Dudes Get Drafted 2021
The NFL Draft is a nice weekend because no matter how the football team did the previous season, Michigan fans can be assured they'll see a Wolverine achieve a professional dream every single year since 1938, a streak unmatched by any school except USC. That run continued in last weekend's 2021 edition, though Michigan State's 80-year streak was snapped. Tragic.
Michigan had eight players drafted, tied for the fifth-most of any college with Florida—Alabama and (sigh) Ohio State had the most with ten, followed by Georgia and Notre Dame. Other Big Ten programs with at least three selections were Penn State (6), Iowa (4), Northwestern (3, including two first-rounders), and Wisconsin (3). That number is a bit misleading in terms of how much talent the Wolverines fielded last season, though:
Kwity Paye: injured off and on
— Dan (@ThiccStauskas) May 3, 2021
Jalen Mayfield: DNP after MSU
Nico Collins: opted out
Ambry Thomas: opted out
Cam McGrone: injured off and on
Ben Mason: is a FB
Cameron Cheeseman: is a long snapper and opted out
Sorry, sorry, this was supposed to be fun. Let's take a look at where the former Wolverines were picked and the roles they project to play at the next level.
DE Kwity Paye, Indianapolis Colts, Round 1, 21st overall
This is why the draft is worth watching:
“She’s done working. She’s retired.”
— PFF (@PFF) April 30, 2021
Kwity Paye shares a moment with his mom after getting drafted ❤️
pic.twitter.com/un4XDz7VrP
Paye was the second defensive end off the board in what's considered a down year for edge rushers. He joins a solid Indianapolis front four that could use some pass-rushing pop from strongside end, where he'll be in competition to start right away—as a first-round pick he'll get every opportunity to take hold of the job.
His disciplined run defense and high-level athleticism should translate right away, and the expectation is his pass-rushing production will improve with development (and not playing in front of M's 2020 secondary). He'll at least be a consistent rotation player.
No matter what, Paye's estimated $7.3 million signing bonus will afford his mom plenty of leisure time.
[Hit THE JUMP]
OL Jalen Mayfield, Atlanta Falcons, Round 3, 68th overall
Once considered a fringe first-round tackle prospect, Mayfield slipped to the fourth pick of the third round, likely because of an underwhelming pro day performance after his injury-shortened season. Kent Lee Platte's invaluable Relative Athletic Score rated Mayfield as a slightly below-average athlete at tackle based on his pro day numbers.
When projected to guard, however, Mayfield's size and athleticism combo become good by NFL standards. Despite not playing the position at Michigan, Mayfield was announced as a guard when selected by Atlanta.
Mayfield told the Falcons he's game to play any position on the line, which gives him a better chance of seeing the field. It looks like the plan is for him to start at right guard, the biggest hole on the line right now. He should be a strong pass protector at that spot while Atlanta sees if he develops into an option at tackle.
WR Nico Collins, Houston Texans, Round 3, 89th overall
A running theme last weekend was that opting out of the 2020 season didn't appear to have a negative impact on draft position. Given the remarkably deep receiver class and his lack of statistical output in college, Collins did well going in the third round.
Houston certainly valued Collins, trading fourth- and fifth-round picks in 2021 and their 2022 fourth-rounder to move back into the third round and take him. They sent out approximately the value of a pick in the 68-72 range if you assume next year's pick lands in the middle of the fourth round; if it ends up at the top of the round, they traded the value of a late second-rounder. For the 89th pick. This is nothing against Collins: Houston is not a well-run organization.
While traditional wisdom says all but the most remarkable outlier wide receivers struggle in year one, that's changed over the last couple years as the NFL starts to look more like the Big 12 than ever before. The Texans don't have much at receiver beyond Brandin Cooks, who's a diminutive catch-and-run threat, a couple other slot-sized guys in Randall Cobb and Keke Coutee, and seventh-year journeyman Chris Conley. Collins has an opportunity to start on the outside right away if he's ready.
