Michigan at the Combine and What it means for Recruiting
After the combine dust has settled, I talked to a few people about the state of Michigan football. Obviously, we had the largest contingent of players there and a lot of them put on a really strong performance, including DPJ and Ruiz. I’m happy to answer questions about those guys and where they’re projected to go in the comments, or anything else that people would want answered. But for this post I want to recount what was told to me by a few folks about guys Michigan evaluated and missed on. Their argument was that if Michigan could have landed a few more of these guys (regardless of rankings) that it would have made the difference. I still contend that QB play is the biggest factor, but they mentioned that Michigan needed 1 or 2 more big time guys to make the step up. They specifically mentioned Isiah Simmons as one name.
Michigan’s evals have been on-point. Now the biggest argument that was made is that we need to close some of these battles better, but we have been in on some of the names that have absolutely blown up, most were 3-star guys actually. I don’t remember all the specifics of these recruitments, but Michigan had ID’d and these guys below all had them in their top 3 (and some of them were committed).
Michigan got swooped: Each had their own reasoning.
Isiah Simmons: Michigan was all over him early, due to Jim’s connections in the Kansas area. Clemson came on late and swiped him, and the rest is history. He’s the literal definition of what you want a Viper to be.
Willie Gay: I think this worked out best for Michigan, since he ran into some academic trouble at Miss St. But man, they think he’s going to be a good NFL player as a modern day, 3 down LB.
Meckhi Becton: This has been talked about many times but a dropped ball by Drevno and an opportunistic Louisville. Him at RT would have made our OL.
Isiah Wilson: Also been talked about, but him at LT and Beckton at RT would have allowed Runyan to kick inside.
Michigan got in early, evaluated, but lost a race or were full at the position: All these guys Michigan got in on early and recruited hard, but for some reason weren’t able to land.
Eno Benjamin
Dalton Keene
Khalid Kareem
Darnay Holmes
Jordan Fuller
Committed/Signed, but got away: We all know what happened here, but wanted to list them in their own category.
Brian Cole
AJ Dillon
Devin Asiasi
Jordan Elliott
There were a lot more that I left off the list that I don't know if we had a realistic shot at landing, but these guys are all going to play in the NFL. And aside from Wilson, Elliott, and Holmes they weren’t 5-star guys. What that tells me is that we’re doing a really good job of identifying talent and I think this portends well for the next few years. If Michigan pulls in a Becton and a Simmons that could have very well taken us to the next level.
There were a few guys that Michigan missed out on this year that I think may come back to bite us. Mitchell Melton is going to be a stud for OSU and we’re gonna look back at that one. Xavier Watts is going to be a really good player for ND. Obviously, Theo Johnson for PSU. And the last guy is Noah Nelson for OU. We were in the top 3 for all of them, and besides Theo none of those guys were High 4/5 stars, but these are the players that Michigan is going to have to keep battling and signing in order to take the next step.
love these posts. thank you.
any predictions or scuttlebutt about where our guys might get drafted?
DPJ is going to get pushed down a bit because of this insane WR class. But I'm hearing 2nd round for him.
Ruiz is a no doubt late 1st/early second. He's a 10 year pro.
Uche I think goes in the 2nd. He's got a chance to sneak in the first, but scouts are still waiting to see his workout to see if it matches up with his tape playing speed.
Bredeson and Onwneu are 4-5 round guys. Onewenu's arms are freakishly long for a guard.
The rest of the guys are going to late round/ UDFA's. I think we see 7 guys get drafted: DPJ, Ruiz, Uche, Bredeson, Onewenu, Hill, and Hudson. Rest of the guys got a chance, but we'll see.
If Becton + Wilson alone, how many more wins the last few years? I just can't/don't want to imagine how dominant that line would have been.
Wilson, Bredeson, Ruiz, Runyan, Becton.
Got-DAMN!!!! Onwenu gets benched... Or he benches Bredeson (I don't see that, though).
Or....Onwenu plays DT.
Oh dreams what they become.
Yeah it would've been immense for us. I think we pick up a win at Penn State for sure. It's hard to say, but I think Mayfield is the real deal, but him sitting behind Becton would have really been ideal. That line would've caved in almost anyone, except Ohio State. But it goes to show you that one player really can make a difference.
