26Mar 2017
Dymonte Thomas (image via MLive)
Several Wolverines participated in the NFL Combine a couple weeks ago (LINK), and I broke down the winners and losers from the Combine (LINK). Michigan held its pro day on Friday, and there were numerous big NFL names at Al Glick Fieldhouse to check it out:
In total, there were reportedly going to be representatives from all 32 teams at the pro day.
Here are some notable performances from Michigan’s players:
Rising sophomore running back Kingston Davis is transferring, according to Sam Webb.
Davis committed to Michigan in April of 2015 (LINK). I initially gave him a TTB Rating of 80 before dropping that down to 70 once the recruiting cycle ended (LINK). I came to view him more and more as a fullback, despite his and his father’s insistence that he wanted to play tailback and tailback only. That’s fine if that’s your goal, but it’s tough to be a dynamic tailback at 6’1″ and 245 lbs. Davis dealt with some injury issues after enrolling early at Michigan in January of 2016 and played just a bit, carrying 2 times for 17 yards against Hawaii in the season opener.
Davis was looking up at Chris Evans, Karan Higdon, Kareem Walker, and Ty Isaac, not to mention potential sixth year senior Drake Johnson. Therefore, I don’t think this affects Michigan very much on the field. He was bound to be a backup tailback, and I suggested once again this morning (LINK) – before the news broke – that Michigan should consider moving him to fullback to back up the two co-starting seniors at the position.
Michigan is now down to 86 scholarships allotted for the 2017 season, so they have to shed at least one player before fall camp. I expect some more news of departures soon, which will get Michigan under the 85 cap.
Where does Zach Gentry fit best? (image via MLive)
Going into the 2017 season, Michigan has some holes on the roster and some players who seem to be buried on the bench. Those buried players – and some established ones – can sometimes benefit the team at other spots. After all, Michigan took Chase Winovich – who started his career at linebacker before moving to tight end/fullback for a season – and made him a very effective defensive end (35 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, 5 sacks) in 2016.
Which players on this 2017 squad might be best served by finding a new position?
(image via Ryan’s Twitter profile)
Last week I spoke to former Michigan defensive lineman Ryan Van Bergen. Ryan now runs his own gym in Ann Arbor. In the interview we touch on everything from the difficulties of starting your own company to tacking Braxton Miller for a loss in front of the Michigan student section. Ryan’s passion for Michigan, fitness, and football was obvious throughout the conversation.