Tag: Ben Bredeson

Nightly Roundup: May 19, 2019

Mel Kiper, Jr. is looking at the 2020 NFL Draft, and several Wolverines are on his radar (LINK).

ChadTough raised $1,000,000 in one night for pediatric cancer (LINK).

Review of 2018 Season Predictions

Nico Collins (image via MGoBlue)

I always like to look back at my predictions for the previous season to see how well I judged the year beforehand. Here’s the link to my 2018 Season Predictions (and the comments): LINK.

LEADING RUSHER
Prediction: Karan Higdon, 1100 yards
Actual: Higdon, 1178 yards
Thoughts: Higdon was about as effective as I thought he would be, although he would have ended up with more yardage if he didn’t miss one regular season game (due to injury) and then the bowl game (due to selfishness). I was surprised he was named First Team All-Big Ten, but there were some other backs in the conference who were not as effective as I thought they would be.

LEADING RECEIVER
Prediction: Donovan Peoples-Jones, 750 yards
Actual: Nico Collins, 632 yards
Thoughts: Collins had a breakout season, going from 3 catches for 27 yards in 2017 to leading the team in receiving yardage (and being #2 in receptions) in 2018. Peoples-Jones was just behind Collins by a mere 20 yards and led the team in receptions (47), but Collins was the big downfield target.

LEADING TACKLER
Prediction: Devin Bush, Jr., 95 tackles
Actual: Bush, 79 tackles
Thoughts: As the middle linebacker, Bush was an obvious choice, but his instincts and sideline-to-sideline speed ensured that he would make plays all over the field. Safety Tyree Kinnel was not far behind with 74 tackles in one more game, since Bush missed the bowl game.

Hit the jump for the rest of the review.

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Should I stay or should I go now?

Devin Bush, Jr. (image via Wolverines Wire)

With an outstanding defense and a competent offense, a lot of Michigan players will need to decide whether to stay at Michigan for 2019 or to head for greener pastures in the NFL (or elsewhere). Here’s a look at the players that I have the biggest questions about going forward.

Ben Bredeson – OG – Junior

Bredeson, a 6’5″ and 320 lb. offensive guard, has said that he is leaning toward returning to Michigan in 2019. Bredeson was a 4-star recruit coming out of high school who made eight starts as a true freshman and has been a full-season starter for the past two years. He has been a Second Team All-Big Ten selection for the past two seasons, both by the coaches and the media. While he has been a good player at Michigan and anchors the left side of the line for a left-hand-dominant team, he has not yet proven to be the road-grader that many expected. Bredeson would most likely get drafted in 2019, but I think he would be a third-day selection. If he returns to develop for one more year, I think he could potentially work his way up into the second day with an outside shot at the first round.
Verdict: Stay in school

Devin Bush, Jr. – LB – Junior

Bush is listed at 5’11”, 232 lbs., and the biggest knock on him is that he lacks size. Well, he’s probably not going to get any bigger at this point. His father, who played at Florida State and in the NFL, was listed at 6’0″, 210 lbs. The younger Bush was 1st Team All-Big Ten and an All-American in 2017, and he is quite possibly headed for the same accolades here in 2018. He finished the 2018 regular season with 80 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, and 6 pass breakups. He’s a sideline-to-sideline player who hits like a ton of bricks and can cover. At worst he’s a backup linebacker and special teams player in the NFL; at best he’s a tackling machine who fits in well with the new age of small, quick linebackers. I don’t see much of a reason for him to stay at Michigan in 2019, but I would be happy if he did.
Verdict: Go pro

Rashan Gary – DE – Junior

Gary, of course, has already decided to go pro. As the #1 overall recruit in the 2016 class, it was expected by many that he would be headed to the NFL as soon as possible. Not only has he hit three years, but he also suffered from some shoulder problems during his college career. In an attempt to preserve himself for the NFL, it makes sense that he would want to jump into the draft now. It would be very unfortunate if he came back next year, suffered further shoulder injuries, and still wasn’t getting paid for his efforts and pain. I think Gary made the right choice.
Verdict: Go pro

Hit the jump for a look at some other players who might be considering leaving.

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2018 All-Big Ten Offense

Karan Higdon

The Big Ten released the all-conference defense and special teams yesterday (LINK), and today it was time for the offense. Michigan players include:

COACHES

First Team
Running Back: Karan Higdon
Offensive Tackle: Jon Runyan, Jr.

Second Team
Offensive Guard: Ben Bredeson

Third Team
Quarterback: Shea Patterson
Wide Receiver: Donovan Peoples-Jones
Tight End: Zach Gentry
Center: Cesar Ruiz
Offensive Guard: Michael Onwenu

Honorable Mention
Wide Receiver: Nico Collins
Offensive Tackle: Juwann Bushell-Beatty

MEDIA

First Team
Running Back: Karan Higdon

Second Team
Offensive Guard: Ben Bredeson
Offensive Tackle: Jon Runyan, Jr.

Honorable Mention
Quarterback: Shea Patterson
Wide Reciever: Donovan Peoples-Jones
Tight End: Zach Gentry
Tight End: Sean McKeon
Offensive Tackle: Juwann Bushell-Beatty
Offensive Guard: Michael Onwenu

2018 Season Countdown: #8 Ben Bredeson

Ben Bredeson (#74, image via The Wolverine)

Name: Ben Bredeson
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 320 lbs.
High school: Hartland (WI) Arrowhead
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #74
Last year: I ranked Bredeson #9B and said he would be the starting left guard (LINK). He started twelve games at left guard.
TTB Rating: 88

Bredeson quickly became a very dependable interior lineman for Michigan. He started most of the season as a freshman, and he became a full-time starter in 2017. His sophomore campaign was good enough for him to be named Second Team All-Conference. He’s a massive lineman who looks like the tough, hard-nosed, road-grading Michigan offensive linemen of yesteryear.

The buzz coming out of Schembechler Hall is that Bredeson has been the team’s best lineman, and that’s not surprising. There are a lot of unproven players up front, and other than left guard, the next most solidified position is center Cesar Ruiz, who was primarily a backup last season and played a lot of right guard. Bredeson is of great value to the team, and that’s represented by the fact that he’s #8 on this list. At the same time, Michigan has a battle at right guard (Michael Onwenu vs. Stephen Spanellis) and a battle at right tackle (James Hudson vs. Juwann Bushell-Beatty), even though Onwenu and Bushell-Beatty have earned starting gigs before. I think Michigan could weather the loss of Bredeson by plugging in someone like Spanellis (or left tackle Jon Runyan, Jr.) temporarily, but it would be a setback. Led by new offensive line coach Ed Warinner, I think this line is going to be pretty solid in 2018.

Prediction: Starting left guard