Tag: Mike Massey

2004 Offer Board

74 total offers

QUARTERBACK (3)
Chad Henne – West Lawn, PA (Michigan)
Blake Barnes – Baldwyn, MS (Georgia)
Rhett Bomar – Grand Prairie, TX (Oklahoma)

RUNNING BACK (11)
Roger Allison – Lake Orion, MI (Michigan)
Mike Hart – Syracuse, NY (Michigan)
Max Martin – Madison, AL (Michigan)
Greg Coleman – Iowa City, IA (Iowa State)
Derron Thomas – Reserve, LA (Miami)
Bobby Washington – Miami, FL (Miami)
Tony Temple – Kansas City, MO (Missouri)
Erik Haw – Columbus, OH (Ohio State)
Ja’Kouri Williams – Plaquemine, LA (Tennessee)
George Bell – Fayetteville, NC (Virginia Tech)
Purnell Sturdivant – Norfolk, VA (Virginia Tech)

WIDE RECEIVER (11)
Adrian Arrington – Cedar Rapids, IA (Michigan)
Keston Cheatham – Pomona, CA (Michigan)
Doug Dutch – Washington, DC (Michigan)
Morgan Trent – Orchard Lake, MI (Michigan)
Lonnell Dewalt – Bowling Green, KY (Kentucky)
Ted Ginn, Jr. – Cleveland, OH (Ohio State)
Cameron Colvin – Concord, CA (Oregon)
Jaison Williams – Culver City, CA (Oregon)
Desmond Tardy – Indianapolis, IN (Purdue)
Chris Ogbonnaya – Houston, TX (Texas)
Ryan Graves – Venice, CA (UCLA)

TIGHT END (4)
Mike Massey – Cleveland, OH (Michigan)
Kellen Freeman-Davis – Adrian, MI (Michigan State)
Dale Thompson – Corona, CA (USC)
Brad Allen – Venice, FL (Vanderbilt)

OFFENSIVE TACKLE (6)
Micah Jones – Mayfield, KY (Kentucky)
Kellen Heard – Wharton, TX (Miami)
Kyle Mitchum – Erie, PA (Ohio State)
Steve Rehring – West Chester, OH (Ohio State)
Gerald Cadogan – Portsmouth, OH (Penn State)
Chilo Rachal – Compton, CA (USC)

OFFENSIVE GUARD (8)
Jeremy Ciulla – Kennesaw, GA (Michigan)
Grant DeBenedictis – Boca Raton, FL (Michigan)
Brett Gallimore – Riverside, MO (Michigan)
Alex Mitchell – Bay City, MI (Michigan)
Dumaka Atkins – Sarasota, FL (Florida State)
Greg Harrison – Shenandoah, PA (Penn State)
Josh Winchell – Southaven, MS (South Carolina)
Thomas Herring – Los Angeles, CA (USC)

CENTER (0)

DEFENSIVE END (8)
Eugene Germany – Pomona, CA (Michigan)
Tim Jamison – Harvey, IL (Michigan)
Charles Alexander – Breaux Bridge, LA (LSU)
Calais Campbell – Denver, CO (Miami)
Dion Gales – LaPlace, LA (Mississippi)
Vernon Gholston – Detroit, MI (Ohio State)
Ryan Baker – Indianapolis, IN (Purdue)
Jeff Schweiger, Jr. – San Jose, CA (USC)

DEFENSIVE TACKLE (9)
Alan Branch – Albuquerque, NM (Michigan)
Will Johnson – Lake Orion, MI (Michigan)
Marques Walton – Chicago, IL (Michigan)
Dwayne Hendricks – Millville, NJ (Miami)
Corey Mills – Memphis, TN (Mississippi)
A.Q. Shipley – Coraopolis, PA (Penn State)
Craig Bokor – Aliquippa, PA (Pittsburgh)
Williams Morrisey – Silsbee, TX (Texas A&M)
Nick Hayden – Hartland, WI (Wisconsin)

LINEBACKER (5)
Chris Graham – Indianapolis, IN (Michigan)
Chris Rogers – Wexford, PA (Michigan)
John Thompson – Detroit, MI (Michigan)
Marcus Freeman – Huber Heights, OH (Ohio State)
Dan Connor – Wallingford, PA (Penn State)

CORNERBACK (2)
Charles Stewart – Farmington Hills, MI (Michigan)
Rod Council – Charlotte, NC (Louisville)

SAFETY (5)
Jamar Adams – Charlotte, NC (Michigan)
Kyle Jackson – Neptune Beach, FL (Florida)
Craig Steltz – New Orleans, LA (LSU)
Devon Lyons – Pittsburgh, PA (Ohio State)
Sirjo Welch – Columbus, OH (Ohio State)

KICKER (2)
David Lonie – Iowa Falls, IA (California)
Dave Brytus – Imperial, PA (Purdue)

2009 NFL Draft Review: Michigan

One of the reasons I wanted to start a blog was so I could have my predictions and analysis somewhere where I could review them. Predicting how recruits will pan out is a very long process, but predicting the NFL draft is quick and easy. Here’s how I did in retrospect…

Morgan Trent
Prediction: 4th round
Where he went: Trent went to the Bengals with the sixth pick in the 6th round. It looks like I overvalued him a little bit. The current Wolverine players have hinted that some of the outgoing players never bought into the new regime, and I’ve heard rumors that Trent was one of those. Perhaps some NFL teams heard those same rumors and dropped him down a bit for attitude issues. Or maybe nobody thought he was very good.