There's a chance he's one of the more productive rookie receivers in the class. There's also some potential for, well, not that. The status of Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson's season and career is one of major uncertainty in the midst of over 20 lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct. The Texans brought in experienced backup Tyrod Taylor this offseason and drafted Stanford QB Davis Mills with their first selection of the draft (which was in the third round, because, again, this is a bad organization). Meanwhile, the team's new coaching staff includes passing game coordinator Pep Hamilton. Hopefully "throw the damn ball to Nico" doesn't become a career-long lament.
CB Ambry Thomas, San Francisco 49ers, Round 3, 102nd overall
San Francisco nabbing Thomas with a supplemental pick in the third round received a mostly positive response. Thomas tested very well, running a 4.41 40, and measured in taller than I expected at a hair under six feet. The 49ers have followed the Seahawks model of pass defense recently and like physical cornerbacks as a result, so Thomas being a plus run defender and reliable tackler helped make the fit.
According to The Athletic's David Lombardi, the Niners are set in terms of starters at corner and in the slot but are in serious need of depth. After opting out of the 2020 season, Thomas will get some needed reps in practice before getting thrown into the most competitive division in the league.
LB Cam McGrone, New England Patriots, Round 5, 177th overall
Bill Belichick likes his Michigan defenders, selecting one for the third year in a row (Chase Winovich, Josh Uche). McGrone is still recuperating from his ACL tear and won't be asked to pick up the defense right away. When he's ready to see the field, he's got the profile of a plus special teams player, and the Patriots will look to develop him into a sideline-to-sideline middle linebacker. For now, there's a logjam of players in front of him on defense.
FB/TE Ben Mason, Baltimore Ravens, Round 5, 184th overall
A very Harbaugh pick. John's team used a draft pick on Mason even though they already have a Pro Bowl fullback on the roster in Patrick Ricard. Given most NFL teams don't even utilize one fullback, that'd normally be a death knell for Mason's chances of making the roster, but Baltimore loves versatile blocky/catchy types.
Ricard is 311 pounds, used to chip in on the Ravens defensive line, and saw an expanded role of about 30 snaps per game when blocking tight end Nick Boyle went down to injury last season. Again: Harbaugh team. Mason's ability to play H-back and willingness to line up anywhere gives him a decent shot to make the roster. Also, cutting him would make Thanksgiving awkward.
RB Chris Evans, Cincinnati Bengals, Round 6, 202nd overall
If you're wondering how Evans got drafted over more productive college players, here you go:
Could Michigan have given this guy the ball more? Perhaps.
Elite athleticism is worth a late-round flier, especially when paired with Evans' natural pass-catching ability, even if that was underutilized in college. He put it on full display at the Senior Bowl, which has some analysts saying he's a late-round steal. The Bengals got rid of longtime change-of-pace back Gio Bernard this offseason and starting RB Joe Mixon has struggled to stay healthy; while Evans is expected to make his early contributions on special teams, there may be backfield snaps available for him too.
LS Camaron Cheeseman, Washington Football Team, Round 6, 225th overall
This is going well:
Talk about a Muenster addition pic.twitter.com/IbZpl2aAu0
— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) May 1, 2021
Washington needed a long snapper. Cheeseman is a long snapper. Using a draft pick on a long snapper you don't keep on the roster is a good way to get fired. I suspect the career in dentistry is going to wait a little while.
UNDRAFTED FREE AGENTS
It's not easy to make a roster after going undrafted, though the added uncertainty with this year's class from the shortened COVID seasons, lack of a scouting combine, dearth of in-person workouts, and so on, could lead to more late-round cuts and UDFAs making teams. Here's where other Michigan players have signed:
- TE Nick Eubanks, Dallas Cowboys
- DL Carlo Kemp, Green Bay Packers
That's everyone. Remember, Michigan didn't have a large senior class last season.
Boy if there's one word that you read over and over and over again when reviewing the careers of departing players with high expectations and lower than expected results it's "underutilized".
