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2016 NFL Draft Preview: Michigan Wolverines

Jake Rudock

The 2016 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. I’m not the world’s biggest draft junkie (you can only have so many obsessions in your life), but I am always enthralled by the first round of the NFL Draft. Other than the Super Bowl, it’s my favorite single NFL day of the year . . . depending on whether the Lions are in the playoffs or not, which is usually not. Tomorrow night I’ll be headed to a friend’s house where a half dozen of us will eat pizza, drink cold beverages, and make fun of each other’s favorite teams.

Several Michigan Wolverines will be on the board, but none will be taken on Thursday, barring a huge surprise. With their Combine and pro day numbers in mind (LINK), here’s a look at Michigan’s representatives in the Draft and some slightly educated guesses about where they’ll go:

Graham Glasgow, C
Glasgow is 6’6″, 307 lbs. and did 23 reps on the bench at the Combine. He ran a 5.13 forty and a 4.63 shuttle time. He also performed well playing both guard and center at the Senior Bowl. He will almost certainly get drafted, but probably not as the top center. It will be interesting to see whether his multiple off-the-field issues with alcohol will cause him to slide.
Best guess: Rd. 3, #87 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals

Willie Henry, DT
Henry stands 6’2″, 303 lbs. and did 28 reps on the bench at the Combine. He ran the forty in 5.0 seconds and a 4.53 shuttle. He also showed a 30.5″ vertical and a 9’2″ broad jump. Henry has good quickness off the ball and can be a playmaker, but he’s a little bit inconsistent. He struggled to hold up at times on the interior because of leverage issues, so he’s more of a 3-tech or an undersized end in a 3-4.
Best guess: Rd. 4, #106 overall to the Chicago Bears

Hit the jump for more on the expectations for Michigan’s outgoing seniors.

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Recruiting Update: April 26, 2016

Detroit (MI) Country Day LB Kolin Demens

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2018
Detroit (MI) Country Day linebacker Kolin Demens was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 205 lb. prospect with only one other offer, which is from Nebraska. The younger brother of former Michigan middle linebacker, Kolin is a lankier outside linebacker type of player.

Tampa (FL) Cambridge Christian offensive tackle Richard Gouraige was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 270 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Miami, and North Carolina, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #5 offensive tackle, and #31 overall. Gouraige has some tantalizing athleticism and could play defensive end or defensive tackle, but he also looks like an ideal left tackle prospect. He was a Maxpreps Freshman All-American.

Hit the jump for several more 2018 offers and some random bits.

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2017 Recruiting Update: April 25, 2016

Baton Rouge (LA) University Lab OT Adrian Ealy

For several years I’ve been keeping a count of the offers Michigan sends out. Under late Lloyd Carr, Rich Rodriguez, and Brady Hoke, the number of reported offers was anywhere between a little over 100 and a max of 195. In Jim Harbaugh’s first full recruiting class, he offered 257 prospects for 2016. This year that number has already exploded to 262 and it’s still over nine months away from National Signing Day. It’s part of the new-era recruiting situation across the country, which is that players just don’t think you’re interested unless you’ve offered them a scholarship.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017
Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy wide receiver Jhamon Ausbon was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 217 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Baylor, Georgia, LSU, Miami, and Texas A&M, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #11 wide receiver, and #64 overall. Ausbon is just one of many players from IMG with offers from the Wolverines, who held a few spring practices on their campus in Florida. Ausbon is expected to stay in SEC country.

Sacramento (CA) Sheldon wide receiver Alex Cook was offered by Michigan . . . and committed to Washington two days later. Cook is a 6’2″, 170-pounder who’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #131 wide receiver, and #955 overall. He’s the third Michigan target to pick the Huskies in recent days, joining WR Terrell Bynum and DT Marlon Tuipulotu.

Baton Rouge (LA) University Lab offensive tackle Adrian Ealy was offered by Michigan. He stands 6’7″, 280 lbs. and is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #27 offensive tackle, and #128 overall. He has offers from Auburn, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, among others. He is thought to be a lean toward the hometown LSU Tigers.

Hit the jump for a few more offers, a couple commitments elsewhere, and some random bits.

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Visitors: April 22-24, 2016

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell (image via 247 Sports)

2017

Jaylen Kelly-Powell – S – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Kelly-Powell is a 6’0″, 183 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Ohio State, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #20 safety, and #250 overall. He’s thought to be a Michigan lean and was in town on Wednesday.

2018

Braeden Childress – WR – Big Rapids (MI) Big Rapids: Childress is a 6’4″, 210 lb. prospect with no offers at this time. He’s the younger brother of Brandon Childress, a wide receiver at Central Michigan.

Jacob Isaia – OG – Las Vegas (NV) Bishop Gorman: Isaia is a 6’3″, 240 lb. prospect with no offers at this time. He’s a teammate of a couple offered prospects, including 2017 QB Tate Martell (Texas A&M) and CB Alex Perry.

Video: Charles Woodson high school highlights

I apologize for the lack of posting over the past couple days. I’ve been dealing with a pretty nasty bout of the flu. Here are some highlights of Charles Woodson as a high schooler to pass some time: