Tag: Carlo Kemp

2022 Inaugural USFL Draft Results

FIRST OVERALL 🙌🐾

The Panthers select QB @SheaPatterson_1 with the No. 1 pick in the #USFLDraft pic.twitter.com/7Rm8W7BDWc

— Michigan Panthers (@USFLPanthers) February 23, 2022

The new version of the USFL kicked off its draft on Tuesday night, and the first pick was none other than former Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson. Altogether, the draft was full of names that you either didn’t know or were a blip for a bit on the college scene before disappearing, such as former Maryland cornerback/returner Will Likely, Ohio State WR Johnnie Dixon, and Memphis QB Paxton Lynch (who was a high draft pick by the Denver Broncos once upon a time).

The USFL did something unique with their draft: they used alternating orders each round, and each round was for one position only. So the first round was only quarterbacks, the second round was only defensive ends, etc. I think that’s a good way to start off the league, so every team gets at least a chance to grab the best player at one position. But because of that, the round in which a player was picked was irrelevant to an extent; for example, defensive tackles couldn’t even be drafted until the 24th round.

Below are the players picked from the Wolverines:

Round 1, #1 overall: QB Shea Patterson (Michigan Panthers)
Round 2, #10 overall: DE Carlo Kemp (Pittsburgh Maulers)
Round 7: OT Juwann Bushell-Beatty (Tampa Bay Bandits)
Round 8: CB Channing Stribling (Philadelphia Stars)
Round 28: RB De’Veon Smith (Pittsburgh Maulers)

Former Michigan commit Mike Weber, who played his college football at Ohio State, was a 27th round pick by the New Jersey Generals.

2021 NFL Draft Primer: Days 2 & 3

Last night defensive end Kwity Paye went #21 overall to the Indianapolis Colts. I discussed offensive tackle Jalen Mayfield yesterday as a possible first rounder (LINK), but as expected, he did not go off the board on night one.

So besides Mayfield, who’s next?

Wide receiver Nico Collins measured in at 6’4″, 215 lbs., having lost weight since he last wore a Michigan uniform in 2019. He ran a 4.43 at Michigan’s pro day, broad jumped 10’5 3/4″, and showed a 37.5″ vertical. Even though I have doubts about that forty time, I don’t think anyone expects him to be a burner in the NFL. He can be a matchup probably with his size. I thought he might be a good fit for a team like the Philadelphia Eagles, but the Eagles already went with a wide receiver (albeit a small one) in Devonta Smith.
Projected draft spot: Rounds 2-3

Cornerback Ambry Thomas is probably the next best bet. At 5’11” and 191 lbs., Thomas showed off a 38″ vertical, broad jumped 10’2″, and ran the forty in 4.37. He opted out of the 2020 season, but he was a shutdown corner when he last played in 2019. Will teams hold it against him that he missed 2020? That remains to be seen, but a few guys who opted out of 2020 still went in the first round.
Projected draft spot: Rounds 3-4

Linebacker Cam McGrone missed a chunk of the 2020 season with a torn ACL, and he wasn’t playing that well before the injury, anyway. At 6’0″ and 234 lbs., he was unable to run the forty and did 20 reps on the bench press. McGrone only started for part of 2019 and part of 2020, and he probably left too early. It would not surprise me if he went undrafted, and it would not surprise me if he went in the 5th round.
Projected draft spot: Rounds 6-7

Fullback Ben Mason weighed in at 6’2″ and 246 lbs. He did 29 reps on the bench, ran a 4.72, and broad jumped 9’9″. Fullbacks have gone the way of the dodo in recent years, but he’s such a devastating lead blocker that I think he can fill a role on a roster somewhere.
Projected draft spot: Rounds 6-7

Running back Chris Evans is 5’11” and 211 lbs. He clocked a 4.44 forty, did 20 bench press reps, had a 40.5″ vertical, and broad jumped 10’7″. His pro day was arguably the most impressive of any Michigan player, and yet his overall lack of production at Michigan leaves some questions about what he can really do at the next level. He never topped 685 rushing yards in a Wolverines uniform, and his final season included just 73 rushing yards and 87 receiving yards. I think he can play in the NFL, but it would be a little odd for him to get drafted.
Projected draft spot: Round 7 or UDFA

Other draft-eligible players I do not expect to get drafted:

• LS Cameron Cheeseman
• TE Nick Eubanks
• DT Carlo Kemp
• K Quinn Nordin

2021 Michigan Pro Day Results

Several NFL Draft hopefuls worked out at Michigan’s pro day on Friday, March 26. Here are some of the noteworthy results:

WR Nico Collins (6’4″, 215 lbs.)
40 time: 4.43 seconds
Bench press reps: 14
Vertical jump: 37.5″
Broad jump: 10’5 3/4″
3-cone drill: 6.71 seconds
5-10-5 drill: 4.32 seconds

Hit the jump for more.

2020 Season Countdown: #9 Carlo Kemp

Name: Carlo Kemp
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 286 lbs.
High school: Boulder (CO) Fairview
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Senior
Jersey number: #2
Last year: I ranked Kemp #13 and said he would be the starting nose tackle with 25 tackles and 1.5 sacks (LINK). He started twelve games, making 40 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 1 fumble recovery.
TTB Rating: 84

A quick recap: Kemp started his career at linebacker and has since played every position on the defensive line, from weakside end to nose tackle.

He continued making strides on the defensive line in 2019, becoming Third Team All-Big Ten to the conference’s coaches. That’s a pretty nice accomplishment for a guy who’s undersized for the nose tackle job. Kemp doesn’t even have the consistent quickness off the ball of a guy like Maurice Hurst, Jr., but he does use leverage and athleticism to find his way to the ball. Michigan was able to use him on stunts with some effect. Unfortunately, the quickness and stunting was embarrassingly ineffective against power running teams like Ohio State and Wisconsin.

This year it appears Kemp will be moving over to 3-tech as Michigan deploys more four-man fronts. That makes more sense to me and hopefully allows a guy with more weight/stoutness to play nose tackle. Kemp gave a valiant effort, but without sufficient junk in his trunk, it’s an exercise in futility to play nose tackle when getting gashed by the stellar offensive lines of the Badgers and Buckeyes.

Prediction: Starting defensive tackle

2019 All-Big Ten Defense

The Big Ten released its all-conference awards for defense on Tuesday (LINK).

Hit the jump for the full list.