That's one problem the elite programs like Clemson, Alabama & OSU never seem to have to deal with. They quickly and correctly identify their players strengths and then they make sure their playmakers see the ball a LOT. Something our staff seems either unwilling or unable to do.
There is talent on the roster as evidenced by the NFL draft. We just cant seem to figure out how to use it.
This is something I am praying Weiss was brought in to fix. At the very least to be able to identify traits in players and the situations that allow them to use those traits
They haven't fixed it yet in my lifetime, I don't expect it to suddenly change.
That was a common theme with the ESPN broadcast as well. Every Michigan draft pick came with analysis akin to "needs to be coached up". These guys all have a lot of potential, I suspect they'll do very well in their new NFL homes.
That wasn't just a Michigan theme, that is an overall theme that quite frankly strikes me as very annoying. I get it to a certain extent - it is your job to analyze these guys - but when everyone drafted outside the top 10 "needs some work" or "has to be more consistent" and "will benefit from NFL coaching" I can't help but roll my eyes. It has a very "humble-brag" feel to it. I know, the NFL is the greatest sports league in the world and it is SUCH a big step up from silly old college ball and you must be very smart to be the guy to explain to us how important hip flexion and bend is, but please do us all a favor and ratchet things back a bit.
I absolutely cannot wait for the day when one of our offensive players (QB, WR, RB, TE) is drafted in the first few rounds and we don't hear that ugly word "underutilized." It's been so long since this became a thing, was Mike Hart the last one fully utilized? Jake Butt I guess, though injury shunted him down the draft order.
We haven't even hear underutilized about Day 1 or Day 2 offensive skill talent because there hasn't been any! The list for the years following the 2008 draft (Carr's last class) that saw Henne and Manningham go in rounds 1 and 3 is bleak. Here you go:
- 2015: Devin Funchess (2nd round)
- 2017: Amara Darboh (3rd round)
- 2021: Nico Collins (3rd round)
Out of 13 draft classes, it's just those three Day 2 WRs. I think we'd all like to believe McCarthy, Edwards, and maybe Corum have strong chances to crack this but it's by no means a given they'll reach that point.
Henne was a 2nd round pick that year -- otherwise, spot on
Might've seen the Round 1 for Jake Long to the same Miami Dolphins and mixed that up. Alas, it's been since... uhhhh... Jim Harbaugh in 1987 that Michigan had a 1st round QB. Would be nice to see someone end that dubious run!
Yeah, and that's also because we've had five star guys like DPJ go so underutilized that they dropped out of Day 1 and 2.
Serious question though--what "underutilized" Michigan talent has gone on to have a great or even good NFL career? (no fair citing Tom Brady here) We'll see about DPJ, Nico and Chris Evans I guess but sometimes players with great testing numbers or great potential just aren't great/productive football players.
Good point, there haven't been many. Thomas Rawls comes to mind. Promising pro season before breaking bones in his leg twice within a year. Michigan didn't even play him.
But yeah, then it's DPJ, Collins and Evans as potentially underutilized in the past 7 or 8 years.
I take your point. But to have been "underutilized" necessarily implies that other players were "over utilized." And I don't know that there is nearly as much clarity on who those players were.
Well, Ben Mason and between the tackles, not great pass catching RBs in general (from Deveon Smith to Karan Higdon to Haskins) have arguably been over-utilized under Harbaugh. All solid players but probably got more carries and reps than you want in a modern offense.
Brown is gone. Let's deep six the "dudes" thing. It's played out now
I don't think that was just a Don Brown thing. People all over the country have been using/saying that for a while now.
He certainly didn't invent the phrase, but it was a noted part of his introduction:
https://mgoblog.com/content/more-don-brown-coachdude
It was played out when he was here.
#SorryNotSorry
Do people who, uh, follow NFL longsnappers have any sense of how difficult it is to find a competent LS as a FA (or UDFA)?
Think of how much better Michigan is last year with Nico, Ambry, and a healthy Paye/Hayes/Hutchinson/Mayfield/Mcgrone. Those are arguably the best 7 players on the entire roster. None of them played then 3 games.
