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Miss yesterday’s eclipse? Here are a few great views from college football stadiums along the path of totality.
Draft Picks by School
Could Michigan break Georgia’s record?
The NFL Draft will take place from April 25-27 in Detroit. For us college fans, it marks the final farewell to some of our favorite players. As with all things in college football, it also gives us another opportunity to debate and rank our teams.
Georgia set the record for the most NFL Draft selections from a single program with 15 picks in 2022. The class included five first-rounders headlined by No. 1 pick DE Travon Walker (Jaguars) and No. 13 pick Jordan Davis (Eagles), along with a pair of second-, third- and fourth-rounders and four sixth-rounders. Here’s a look at the rest of the top schools five in picks:
The buzzy topic surrounding Georgia’s record-breaking class was recruiting. Twelve of the Bulldogs’ picks were four- or five-star prospects out of high school, per the 247Sports Composite. Coming off a national championship and that draft class, Georgia seemed untouchable.
So, flashback to last summer, when Michigan and then-coach Jim Harbaugh were vocal about the teams’ national championship aspirations. The big question mark was whether the Wolverines had enough talent to pull it off. Michigan ranked 14th among FBS programs in the number of four- and five-stars on its roster. In the end, the Wolverines proved the star power of their roster didn’t matter en route to a national championship. But what about when it comes to NFL Draft selections? In an interview with The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman last summer, Harbaugh made a bold prediction.
“I think we’ll have 20 guys picked (in the next NFL Draft),” Harbaugh said. “I bet we break that (draft) record. (Georgia) had 15 that year.”
Harbaugh’s claim is worth looking back on now. The Wolverines had 18 players invited to the NFL Scouting Combine last month (Georgia had 14 in 2022). QB J.J. McCarthy has sky-rocketed up draft boards and could be a top-five pick while other highly likely selections, per mock drafts and prospect big boards, include:
That’s just a handful of the highest-projected picks, but plenty more former Wolverines should surely go off the board, too. ESPN’s Matt Miller projects 16 picks from Michigan in his latest mock draft while The Sporting News lists 13 Wolverines in its latest projection. But, who better to answer this question than Bruce, who heard the prediction first from Harbaugh?
Feldman’s Files
Can the Wolverines beat the Dawgs?
Harbaugh made a rather bold proclamation to me last summer, predicting that his Wolverines would break Georgia’s NFL Draft record of having more than 15 players selected in 2024.
Harbaugh went on to count them all up. He named seven upper-class offensive linemen: Trevor Keegan, Drake Nugent, Zinter, Trente Jones, Karsen Barnhart, Myles Hinton and LaDarius Henderson. He named two running backs, Corum and Donovan Edwards; McCarthy; tight end AJ Barner; wideouts Cornelius Johnson and Wilson; D-linemen Jenkins, Braiden McGregor and Jaylen Harrell, LBs Colson and Mike Barrett; Sainristil and transfer corner Josh Wallace. There were a couple of other players he thought might get drafted and two more players who he thought might not end up declaring for the 2024 draft.
It may have sounded crazy at the time to some, but then again I suspect he had a lot more faith than anyone outside of Ann Arbor had about the 2023 Wolverines. After all, they did go undefeated and won the national title.
As for whether they prove Harbaugh right? There does appear to be a decent chance of the Wolverines getting more than 15 picked. Twenty seems like a stretch. Edwards, a speedy tailback with good hands, didn’t enter the draft. Nor did Hinton. But don’t be surprised if UM has five players go in the first two rounds.
McCarthy could go top 10 and should be gone on the first day. Jenkins has a chance to go in the first round. After that, Wilson, Colson and Sainristil are expected to be gone by the middle of the second round. Corum, UM’s star running back, may go in the third round. The Athletic’s NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler ranks him at No. 77 overall. Brugler said he probably would’ve had Zinter in his top 100 had he been fully healthy — Michigan’s leader on its O-line had broken his tibia and fibula in the win over Ohio State last November.
Dane Brugler, whose must-have draft guide AKA The Beast publishes Wednesday, has 14 Wolverines projected to go in the draft with Barner, Harrell, Keegan, Henderson, Johnson, McGregor and Barrett all expected to be picked in the seven rounds. Four others have a shot to get selected, including three O-linemen: Jones, Barnhart and Nugent. The other player is Wallace, a corner whose stock was not helped by a 4.68 40-yard dash at UM’s pro day. If two of those four get picked, Harbaugh will be proven right again.
(You can read Bruce’s mock draft here.)
Impact Freshman Watch
Auburn, Clemson prospects show promise
On today’s Until Saturday podcast, the crew dives into which freshmen could have a tangible impact on the field this season for their teams. Here’s a look at a few contenders who showed out during their spring games:
- Auburn WR Cam Coleman: The early enrollee was the offensive MVP of the A-Day spring game, catching four passes for 92 yards and a score. The five-star prospect was ranked third overall in the 2024 class in the 247Sports Composite.
- Clemson LB Sammy Brown: Dabo Swinney’s top-rated recruit in this cycle lived up to expectations with a game-high eight tackles (six solo) and one sack in the Orange and White spring game.
Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman caught four passes for 92 yards and a score in the Tigers’ spring game. (Jake Crandall / USA Today)
Quick Snaps
Stewart Mandel updates us from spring practice at Alabama, where new coach Kalen DeBoer is laying his foundation while building off Nick Saban’s legacy. And DeBoer says the task isn’t as daunting as you may think.
Cam Newton, Deshaun Watson or Trevor Lawrence? Which QB makes Georgia’s all-state team? The Peach State has produced 29 consensus All-Americans since 2002, and today, Manny Navarro picks the best of the best.
Another win for Missouri! The Tigers beat out Georgia, Penn State and Pitt when Class of 2024 QB Matt Zollers committed.
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(Top photo of J.J. McCarthy: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
