7 Michigan players landed in Mel Kipers latest 2023 draft board
Of course I am far more invested in the pending CFP, but here is Mel Kiper's latest draft board. No real surprises...
Olu #2 Center
Zinter #3 Guard
Morris #3 OLB (I thought this was odd. I see him more of a DE but ok...)
Corum #5 RB (Ha Ha, some team is going to get a real gem in the 3rd/4th round. HINT HINT Lions)
Mazi #5 DT
Moody #4 Specialist
Robbins #10 Specialist
Mel also noted 3 Wolverines that "just missed the cut"
Hayes, Turner, and Okie...
Link for anyone interested in the article....
December 11th, 2022 at 11:14 AM ^
FWIW, Kiper’s rankings are just the top 10 at each position. So the three that “just missed the cut” still received very draftable grades from Kiper and could be mid round guys.
December 11th, 2022 at 4:37 PM ^
Olu #2??
December 11th, 2022 at 5:14 PM ^
Forkin' outrage.
December 11th, 2022 at 5:35 PM ^
Rankings aren’t based on how good they are in college. It’s all about how you translate to the pros and their potential in the league. I’m certainly not an NFL scout, but if there’s a center out there with more athletic upside/better measurables than Olu, they’ll get ranked higher.
December 11th, 2022 at 11:22 PM ^
The reason Oluwatimi didn’t enter the draft last year was that the NFL had some misgivings. He came to Michigan to improve his position, which he has, but he still doesn’t have the NFL attributes to be considered the #1 center prospect, apparently.
December 12th, 2022 at 9:37 AM ^
"he still doesn’t have the NFL attributes to be considered the #1 center prospect, apparently."
What are the attributes that Olu is supposedly lacking?
December 12th, 2022 at 9:23 PM ^
He needs another year to get taller!!
December 11th, 2022 at 11:15 AM ^
Looks like we will be losing a few more guys than I thought. Didn’t okie say he was coming back? Wonder if he will if that grading holds.
December 11th, 2022 at 11:30 AM ^
Okie has stated that he is coming back. That wouldn't prevent Mel from listing him though...
December 11th, 2022 at 11:17 AM ^
Corum #5, seriously??? NFL is not about speedster RBs, he has amazing vision and hits the holes perfectly.
December 11th, 2022 at 11:22 AM ^
As much as we a love Corum he definitely profiles as a better college back than a pro back.
December 11th, 2022 at 11:27 AM ^
So did Jamie Morris.
December 11th, 2022 at 12:27 PM ^
So did Mike Hart
December 11th, 2022 at 12:45 PM ^
I disagree. He's is perfect for the NFL. low center of gravity but with the lower body thickness to endure. Usually guys his stature are weak below the waist and don't last. Think Haskins but faster and a low center of gravity. The lower it is the harder for the big DL to get low. It's why Barry was so good That was Harts drawback unfortunately, wasn't thick like Corum where it's needed. Corum I predict will be taken by the Ravens.
December 11th, 2022 at 1:22 PM ^
The Ravens have JK Dobbins who is actually a good Blake Corum comparable. Dobbins has been hurt a lot and is finishing his third season so his days might be numbered there. I guess it's possible.
December 11th, 2022 at 7:28 PM ^
Dobbins is much faster than Corum.
Not the best comparison.
December 11th, 2022 at 3:32 PM ^
No you are both right...Corum isn't an ideal NFL back THIS year, but he'd be perfect for the NFL NEXT year...it just makes sense.
December 11th, 2022 at 5:58 PM ^
As good as Blake is, he's no Barry Sanders. No one was or is. It was his ability to cut in a phone booth and be back to top speed instantly. Blake is very similar in style, but there was only one Barry.
December 12th, 2022 at 9:24 PM ^
Should stay another year and work on his height.
December 11th, 2022 at 11:22 AM ^
Size and durability are going to be held against Corum by scouts
December 11th, 2022 at 11:32 AM ^
Yeah, I'm sure their statistical models are pretty unfriendly to someone with Corum's size. The question is whether the model is over-simplifying his profile, and not giving enough credence to, say, his odd ability to deadlift an entire defensive line to get a first down.
December 11th, 2022 at 12:10 PM ^
NFL teams aren’t really interested in that these days, they want guys that can catch out of the backfield. Corum has not shown a lot of that, which does not mean he can’t do it, and he is fairly short by NFL standards. Corum certainly would not be the first great college RB to struggle in the NFL, he should probably stay in college…
December 11th, 2022 at 12:13 PM ^
Same height and weight as Ray Rice, and he was pretty damn good in the NFL
December 11th, 2022 at 5:16 PM ^
Better at some things than others.