Was Michigan ever going to be good next year - no, not really. Would we have gone 2-4 last year with those 7 guys healthy and playing - 0% chance.
1000% -- Ambry alone wins us the State game and a healthy Nico / Jalen changes the outlook for the offense
Too bad we didn't have Benjamin St-Juste, James Hudson, and Rashad Weaver to help mitigate losing a CB, OT, and DE.
Blocky catchy guy with an 8.97 RAS to boot!
Also, looking at RASs of our receivers and backs then shaking our collective heads at whatever the hell we were doing on offense.
$7.3M goes a lot further in Indianapolis than it does in...almost everywhere else. (Indy ranked #1 by apartmentguide.com as the best city for NFL fans to live.)
I recommend Kwity take mom to St. Elmo's for a celebratory dinner. And get the shrimp cocktail.
Congrats to all the gents stepping up to Sundays!
“I recommend Kwity take mom to St. Elmo's for a celebratory dinner. And get the shrimp cocktail.”
I feel like Gus Johnson said this on a game broadcast last year. Does anyone else remember this?
We've definitely had a St. Elmo's shrimp cocktail discuss on this site. It's that noteworthy.
I just realized Cheeseman's first name is Camaron. Isn't that Spanish for shrimp?
Shrimp Cheeseman? Incredible.
Would his Spanish name be Shrimp Hombrequeso?
Regardless of the medium scheme of things (sports) or the grand scheme of things (life), it's ALWAYS good to celebrate Michigan success.
Shrimp Cheeseman is the new Sauce Castillo
Good breakdown. I agree Collins should do well in the NFL if Houston has a competent QB situation; that's not remotely a given especially with Watson likely to be out for the foreseeable future. I think Evans will carve out a niche in the pros as a slot receiver-type, which would have been nice to see this year but never quite materialized (in part due to the issues with the offense and, perhaps, some rust with Evans getting back into football after the year off).
Mayfield at guard sounds right to me; his arms were apparently too short to play tackle in the NFL but at guard he's more than athletic enough to pull and reach the second level, and he's a plus pass blocker. If there's a guy I expect to blossom in the NFL from UM (other than Paye), that feels like the safest bet. Probably not a star but definitely a multi-year starter.
If you want to know just how talented Alabama is compared to even the other teams that made the playoffs, consider that Alabama had more players taken in the first round (6) than Clemson, OSU, and ND did combined (3) and one fewer (8) than those teams had combined in the first 2 rounds (9).
Bronx, I love reading your comments. You are probably the best poster on here. Thank you for all your input. It's always informative and insightful.
Without looking, I'm sure Bama will do the same thing next year.
Also, while getting drafted is a huge accomplishment for the players, not all draft positions mean the same to the team. A first or second day player is much more impactful for his college team than a 6th or 7th rounder.
I agree. That's what's sort of crazy about Alabama - their draft choices are almost always early on in the draft. Like, in the last 4 drafts they've had 41 players drafted and 23 (!!) have been in the first 2 rounds. That's bananas to a degree that I don't think people pick up on. Michigan is a pretty good college program in terms of NFL talent - Alabama has produced an entire starting lineup of drafted players in a single recruiting-maturation cycle.
Bo used to recruit tackles, and appropriately sized, and those who didn't pan out, got kicked inside... and a reason why we always had a dominant line... for the inside guys were big enough to play tackle, because they were recruited as such.
Instead, it started with Hoke that we began to do the opposite, and take a ton of guards, and then kick them outside, making the line small. Harbaugh continued this..... every recruit we would land, would be a guard. Notice how Barnhart might be the RT.
Bo did it the right way.
I mean, Bo also coached and recruited 40+ years ago; lots has changed in college football since then. If Bo had tried that approach now he'd have lines that were, yes, big but also likely struggled in pass protection against much faster ends, for example. My guess is that Bo would have followed the going trends and recruited athletic guys who could fill multiple roles, as the most successful offensive lines tend to have positional flexibility across them.
