NFL Draft Review: Michigan-style

Tag: Perry Dorrestein


2May 2011
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NFL Draft Review: Michigan-style

Why do I have a picture of Joe Cocozzo?

2ND ROUND
#61.  Michigan linebacker Jonas Mouton was drafted by the San Diego Chargers.  Mouton was the first Michigan player chosen by the Chargers since offensive guard Joe Cocozzo in 1993, who was selected in the third round (#63 overall).

3RD ROUND
#74.  Arkansas quarterback (and former Wolverine) Ryan Mallett was drafted by the New England Patriots.  He has first round talent but an undrafted free agent level of maturity, so he probably couldn’t have asked for a better situation.  Sure, I bet he would have loved first round money, but now he gets to sit behind and learn from Tom Brady for a few years.  If he learns well, he could become a franchise quarterback when Brady moves on or retires.

6TH ROUND
#201.  Michigan offensive lineman Steve Schilling was drafted by the San Diego Chargers.  This is the first time multiple Michigan players have been chosen by one team since . . . 2008, when the Miami Dolphins picked offensive tackle Jake Long in the first round and quarterback Chad Henne in the second.

UNDRAFTED
DT Greg Banks, OG Justin Boren (Ohio State), OT Perry Dorrestein, LB Obi Ezeh, OG John Ferrara, DE Eugene Germany (Central Washington), LB Kevin Leach, LB Cobrani Mixon (Kent State), FB/LB Mark Moundros, DE Adam Patterson, CB James Rogers, DT Renaldo Sagesse, TE Martell Webb

27Apr 2011
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NFL Draft Preview: Michigan-style

Jonas Mouton (#8) should be one of just two Michigan players drafted this weekend

The NFL Draft has always been a fun time for me, because I would always sit around and wait for the next Michigan player’s name to get called.  Between watching for a Michigan player to get drafted and waiting for the Lions to pick, one Saturday in April was perhaps the most exciting day of the football off-season.  But Michigan’s production of NFL players has waned in recent years.

Ever since six players were taken in the 2008 draft – four in the first three rounds – the Wolverines have only been able to muster five total draft picks in 2009 (4th round: Terrance Taylor; 6th: Morgan Trent) and 2010 (1st: Brandon Graham; 5th: Zoltan Mesko; 7th: Steve Brown).  That’s an average draft position of the 4.6th round.

By contrast, 60 players were taken from 1995-2007, an average of 4.62 per year.  On average, those players were drafted in the 3.68th round.  Not only has the number of Michigan draftees been lower in the past couple seasons, but they’re getting picked lower, too.

That average draft position might rise slightly this year, but there will probably only be two Wolverines chosen this coming weekend:


Jonas Mouton – Linebacker
Mouton measured in at the NFL Combine at 6’1″ and 239 lbs.  I think he could play a couple positions, either as a weak inside linebacker in a 3-4 or as a weakside outside linebacker in a 4-3.  He’s pretty solid in coverage and changes direction well (video here, senior profile here).
Projection: 5th round to the Patriots


Steve Schilling – Offensive guard
Schilling measured in at the NFL Combine at 6’5″, 304 lbs.  He had a pretty good Combine performance, but nothing stellar.  He played a lot of offensive tackle at Michigan, but I think he’s strictly a guard at the next level.  Four years of starting experience should help him (senior profile here).
Projection: 4th round to the Browns


Undrafted: DT Greg Banks, OT Perry Dorrestein, LB Obi Ezeh, OG John Ferrara, LB Kevin Leach, FB/LB Mark Moundros, DE/DT Adam Patterson, CB James Rogers, DT Renaldo Sagesse, TE Martell Webb


I do think there is a remote chance that two other players get drafted late – Obi Ezeh and Martell Webb.  Ezeh was, for all intents and purposes, a four-year starter at middle linebacker.  That might be worth something to a team late in the draft.  And Webb turned into a very good blocker.  If a team is looking for a cheap blocking tight end in the 7th round, they could do worse than picking a 6’4″, 268-pounder with decent athleticism.

9Aug 2010
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2010 Countdown: #25 Perry Dorrestein


Name: Perry Dorrestein
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 321 lbs.
High school: Plainfield Central High School in Plainfield, IL
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #79
Last year: I ranked Dorrestein #58 and said he’d be the backup to Patrick Omameh at tackle. Dorrestein started 8 games, while Omameh eventually started at right guard.

I’ve never been extremely high on Dorrestein, so let’s get that out of the way. He’s not extremely athletic for a left tackle, and he’s too tall to play much guard. I’ve thought of Dorrestein as backup material in an ideal world, and he indeed began last year as a backup to Mark Huyge. At best I think he’s an adequate right tackle. So while I’m not in the Dorrestein-for-starter camp, that doesn’t mean that offensive line coach Greg Frey and Rich Rodriguez aren’t high on Perry. He played 11 games at tackle in 2009, starting 8 of them.

This year the fifth-year senior is in another battle for playing time, this time with redshirt freshman Taylor Lewan. Dorrestein has bumped over to the left side to protect the quarterbacks’ blind side, but he missed some time in the spring due to a back injury that has lingered in part over the summer. When fall practices begin today, this will be one of the most heated position battles on the field. Lewan is an up-and-comer, but according to a source, it’s Dorrestein’s spot to lose. I think that an injury or lack of production will move Lewan into the starting lineup by the end of the season, but Dorrestein is perhaps the lowest ranked starter because he has a backup who’s roughly equivalent. All other things being equal, I’d rather the senior get playing time to reward him for five years of hard work. I’m just not sure if it will work out that way in this case.

Prediction for 2010: Starting left tackle to begin the season, but watch for the back injury to flare up

4Aug 2009
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2009 Countdown: #58 Perry Dorrestein

Name: Perry Dorrestein
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 306 lbs.
High School: Central High School in Plainfield, IL
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: RS junior
Jersey Number: #79
2008 stats: 4 starts at OT
Prediction for 2009: Backup offensive tackle

Dorrestein was Michigan’s top backup tackle last year. He started three games at LT and one at RT with the constant reshuffling and the injuries to Mark Ortmann and Steve Schilling. However, buzz from spring practice makes it seem as though Dorrestein is in a fight with Patrick Omameh to remain the first tackle off the bench. Dorrestein played pretty well in his limited duty, and while he probably won’t play a lot, he’s not a huge liability if there’s an injury to the guys ahead of him.