ESPN($) - Kiper's 2020 Big Board
Mel posted his latest Big Board for top 25 overall prospects and top 10 at each position. Bredeson comes in as the #1 guard and Uche as the #7 OLB. Notable that non of the Mich WRs are in the top 10. I wonder if they would stay to help improve their stock or not?
October 29th, 2019 at 4:16 PM ^
The WR's would be assisted if Patterson knew how to throw them the ball.
Gonna be sad seeing Uche possibly leaving. I feel like he's being under-utilized in this defense, which is somewhat surprising.
October 29th, 2019 at 4:26 PM ^
curious how so -- he leads the team in sacks and is now dropping in coverage effectively, too. do you just mean pure snap count?
October 29th, 2019 at 4:31 PM ^
I'd prefer more Uche on the field than on the sideline.
Do we want a Uche rushing the QB or dropping back in coverage against the Hamler's of the world? I'd prefer the former.
October 29th, 2019 at 5:33 PM ^
But who do you send to the bench? Hutchinson? Paye?
Uche's role is mostly as a hybrid DE/LB pass rushing specialist, but Hutchinson and Paye are beefier against the run, and also pretty good at getting to the QB on their own. Uche gives you more pure pass rush on passing downs, but seems like you'd rather hanve Hutch/Paye out there against the run.
October 29th, 2019 at 7:31 PM ^
My suggestion is slide Kwity to 3T, Uche at WDE and keep Hutch and Kemp
October 29th, 2019 at 7:01 PM ^
agreed in principle on the rushing / defending hamler question, but in reality it doesn't seem possible to have him play every snap especially as was mentioned that we have bodies that are more effective against the run. not helpful to have uche chase down the qb if noah cain is 30 yards upfield on a read option.
but i actually think the ability to have uche specifically drop in coverage has been a huge component of don brown masking zone coverage, which as we know was a major factor in confusing ND's offense.
it also bodes better for uche's prospects as we see even rashan gary occasionally dropping into coverage as a 3-4 linebacker-ish type in green bay. that diversification of skill set has to be good in setting him up to play in the NFL; this might be the first i've heard him this highly-rated as a draft prospect. i would wager this is partially because he's much more versatile than he was last year, and can play in many more situations, even if he's not an every-down type of defender currently.
October 29th, 2019 at 6:57 PM ^
Why is this still a strong narrative? Patterson threw them plenty of balls against Penn State and every single one of them dropped balls.
Even against ND, HALF of Patterson’s incompletions were drops by Ronnie and Nico.
Patterson has his faults but the fact that you’re willing to blame our WRs performances on him shows that you really just wanna blame Patterson. In fact Patterson has not costed us a game this year, or arguably ever. The receivers are one of the groups directly responsible for one of the Ls
October 29th, 2019 at 8:34 PM ^
The WR's would be assisted if they didn't have 10 drops per game.
October 29th, 2019 at 4:18 PM ^
I think Tarik is a lock to comeback (injury ?s, lack of production, minimal film), DPJ Is 50/50 (lack of production(not his fault)), and Nico will probably go. This is based on nothing, just my opinion. Could obviously change if they blow up in the last 5 games.
October 29th, 2019 at 4:49 PM ^
I think the big thing for our receivers is not only their own lack of production to date (and like you said, mostly not on them), but the depth of this receiving class. They are talking about 2020 as a historically great WR class without mentioning anyone from Michigan. Jeudy, Ruggs, Waddle, Laviska Shenault, Tylan Wallace, Tee Higgins, Jalen Raegor, Michael Pittman, KJ Hill, etc. etc. This WR is absolutely loaded.
Staying in school one more year could boost their stock in multiple ways.
October 29th, 2019 at 5:55 PM ^
This is it right here. These guys aren’t dumb - they’re being coached on the field and off, so they know where they stand in going pro. It would be a terrible class to enter if you had something to prove like DPJ, since his production at Michigan has been fairly pedestrian. He is a freak athlete, which can help at the combine, but among that group of listed WRs, they are mostly all freaks of nature.
