5. Mike Hart - Again having over 1k carries in college may have taken it's toll.
February 29th, 2024 at 1:40 PM ^
This will age me a bit, but I thought David Terrell would have a better NFL career. Grew up loving guys like Des, Toomer, Mercury Hayes...and the timing of Terrell's UM career was such that I thought he might have been the best one yet that I had seen. I was sad to see him go early, but his accomplishments warranted it and he was picked 8th overall. Never had a thousand yard NFL season and only scored 9 total NFL TDs. The 2001 season was depressing when you think about what could have been.