Terrance Taylor
Prediction: 5th round
Where he went: Taylor went to the Colts with the last pick of the 4th round. While my prediction was off, it was as close to being correct as I could possibly be . . . without actually being correct.

Tim Jamison
Prediction: 7th round
Where he went: Jamison ended up signing as an undrafted free agent (UFA) with the Houston Texans.

Brandon Harrison
Prediction: UFA
Where he went: Harrison signed with the Indianapolis Colts. They already have a 5’9″ strong safety in Bob Sanders, but here’s a clone. I honestly think Harrison might be able to stick on a team like the Colts. His strength is in playing close to the line of scrimmage, and the Colts defense would potentially give him that opportunity.

Mike Massey
Prediction: UFA
Where he went: Massey signed with the Browns. I’m pretty sure this is nothing more than the Browns saying, “Hey, you’re from Cleveland – let’s make the hometown fans happy about seeing a local product on the roster!”Carson Butler
Prediction: UFA
Where he went: Butler went to the Green Bay Packers. They have a history of thuggish tight ends (Mark Chmura liked 16-year-old girls a little too much, for example), but I think Butler’s on-field attitude will get him shooed away faster than his off-the-field behavior.

2009 NFL Draft Preview: Michigan

Morgan Trent – CB
Morgan Trent came to Michigan as a wide receiver but moved to defensive back during bowl practices of his true freshman season. He played pretty well in 2007 but took a lot of blame for Michigan’s defensive woes in 2008. Scouts – and fans – think Trent lacks the fluid hips to be a corner in the NFL. Because of this, I think Trent projects as a free safety at the NFL level. He’s a decent tackler who has improved in that area over the last couple years; he doesn’t match up well against running backs at times, but he’s willing and able to hit receivers. And roaming centerfield doesn’t require the same fluidity as cornerback. He could also fit into a defense that plays a lot of zone coverages as a cornerback.
Projection: 4th round

Terrence Taylor – DT
At the end of Taylor’s junior season, there were some who thought Taylor could have been a first round pick. I disagreed. It’s not often that you see undersized DTs (he’s 6’0″ and 306 lbs.) go in the first round, so that was overly optimistic. A year later, Taylor looks likely to go in the fourth round or so. He rarely made big plays at Michigan and while he’s fairly adept at holding up against double teams, that job gets more difficult in the NFL. He reminds me of William Carr, who was an All-American (Taylor wasn’t) and a seventh round draft pick by the Bengals. Still…
Projection: 5th round

Tim Jamison – DE
Michigan fans (including me) kept expecting Jamison to break out in a Wolverine uniform, but he never really did. He mostly played right defensive end and suffered from weight issues early in his career. He measured in at 6’2 1/2″ and 256 lbs. before the draft, which is probably a good weight for him. Some suggest that he would make a good outside linebacker in a 3-4, but with his 5.09 time in the forty yard dash, I disagree. I think he’s purely a defensive end. He holds up decently against the run, but he’s not much of a pass rusher.
Projection: 7th round

Will Johnson – DT
Despite Johnson’s eye-popping 47 reps at 225 lbs. on the bench press, he never produced much in college. He’s a little stiiff and doesn’t do much more than holding his own against double teams. I have a very hard time believing that a team will spend a draft pick on Johnson. He reminds me of Baltimore Ravens nosetackle Kelly Gregg, but Gregg was All-Big 12 for two years. Johnson doesn’t hold equivalent accolades. Johnson could stick as a nosetackle, but I doubt it.
Projection: Undrafted

Brandon Harrison – CB/S
Harrison is 5’9″, 205 lbs., and fast. Unfortunately, he’s never been a great football player. He’s a solid tackler but not a big playmaker in the passing game. He played safety as a freshman, slot corner as a sophomore and junior, and strong safety as a senior. He never really found a position. Harrison’s best chance is to contribute on special teams and be a backup strong safety, but I doubt he’ll hang around in the league.
Projection: Undrafted

Carson Butler – TE
I’m not going to lie – Butler seems like an asshole. He participated in the St. Patrick’s Day Nerd Massacre, punched random people on the field, and pissed off the coaches non-stop. I wouldn’t want him on my team. But he’s 6’5″ and runs the forty in the 4.5-4.6 range, so some GM/coach will give him a shot. Once they see him false start/hold/whiff on a block on the same play, they’ll send him packing.
Projection: Undrafted