December 11th, 2022 at 5:33 PM ^
If we’re searching for exceptions to the rule, sure. There are examples of some finding success. There are also plenty of examples where the player didn’t work out.
Theres also the fact that Rice was the 7th back taken in his draft class. The point isn’t that running backs of that size CAN’T succeed. It’s that they’re far from a sure thing (more than a typical draftee) and teams are more conservative when it comes to drafting them.
December 11th, 2022 at 11:26 AM ^
I would love Corum coming to my Lions with our 3rd round pick!!〽️ #HAIL
December 11th, 2022 at 11:32 AM ^
I love the Lions, and they are drafting better. But every time I get my hopes up, the Lions crush them.
the Lions invented BPONE.
December 11th, 2022 at 5:54 PM ^
Well, might have been Nero. Or whatever emperor got it into his head to throw Christians and plebians into the ring WITH the Lions.
December 11th, 2022 at 8:14 PM ^
Signed mid 80s lions fan.
December 11th, 2022 at 11:56 AM ^
I could realistically see MCDC and Holmes taking Corum later in the draft if he's still available. Perhaps Corum will be 2023 version of amon ra st. brown?
December 11th, 2022 at 11:36 AM ^
The problem with Corum is coming off an injury, RB's are not particularly a high value position anymore & not that many on the NFL.com list RB's as "team needs".
Someone is going to a great fit with Corum, probably no higher than round 4 though.
December 11th, 2022 at 12:40 PM ^
I dont get the "lacking speed" complaint at all in the first place. He's got more than enough speed.
December 11th, 2022 at 1:07 PM ^
I agree that Corum has good speed, but I think he lost a little when he bulked up. It made him a better back, but he's not as fast as he was before.
December 11th, 2022 at 3:00 PM ^
But he was *really* fast before and is still very fast. And his acceleration is excellent.
December 11th, 2022 at 6:02 PM ^
I have to believe Donovan comes closer to the paradigm NFL back. He's bigger and faster than Blake and has mad receiving skills. If he continues apace next year he should be no worse than a high 2nd round pick and maybe better.
December 11th, 2022 at 11:19 AM ^
Corum has been injured quite a bit, both last year and this year. Sometimes guys are downgraded for perceived "frailty." Not saying I agree but that's likely part of the equation.
December 11th, 2022 at 11:19 AM ^
Morris is definitely a freak athlete. That’s crazy that he’s even listed at OLB weighing 290+ pounds!!!
December 11th, 2022 at 11:33 AM ^
OLB is just what the NFL calls edge players.
December 11th, 2022 at 12:00 PM ^
For most schemes that’s true enough.
December 11th, 2022 at 12:09 PM ^
Rashan Gary is a linebacker
December 11th, 2022 at 11:21 AM ^
Who are the 3 supposedly better than Moody? The rest of the list looks about right.
December 11th, 2022 at 11:26 AM ^
In regards to Moody, he’s under the “specialist” category so it isn’t necessarily 3 kickers ranked better than him. Punters are included there also. I don’t have access to the rankings so I can’t tell you who, but it’s not unrealistic for someone to have an opinion that 3 specialists are better than Moody.
December 11th, 2022 at 11:27 AM ^
Moody has not been great >50 yards which probably drops him
December 11th, 2022 at 11:42 AM ^
^^^This^^^
Moody covers the reliability part, but he doesn't quite have NFL range.
On-topic, how good have Kiper's predictions been historically?
December 11th, 2022 at 12:01 PM ^
Well, he was right about Trev Alberts…
December 11th, 2022 at 4:28 PM ^
He has the range - you saw the FG against OSU, the 49-ydr. That went through at the top of the uprights and had ~10-15 yards to spare (at least). It's why he was given the 57-ydr before the half. And he had the distance for that, but it was wide. He has the leg, he just needs to work on the accuracy at 50+. He's not a big project when that's his drawback...
December 11th, 2022 at 11:28 AM ^
Good for the players. We lost quite a bit last year and we put together another amazing team. We are going to have to do this year after year. Aren't we? Hope we finish 2023 class strong.
December 11th, 2022 at 11:43 AM ^
I want to know who the two guards are that are supposedly better than Zinter. A bit hard for me to really imagine how one improves from a Zak Zinter.
December 11th, 2022 at 12:03 PM ^
Or Olu?
December 11th, 2022 at 11:46 AM ^
Okie is weird to me, and just seems like some lazy analysis based on old recruiting rankings. Good player, but it wasn't obvious that his physical skills were at that level.
I don't follow the NFL at all these days, but I do wonder how nobody notices what Sainristil is doing. He's a first-year DB who just had a fantastic season capped by an insane showing against the Ohio State Pass-Game Death Star. I guess insane mountain goats don't show up well in measurables.