Trying to keep things away from #HotTake territory, I’ve been pondering DPJ’s career at Michigan and I just continue to shrug, sigh and move on. But I’d like your prospective on him: Bad offense? Bad coaching? Injuries? Poor hands? Combine traits that don’t parlay to the field?
A 5 star coming in that was hyped as the next Braylon Edwards finished his three year career with almost exactly the same amount of receiving yards that Edwards accumulated in his senior season (with a freshman QB). It’s kind of a tough pill to swallow.
*a freshman QB that just completed his 10th NFL season
Yes, Henne was very good as a freshman. How well do you think plays though without the embarrassment of riches we had at the skill positions and offensive line that season?
*a true freshman QB who had a lot of potential but zero college game experience who didn't learn he was going to start until August when Matt Gutierrez was injured.
His freshman season he wasn't supposed to be the starting outside WR. He has always been a physical specimen, but he needed refinement. Then Black got hurt. Then there was only 1 other WR worth a starting spot and it was Perry (who didn't even play that much). Then JOK started 1/2 of the season. Then a RS freshman, wide-eyed Peters started another 1/2 of the season. Plus the offense was just bad.
Sophomore year you could see what he was capable of in stretches. The offensive philosophy and having Collins opposite him diminished his potential. The OSU game he had like 7 catches underneath as Collins got the fades and TDs. He has made incredible adjustments to poorly placed balls, dug out a couple, and generally caught what was thrown his way.
Junior season he basically missed the first 3 games (Wisconsin was his first back and not 100%). After that it was again poor QB play and the offense in general was slow to get going. He had some big time drops against PSU and OSU as well.
Overall it was disappointing but it was a confluence of events. He doesn't have a great first step or the short area wiggle that some other guys do. While his 40 at the combine was good, it's his long speed (and vertical) that makes him a top tier athlete. He had bad QB play, poor play calling, and some of his own shortcomings that all worked against him.
I agree with this, and will add that the different offensive philosophies didn't help any of them. The difference between Pep and Gattis offenses is stark. Also, as a freshman, his WR coach was a GA. He made some strides under McElwain as a soph, but stayed the same in yr 3 with Gattis. I suspect Gattis was all in with the entire offense, rather than spending enough time with the WR group. That entire WR class (DPJ, Collins, Black, Martin) suffered from a combination of events that has limited their production through the years.
That WR class is the second biggest position group disappointment from a hype to output standpoint next to the [2013] OL class where everyone flamed out. I'm hoping Collins puts up a monster year and redeems them. Bummer Black and DPJ didn't come back because I think they still have the potential to be elite when everything is clicking.
I think Nico's legit star turn and DPJ's solid, if unsatisfying, career lifts them out of that territory.
Not even the most disappointing group from that class - DL is batting 1/8 on real contributors thus far.
He's got great long speed and athleticism - but he isn't that "sudden", and he isn't a good route runner.
He really just isn't very good at working himself open, and he is pretty poor getting off jams.
Exactly and sudden speed and route running seem to be more valuable than long speed and size in modern offenses.
Which is exactly why he should have come back
Just means a freshman QB leaned on and completed 40% of his passes, 48% of his yards, and 15 of his 25 touchdowns to his star #1 WR.
Shea spread the ball a lot around more.
**That year they went 9-3 with losses to ND, OSU, and the Bowl game. So that production still wasn't enough and was basically DPJ's sophomore season.
100% style of offense for the first two years, and an injury this year. He was always on a 3-year plan so a lot of those guys it makes it hard to risk your future when you pick up an injury that keeps you out for the first few games and then the team drops an early game. If you look at my early season preview I was spot on for almost everyone except DPJ. I said scouts thought he had a lot of Julio in him (not saying at all that he is Julio). But he never really got it going after that ankle injury. I think no doubt he's an All-American if he was healthy and he came back. His talent is undeniable, but just had some bad luck,
DJP, never ran great routes, never dominated blocking in fact got his arse handed to him by osu db's and let way to many balls hit the turf! That film doesn't lie. I agree he was always a 3 year guy, but a 3 year guy only for DJP and not for Michigan. Not that I don't think he worked hard, but hard for DJP, not hard at improving his game big time to win. Didn't attack the ball in the air and claim dominance over db's. Ability to be the #1 rec is there, was there. Desire to be the best, dominate and win titles imo never was there.
Offense/style of play, this offense is designed to give guys like him some room to operate and sure, QB has been a big issue. But dude wasn't getting separation with better route running. The next time he puts a bigtime db on his back run blocking will be the first. And for DJP at his size/strength that's a problem.
