In keeping up with the NFL Draft, it was impossible to miss when a couple former Michigan commits came off the board. The Wolverines lost two running back commits in the 2015 class, and both of them were drafted – while Michigan’s signees at the position (Karan Higdon, Chris Evans) went undrafted and got suspended, respectively.
Hit the jump for a rundown of former Michigan commits and players who were involved in the draft this past weekend.
Damien Harris – RB – Alabama: New England Patriots (Round 3, #87 overall)
Harris was a 5-star running back who had a solid but unspectacular career for the Crimson Tide. He ran for 3.070 yards on 6.4 yards per carry and scored 23 rushing touchdowns, but his top two seasons just barely reached the thousand-yard mark (1,037 and 1,000 in 2016 and 2017, respectively). Pro Football Focus ranked him as the #8 running back in the draft (LINK).
Mike Weber – RB – Ohio State: Dallas Cowboys (Round 7, #218 overall)
Weber rushed for 2,676 yards on 5.9 yards per carry and scored 24 rushing touchdowns. He redshirted as a freshman in 2015, so he still had one year of eligibility remaining, but he left anyway, presumably because J.K. Dobbins had taken a bunch of his carries, anyway. The Cowboys now have three Ohio State running backs in their backfield, where Weber joins Ezekiel Elliott and Rod Smith.
UNDRAFTED
Ian Bunting – TE – Cal: Chicago Bears
At 6’7″ and 255 lbs., Bunting never became the star receiver that many thought he would in college. He caught 10 passes for 118 yards while at Michigan from 2014-2017, and then he caught 18 passes for 195 yards as a fifth year senior at Cal.
Darian Roseboro – DE – North Carolina State: Baltimore Ravens
The 6’4″, 283 lb. NFL prospect was somewhat productive for the Wolfpack, making 114 tackles, 31 tackles for loss, and 14.5 sacks during his career. However, he didn’t impress NFL scouts very much. He wasn’t invited to the Combine, and nobody really seemed to believe he would slip into the back of the draft. At a similar size to former Michigan lineman Chris Wormley, he could potentially battle for some playing time at Wormley’s 3-tech spot.
Wilton Speight – QB – Cal: San Francisco 49ers
Speight redshirted at Michigan in 2014 and then went 257/437 (58.8%) for 3,192 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions for the Wolverines through 2017. He grad transferred to UCLA in 2018 and went 126/208 (60.6%) for 6 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Jimmy Garoppolo starts for the 49ers, so Speight will have to try to compete for a backup gig.
Maurice Ways, Jr. – WR – Cal: unsigned
Ways was listed at 6’4″ and 220 lbs. as a senior at Cal, and he made 34 catches for 383 yards (11.3 yards/catch) and 1 touchdown as a fifth year senior at Cal. Prior to his transfer from Michigan, he made just 8 catches for 71 yards and 0 touchdowns.
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Wilton Speight signed as an UFA.
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49ers will be interesting to watch for Jake Rudock — battle of his former backups for a backup job
For the rest of us we can laugh as Nick Bosa tries to navigate his new political environment.
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