October 29th, 2019 at 6:31 PM ^
I'm not sure if DPJ is totally healthy. He doesn't have that burst he has had in the past.
October 29th, 2019 at 6:39 PM ^
This could be true. He's had two injuries that each take a while to get over.
October 29th, 2019 at 4:53 PM ^
I agree. I think it comes down to body of work. Collins and DPJ have shown enough on the field when given the opportunity for NFL teams to gravel. Black needs another season to show what he is capable of. Even if Collins and DPJ leave, M will still be ripe with Black, Bell, the plethora of slot bugs, and several TE targets. However, I would like all of them to come back...as well as Chris Evans...
October 29th, 2019 at 6:05 PM ^
I don't know. DPJ and Collins have decent production but not anything great. Part of that is the QB and some of it is UM has been extremely run in some games over the last couple years. I don't think either of these guys are very high on draft boards right now.
October 29th, 2019 at 6:46 PM ^
Cornelius Johnson is going to have a really nice career at Michigan before he is done.
October 29th, 2019 at 6:26 PM ^
Collins is the only one who should be thinking about leaving.
October 29th, 2019 at 6:47 PM ^
Oddly enough, McShay has DPJ as a 1st rd pick. That’s to say all this is just a guess of how Kiper sees things going
October 29th, 2019 at 6:50 PM ^
October 29th, 2019 at 4:20 PM ^
Great to see Bredeson as the #1 guard. He has been awesome for Michigan for four years!
October 29th, 2019 at 4:21 PM ^
There’s not a single player on this roster that should be leaving early. Tell them to pull up Gentry’s numbers with the Steelers to see what happens when you leave before you’re ready.
October 29th, 2019 at 4:23 PM ^
You mean his contract and pay checks?
October 29th, 2019 at 4:23 PM ^
Ah yes, because all they care about is their numbers. Not the ridiculous amount of money that can be made even as a back-up
October 29th, 2019 at 4:54 PM ^
It's obviously true that they can all join the top 1% of income earners by going pro and getting drafted even in the late rounds this year. The thing is, football is such an injury-prone sport that you really need to maximize your earnings on your first contract. The average career length for a player who makes his team's opening day roster as a rookie is 6 years, meaning just longer than their rookie deal. For the average draftee, the difference between a couple rounds in the draft is the entirety of the difference in their earning potential.
October 30th, 2019 at 4:47 AM ^
The injury risk argument cuts both ways...stay in school and risk injury without pay but possibly improve draft position or cash in now and sign for less (potentially)...
October 30th, 2019 at 9:12 AM ^
It's true that you could get injured if you come back. However, the short tenure of the average NFL career is not just about injuries.
October 30th, 2019 at 4:15 PM ^
The injury risk argument cuts both ways...stay in school and risk injury without pay but possibly improve draft position or cash in now and sign for less (potentially)...
October 29th, 2019 at 4:30 PM ^
Enlighten us oh wise one, who determines when they are ready?
October 30th, 2019 at 12:22 AM ^
Well he’s been a healthy scratch for most of the season on a bad football team. Probably heading for either a practice squad or being cut based on his current trajectory.
Enlighten me, is that typical of players ready to play in the NFL?
October 29th, 2019 at 4:33 PM ^
Methinks he likes these numbers:
Zach Gentry signed a 4 year, $2,864,460 contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, including a $344,460 signing bonus, $344,460 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $716,115. In 2019, Gentry will earn a base salary of $495,000 and a signing bonus of $344,460, while carrying a cap hit of $581,115 and a dead cap value of $344,460.
October 29th, 2019 at 9:38 PM ^
This says it all. Why should these kids come back if this kind of income is on the table? Would any of you?
OSU has had a number of early entries of the "he should come back" variety. Can't blame the kid.