The problem was that the passing game in his first two years wasn't very creative and easy to defend. Last year it was mainly for the quick slot receiver types. When it got to the red zone he was pretty much money on the balls thrown his way, even some super special highlight catches.
The drops he had were basically lack of concentration that every receiver has from time to time but his were magnified by the opponents they were against. He was the sole punt returner his 3 years here. Can't remember but maybe 1 or 2 drops on those.
He was in a risk adverse offense with a risk adverse QB. It was always going to be very rare that he got the type of separation needed for his QB to pull the trigger. LSU's offense and QB on the hand, the exact opposite...
He was the sole punt returner his 3 years here. Can't remember but maybe 1 or 2 drops on those.
Your recall is way off. Compared to how sure handed Jabrill was, DPJ was terrible at punt returns. He had games with multiple "what the fuck was that" drops and terrible displays of judgment. Every time he fielded a punt it was scary.
Jabtil rarely let a punt hit the ground which saved Michigan tons of field position. DPJ was not nearly as good at catching the borderline balls which would usually roll towards Michigan’s end adding 5-10 yards (sometimes more) to a punt.
I know a lot are down on DPJ on the board. I think he will be an example of a guy that’s a much better pro than college player. He has the tools he just needs to be in a situation where it’s practice all day every day. More coaching and more focus on technique will allow him to be great.
Yeah, this is the correct take. Also, what no one mentions is that he had 3 WR coaches in 3 years. Really hard to get better when you have a different coach stressing different teaching points every year.
That's the problem with expectations--anything short of Braylon and he was going to be listed as a disappointment by fans. Each kid develops at a different pace. But I agree-- he's going to be a really good pro and I can't wait for the takes from fans bemoaning how he couldn't do that at Michigan.
Came in really raw, tons of athletic ability and potential, but far from a technically refined WR. Then he was thrust into a big role as a true freshman while dealing with John O’Korn or Peters as his QB for most of the year.
Then you move to the 2018 offense where we passed the ball only 38% of the time (blame whomever you’d like for that), he led the team in receptions and TDs, 2nd in yards.
Then this season he came into the year nursing a hamstring injury so he missed some time. And while we definitely passed the ball more than in recent seasons, we also had more high caliber weapons. We spread the wealth around, with five guys having 25+ receptions. Ignoring a few times where guys had some drop issues, we definitely addressed the lack of a passing game. We just didn’t hone in on 1 or 2 guys.
So it’s probably a laundry list of things that added up to a “meh” career. I also don’t think his game tape really matches his combine numbers. DPJ didn’t seem to excel at creating space and working to get open despite his combine numbers indicating good speed and a quick twitch.
This is why I'm keeping my hopes up going forward. I agree that QB has been the biggest weakness, but another problem was the disaster of the 2017 class attrition. We've seemingly fixed the offensive line issue, and I like the guys we are recruiting at the skill positions. Hopefully we won't be paper thin on the defensive line going forward.
Just look at the top 4's QB's the last few years. We don't need a Trevor, but we need a guy who can go out and steal a game. We haven't had a QB play like that since Henne. I think we have developed every other position on the field, except for that one.
Shea stole some games for UM. He was almost completely responsible for the road win against NW.
Unfortunately, Shea also stole some games FROM UM.
Haha you're right on both fronts. I want to see a QB at Michigan do what Haskins did a few years ago to us at the Big House. Just put the team on his back and win the game on the road.
We lost big time at the DT position and speed at corner/slot. No pressure from the inside position and couldn't stop the run vs wisconsin, osu and ultimately bama late in the game. Going to have to be much better at these positions. Corners didn't give up over 350 to wisconsin, 264 to osu and barely got out alive vs army.. that was all dt. And yes we know this coming season will be far better but where were the dt's in this signing class, where were they in 2018's class and I can go on and on.
Have to fix the inside of the D first. But also have to resolve Don Brown's schematic issues in his man coverage. Jimmies and Joe's don't matter if your x's and o's are picked apart by teams with same or better talent. Better add levels to that zero coverage in multi rec, trips, stack and other alignments. Better jam the clear out and better start getting a banjo/manzone working much better than they have. And for the love of god let the lber knock out the mesh rec so he never pics again!
