Name: Mike Danna
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 257 lbs.
High school: Warren (MI) De La Salle
Position: Defensive end
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: I did not rank Danna, who was at Central Michigan. He made 66 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 1 pass breakup, and 7 quarterback hurries.
TTB Rating: N/A
Danna had an outstanding 2018 season by many metrics. He was a Pro Football Focus All-American and all-conference player in the MAC, along with making 66 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and 9.5 sacks, which are Chase Winovich-like numbers.
The problem is that he was in the MAC.
Against three Power Five programs (Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State) in 2018, Danna made 12 tackles and 1 quarterback hurry. Against one FCS program (Maine), he made 7 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, and 2 quarterback hurries; against 4-8 Akron, he made 5 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks.
In three games against Power Five teams, he made 0% of his TFLs and 0% of his sacks.
In two games against bad teams, he made 60% of his TFLs and 63% of his sacks.
I believe Michigan fans should temper their expectations for Danna. While he will get superior coaching and a better supporting cast, he will also be facing better offensive tackles on a weekly basis, with no FCS opponents to pad his stats. Some have talked about his becoming the starter at weakside end, but I believe that job will go to junior Kwity Paye. I expect to see Danna come off the bench or enter the game on third downs, when Paye can move inside on obvious passing downs.
Prediction: Backup weakside end
You need to login in order to vote
On the positive side he was doubled an awful lot by everybody. He really did not have a lot of help from anybody on the inside. He beat doubles from weaker teams, couldn’t by the better guys.
We may not have the bounty of fully matured stud DTs that we have had in recent years, but you can’t just dedicate two guys to our weak side DE play after play and expect to get away with it. We’ll have free hitters running all over your backfield.
I expect Danna to be solid, good enough to get a little more sniff from the NFL than he would have had last year.
You need to login in order to vote
Solid is what we need especially in the locker room and through out training as in senior leadership. I don’t know that he will start but we really need the depth and I was glad he came here.
Also, I expect he thinks that greater visibility at Michigan can’t hurt his chances in the NFL. I agree with JE a 4-6 round draft doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility if he produces under Brown’s tutelage. He has to believe in himself or he won’t do us any good or enhance his career will he?
If he produces, it is gravy.
You need to login in order to vote
I don’t expect him to start either, but we rotate so much I’m glad we got him
But why did Danna leave? Another year at Mt Pleasant and he was sure to get drafted. Here, he could get passed by a younger guy.
Which is more likely to happen?
You need to login in order to vote
I don’t think he’ll get passed by a younger guy. The only guy I could see passing him (other than Paye) is Vilain, who hasn’t played a season of football since 2016.
You need to login in order to vote
Not really even a matter of getting “passed”, since he wasn’t on the depth chart at all here last year. More a question of where in our already established depth chart does he land in the season after he transfers? Given our past lack of success with defensive transfers, I’m inclined to regard any prime time production we get from Danna as gravy.
You need to login in order to vote
Good sober perspective on Danna. I’m inclined to agree, but Roanman makes a good point. Nobody really knows how things will translate.
At this point I would say the floor for a MAC standout is quality backup but we’ve seen some good transfers at Utah and Stanford come to Michigan and get buried. As with those players, we have other options: Paye, Uche, Villain, Ojabo, playing fewer DL. Unlike those guys, the uncertainty on the depth chart is evident.
He had nothing left to prove and CMU – tough to show he deserved to be a NFL pick by playing only 3 more good teams (at best) and facing lots of attention. Unless he’s just a freak athlete that’s not going to cut it. Doesn’t sound like that’s his game.
So, the opportunity at Michigan is very logical. It’s not without risk but dude is shooting his shot. Don Brown and a bunch of potential NFL talent around him. I hope he’s a rockstar, but if he’s just a backup singer that’s fine too.
You need to login in order to vote
Freak athlete would get him drafted in the first round. He’s a 4-6 kind of guy. The MAC and other Group5 do this all the time. If his snaps are restricted at MICHIGAN, he’s stuck as an UDFA
So I ask again, what’s more likely:
getting drafted out of CMU (with a season similar to 2018), or getting passed on the depth chart at MICHIGAN (low snaps/unimpressive production)?
You need to login in order to vote
The NFL is concerned with potential. Look up Joe Ostman and Sutton Smith – some of the most productive sackers in MAC history. This is Danna’s chance to do better and be better, with elite coaching and high end talent around him. Not to mention the life experience and program connections. The ‘risk’ of dropping from late round flyer to UDFA is easily worth it.
You need to login in order to vote
Reasonable enough
You need to login in order to vote