The tweeners, like a Mike Weber, are the ones where I scratch my head. He should have gone the grad transfer route to a place where he is the #1 back and shows the NFL his true worth. Leaving early to be a 7th round pick just didn't make sense. Of course, who knows what his agent told him.
October 30th, 2019 at 12:18 AM ^
Lol, peanuts by NFL standards. He’ll most likely get cut before he sees the majority of that salary. Could have come back and doubled or tripled his guaranteed money.
October 29th, 2019 at 4:53 PM ^
Or show them Butt's knees to see what happens if you leave a year too late just to move up a round or two.
October 30th, 2019 at 6:18 AM ^
Butt actually only left one game too late.
October 29th, 2019 at 5:02 PM ^
Nordin
October 29th, 2019 at 4:22 PM ^
Very surprised not to see LeVert Hill or Onwenu even ranked on these lists.
October 29th, 2019 at 4:25 PM ^
Or even Runyan at guard. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if all three of them have a decent run in the NFL as guards. Hell, if Patrick Omameh can, they sure as hell can
October 29th, 2019 at 4:29 PM ^
I can see Onwenu as a nose tackle in the NFL. Hes a space eater that could be utilized in the right defense.
October 29th, 2019 at 5:12 PM ^
Me too, and I even checked for LaVert Hill.
October 29th, 2019 at 5:54 PM ^
Does anybody think Onwenu has a shot at a redshirt? I thought he only played in 1 game his freshman year.
October 29th, 2019 at 6:15 PM ^
According to MGoBlue.com he played 9 games.
October 29th, 2019 at 6:43 PM ^
Thanks. Now I know where to check for that info. I don’t know why I had it in my head that he only played DT against Rutgers. Wishful thinking I guess,
October 29th, 2019 at 4:29 PM ^
October 29th, 2019 at 4:31 PM ^
brian cole is on the list at S.
October 29th, 2019 at 4:36 PM ^
If Uche sticks around, next year's defense would be insane. I love the way he has been used in coverage this year, which really helps confuse defenses ("not just a rusher"). If he were to return next season the defense would be something along the lines of:
DEs: Hutchinson, Paye (if he returns) with Villian, Ojobo, Wuscheff (sp) contributing.
DT: Dwumfor, Kemp (if granted a redshirt), with Jeter, Smith, and Hinton contributing.
SAM: Uche
Viper: Barrett
MLB: McGrone
WLB: Ross
CB: Thomas (hopefully), Gray and one of JKP, Perry, Turner as the third CB
S: Dax, Hawkins (with not great depth behind them)
I think we would see less Viper in this defense, which I am ok with, especially if some of our younger DBs pan out. Without Uche, we will be breaking in a new SAM and a new Viper, which isn't great.
October 29th, 2019 at 4:40 PM ^
That doesn't seem insane.
October 29th, 2019 at 5:23 PM ^
Really? You're basically seeing our floor next year with young players showing glimpses of the ceiling at those positions. If our offense keeps improving and that carries into next year, this defense is going to be 100% attack mode with the pieces at just about every position to do that. The two question marks for next season will be Gray and whoever replaces Hudson.
October 29th, 2019 at 4:49 PM ^
Are you captain insano ?
October 29th, 2019 at 5:24 PM ^
I think that we as a fan base have overrated our receivers. Nico is really good. DPJ has not lived up to expectations and has had more than a few drops this year. Tarik has disappeared, perhaps got worse due to his injuries.
Ronnie Bell is our best receiver and Nico is a really good deep threat. DPJ has great potential but should definitely stay. Tarik has no choice.
October 29th, 2019 at 6:19 PM ^
Our receiving corps is ranked 28th nationally on PFF right now, behind Minnesota, Indiana, Penn State, and Ohio State in conference. Some of that, based on how PFF grades, is certainly on our offense's ability to get them the ball thus far, good defenses we have faced, etc, but they also cite drops. Certainly hasn't been the best-in-conference unit we expected.