Bottom line is that Michigan has drastically improved since Harbaugh arrived and his recruiting has been good. BUT there are questions in the coaching (Game Day execution) and you are 100% spot on about Don Brown. Yes, he's funny, yes, he's a nice guy, yes, he works hard BUT this does not give him a pass on the fact that his defenses get smoked against the better coached program. The proof is 100% there. Just Google the Wisconsin, OSU, and Alabama games. I'd bet a paycheck that Charles Woodson, if you were talking to him in private would heavily criticize Brown's coverage schemes. Also, Harbaugh is ALWAYS in the media and most of the time in a negative manner. How well does he resonate with young people besides pulling recruiting stunts? IDK but his media clips showing him crying about calls and acting spaced out in post game interviews certainly can't help.
'Harbaugh is ALWAYS in the media and most of the time in a negative manner.'
That's flat out BS...an absolute lie.
Really?
Let's ask Paul Finebaum.
Well, Jimmies and Joes might be the reason when the D is picked apart by teams with BETTER talent.
All thats missing is at QB and its coming....
I think OT Persi will be one under radar guy that will thrive.
Disagree with you here but totally agree with you on the QB comment you made. Michigan has problems defensively against well coached programs.
I may be in the minority here, but I don’t see too many high net losses or added wins here.
Runyan developed much better than any of us expected. The line would’ve obviously been better with wilson and becton.
Fuller and Simmons would’ve been huge upgrades, but Ambry and khaleke were good.
those two would’ve had the biggest impact in the osu games and Bama this year. I don’t think they would’ve saved the 2017 season.
The biggest loss was Shea. I’m not here to beat up on the beaten, but he cost us more games than those guys listed would’ve won us.
Oh man you must have not watched Clemson this year, because Simmons flat out carried that defense. Without him there's no way they get past OSU. His impact on the game wasn't always noticed, but he was Jabril if Jabril could really cover. Simmons is going Top 5 and Khaleke while great will be lucky to go in the first 5 rounds.
We beat Penn State with Simmons no doubt. You could've put him on almost anyone to matchup.
Accidental double post
So far one of the biggest misses I will think will turn out to be Harrison and if it weren't for the blowout in 2018 I think we had him. But, before we can ever expect to beat OSU we need a QB that keep up with them. I honestly don't know if Dylan or Joe are that. Time will tell. The next hope if JJ. But, there continues to be guys in the pipeline that suggest UM should continue to develop, but just not enough to keep up with OSU.
Harrison was a big miss, but pulling a kid that lives down the street from OSU is damn near impossible. Getting Dax Hill is the single biggest recruiting win we've had in a long time. He's going to be a stud the next two years. But you all already know that.
pulling a kid that lives down the street from OSU is damn near impossible.
The frustrating part is OSU doesn't seem to have trouble doing it to UM as they were able to land Webb, Jordan, & Weber and continue to make headway with Edwards & Spindler. We obviously beat them out for most guys like DPJ, McGregor, etc., but they seem to be getting more of the top guys than they used to from MI's back yard.
My takeaway is that UM has a deep roster but missing difference makers where it matters most. I know great QB is the most important, and all the big time programs get it.
But, it seems that all the big time programs also have top picks on the d-line year after year. The ability to disrupt the game with 4 lineman is such an advantage. I get the feeling UM is trying to move the other direction with more LB/S hybrids. Could be a chicken/egg situation though.
Thanks for the quality post!
umgoblue11>umbig11
Give Michigan Justin Fields and have them take Shea, we win. Same with Haskins. When the QB is ready, the playoffs will appear.
DPJ lost a step while he was here. He was fast and shifty his freshman year. He put on some muscle, maybe 10 pounds, and was not nearly as fast. Michigan bulks up a lot of players unnecessarily. Chris Evans is another example. When we have fast guys we bulk them up.
When OSU has fast guys, they try to get them faster.
Just read though this discussion-interesting.
Coaching...most every issue/complaint noted here has an underlying issue of coaching-coaching always has been and always will be a significant difference-maker.
There is significant talent on the 2020 roster-once again. How close will they perform to their potential???
I think the issue is QB play. And I know that sounds obvious, but you can't coach something out of a QB that they don't have. It's why we win every game we should win, but have struggled against ranked teams. In the last 15 years, we've had 2! QB's drafted (Henne and Rudock). That's insane and unacceptable.
No one Pats themselves on the back more for almost doing something quite like Michigan.