Sean Griffin – LS
Griffin is a very good long snapper and while he probably won’t get drafted (long snappers rarely do), I do expect that Griffin will hang around the NFL for a while.
Projection: Undrafted

John Thompson – LB
I don’t think anyone ever thought Thompson would be effective in pass coverage, but I didn’t expect him to be so bad at tackling, too. He wasn’t a horrible tackler, but for someone nicknamed “Machete” I expected a more solid tackler. If Thompson plays in the NFL, I would think it would be as an inside linebacker in a 3-4 defense; he’s too slow to run sideline to sideline like a 4-3 middle linebacker would have to do. However, regardless of the defensive scheme, Thompson very probably isn’t an NFLer.
Projection: Undrafted

Mike Massey – TE
Uh . . . no.
Projection: Undrafted

2004 Recruiting: Tight Ends and Wide Receivers

The recruiting class of 2004 has run out of eligibility. It’s sad to see some of these guys go. Others…not so much. Here’s part two of a breakdown of the 2004 recruiting class.

Wide Receivers

Adrian Arrington: 6’4″, 180 lbs. – Cedar Rapids, IA – Rivals: ****
Arrington was a strong contributor to Michigan’s team for a couple years. He played as a true freshman but then suffered an injury that caused him to redshirt as a sophomore. When he returned in 2006, he was the second option in the passing game to Mario Manningham. Arrington reminded many Michigan fans of the steady stream of big, athletic receivers at Michigan – Amani Toomer, Mercury Hayes, David Terrell, Marquis Walker, etc. He had the athleticism and the big play ability of those players, but never passed Manningham for team supremacy. Quarterback Chad Henne often looked to Arrington on fades and jump balls near the end zone, and Arrington responded with excellent, acrobatic catches. He would have been the #1 receiver in 2008 if he had waited around, but he was scared off by the graduation of Henne and the transfer of Ryan Mallett to Arkansas. Without an established quarterback to throw him the ball when he would have been a senior, Arrington took a chance on the NFL and was drafted in the seventh round.
Career statistics: 100 receptions, 1285 yards, 14 TD’s

Doug Dutch: 5’11”, 204 lbs. – Bowie, MD – Rivals: ****
Dutch was rather highly regarded coming out of high school, ranking as the #10 wide receiver and #98 player overall for Rivals. Unfortunately for Michigan fans, Dutch never became a significant contributor. He redshirted as a freshman and then spent two years attempting to become a reliable wide receiver. He caught four passes for 34 yards as a redshirt freshman and returned a couple punts for nine yards that same year. Going into the 2007 season, Dutch accepted a position switch to cornerback due to Michigan’s shortage of defensive backs. He made one tackle against Notre Dame in 2007 but played sparingly for the rest of his career. Simply based on his recruiting ranking, Dutch was one of the biggest few disappointments of the Carr recruiting years.
Career statistics: 4 receptions, 34 yards; 2 punt returns, 9 yards; 1 solo tackle

Keston Cheathem: 6’3″, 195 lbs. – Pomona, CA – Rivals: ***
Cheathem was recruited as Rivals’ #44 wide receiver. Cheathem lasted only one season in Ann Arbor after being converted to safety. He then returned closer to home and played at Fresno City Community College for two seasons before transferring again to Bowling Green State University. He played two seasons at BGSU, but caught only two passes for 32 yards.
Career stats (at Michigan): None.

Position grade: C+. In a traditional Michigan offense, Arrington could have been the reincarnation of Marquis Walker or Jason Avant. Michigan did a good job of getting him on board and he would have been great, if not for the change in offensive philosophy. Cheathem turned out to be a wasted scholarship, and Dutch was only slightly better than that.

Tight Ends

Mike Massey: 6’4″, 225 lbs. – Cleveland, OH – Rivals: ****
Massey was the #5 strongside defensive end in the 2004 class, but Michigan used him at tight end from day one. But when I say “used him,” I mean they put him on the field occasionally throughout his career but really didn’t do anything with him. Perhaps Massey would have served himself and the team better by being kept at defensive end. He was always a little too tentative to be a good blocker and lacked the speed and agility to be a areal threat in the passing game. He was beaten out by the hot-headed and mistake-prone Carson Butler and the 2008 true freshman Kevin Koger and tallied only 20 receptions throughout his career. Mike’s older brother, Pat, was a captain of the Michigan squad in 2005, but neither player really stood out as an excellent football player; both were respected for their leadership, though. And all the girlies think Mike is hot, so there’s that.
Career statistics: 20 receptions, 161 yards, 2 TD’s

Position grade: C-. The class did produce a starter, but that position was generally considered a weakness and was eventually lost.