Hate to be harsh, but you may want to do a cursory check of 24/7 before making generalizations like this.
I fully expect the comments section to turn into the typical bash Harbaugh and his staff narrative given how many players have been drafted relative to our on-field performance. That's fine....and mostly warranted - so have at it.
I will add two things to this context though:
1 - There's a big difference with how OSU and Alabama guys are going in the first two rounds and most of our guys going in the mid to late rounds. The Athletic has a piece talking through those details and it is definitely a different tier of player. Now....that doesn't excuse getting beat by a team like MSU with zero draft picks.
2 - The positions that continue to hold us back for reaching our success are the offensive skill positions, namely QB. The only QB we've had drafted in forever was a flyer end-of-the-draft pick of Rudock after his one season at Michigan. Before that it is Henne, who was four coaches ago. That needs to be fixed more than anything - not having a top QB holds any football team back at any level. On top of that, we haven't had a RB drafted prior to this year since Hart. While RBs aren't quite the premium of other positions, it is telling that we haven't had any. Even our WR, while better represented, still haven't been drafted very high.
We can bitch about Don Brown not beating OSU all we want (and for good reason), but overall he had good defenses and put talent into the NFL. Same on our OL - we've started putting all of them back in the NFL the last three years. But without skill on offense, the house of cards crumbles
Ricard is an unrestricted free agent after next year in Baltimore, think the Mason pick is hope to keep a FB on the roster as cheap as possible rather than paying Ricard the vet minimum.
Also never know if someone else makes an offer well beyond the vet min to Ricard. It happened with Juszczyk.
My ruling on Hudson is suspended but I'm going to allow St-Juste and Black.
Evans was the best RB on the roster last season, and was maddening he didn't get on the field. Am glad to read that the NFL sees it too.
You should have mentioned the transfers from Michigan who got drafted.
If I recall correctly, Kwity Paye made a promise to his mom that if she paid for private tuition so he could attend a HS with a good football program, she wouldn't have to pay for college. I guess he overachieved on that one just a little. What an unbelievable journey.
EDIT: Here's a story about it:
Dudes Have No Titles
I think Evans has a good chance of finding a role on offense with the Bengals. Cincinnati's OC envisions Joe Mixon as a three-down player, but he's only an okay receiver. And the Bengals' other back isn't much of a pass catcher. Burrow also likes to spread the ball around.
I don't remember what Evans is like as a pass blocker. That might be the difference between him getting snaps in the backfield or not.
The Kwity story is awesome, and it's great to see Wolverines living their dreams!
No matter what, Paye's estimated $7.3 million signing bonus will afford his mom plenty of leisure time.
The beauty of the draft...instantly upper class for life.
Lord help me for I am going to defend the coaches just a little bit. It’s kinda misleading to say Michigan had 8 draft picks and went 2-4:
- Kwity Paye: injured off and on
- Jalen Mayfield: DNP after MSU
- Nico Collins: opted out
- Ambry Thomas: opted out
- Cam McGrone: injured off and on
- Ben Mason: is a FB
- Cameron Cheeseman: is a long snapper and opted out
Why can't UM have nice things? Seriously, I feel like we've had the longest streak of bad luck, crushing injuries, poor timing, and near misses of all time. It sure would have been nice to see a healthy "Salt & Pepper" with some level of functional DTs. Alas such is life. I continue to think about all the "what ifs" when it comes to UM. Another one of my favorites "what ifs" is if Jabrill & Dax ever actually got to play safety their entire UM careers and together. My head explodes when I consider something along the lines of them with either of 2018, 2019, or 2020's DEs and throw in a healthy McGrone & Bush in the middle. It's kind of torture to be a UM fan :/
I would absolutely love Kwity to become a star in the NFL, not only because he's a great kid, but also because he's a guy that is going to give back.
Not only his family, but also to his community and to causes that help his Liberia community back in Africa...he's already working with Tuffs to help underprivileged kids and I would expect that to expand as time goes on.
Great kid, great family
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