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I know it’s a little bit late in the game, but back in the spring, I didn’t have time to review all the senior film for Michigan’s 2019 signees and give them updated TTB Ratings. I did that during the 2019 Season Countdown, so here are the final TTB Ratings for the class of 2019.
S Daxton Hill: 100 He’s the best safety in the class, though it’s an unimpressive safety class overall.
RB Zach Charbonnet:83 90 As long as he can get/stay healthy, Charbonnet has the potential to be a high draft pick in the future.
DT Chris Hinton, Jr.: 90 He should be an early contributor with high long-term upside.
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Name: Sean McKeon Height: 6’5″ Weight: 246 lbs. High school: Dudley (MA) Shepherd Hill Position: Tight end Class: Senior Jersey number: #84 Last year: I ranked McKeon #20 and said he would have 25 catches for 250 yards and 3 touchdowns (LINK). He made 14 catches for 122 yards and 1 touchdown. TTB Rating: 77
After leading the team in receptions in 2017 – during an abysmal passing year – McKeon took a step back in 2018, catching fewer than half as many passes (31 to 14) and going from an unimpressive 9.7 yards per catch to an even less impressive 8.7. One factor in those unimpressive numbers stems from the fact that Michigan had a 6’8″ future 5th round pick in Zach Gentry. Gentry was the downfield threat (16.1 yards/catch in 2018), while McKeon was the underneath guy.
The buzz on McKeon has been positive. He reportedly dropped weight this off-season to improve his speed, and he has turned into a leader. I expect improvement from year one to year two or even year two to year three, but by the time you’re a third-year guy going into your fourth year, I have a hard time buying marked improvement. On top of the mediocre athleticism McKeon has shown, he also has some big gaffes (Outback Bowl vs. South Carolina) and bad drops. While the Outback Bowl thing wasn’t his fault, sometimes McKeon just looks like a deer in headlights whenever he’s out of his comfort zone.
Can he flip the mental switch from part-time player to big-time dude? I think my comments above probably indicate which direction I’m leaning, but the possibility exists. McKeon is a solid blocker but I have yet to see evidence that he can do much more than that. We might see a similar role for him in 2019 while the more athletically gifted Nick Eubanks takes on the Zach Gentry role of downfield threat from the tight end position.
I posted this tweet a few days ago:
#Michigan had a damn good TE squad in 2016. Devin Asiasi (Mackey Award watch list at #UCLA), Ian Bunting (3 catches, 77 yards last night), Zach Gentry (drafted by Steelers), Sean McKeon (Mackey Award watch list), Nick Eubanks (19 yards/catch), and Jake Butt (drafted by Broncos).
Jim Harbaugh knows how to find good tight ends. Gentry, Bunting, and Butt are all in the NFL; Asiasi and McKeon are regarded as a couple of the top tight ends in the nation; and Eubanks could very well be on that Mackey Award watch list going into 2020. McKeon does not appear to be on the path to getting drafted like Butt and Gentry; he’s a good guy to have on the roster but not someone other teams have to gameplan around.
Prediction: Starting tight end; 30 catches for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns
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Name: Zach Charbonnet Height: 6’1″ Weight: 220 lbs. High school: Sherman Oaks (CA) Oaks Christian Position: Running back Class: Freshman Jersey number: #24 Last year: Charbonnet was a senior in high school (LINK). He had 215 carries for 1,795 yards and 17 touchdowns; he also had 3 interceptions on defense. TTB Rating: 90
I would like to start off by apologizing for liking Zach Charbonnet so much.
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There’s not much good news in this week’s recruiting update. But there aren’t many surprises, either.
OFF THE BOARD
Bingley-Jones was supposed to visit Michigan this summer in late June, but he backed out at the last minute and word is that Michigan stopped recruiting him at that point.
