Jeremy Clark picked by Jets, Michigan sets program record for NFL draft
Michigan chased the NFL modern draft record of 14 selections in this year's NFL Draft. Though the Wolverines fell short, their 11 selections were a program record.
Six players were taken the first two days -- Jabrill Peppers and Taco Charlton in the first round, then Chris Wormley, Jourdan Lewis, Delano Hill and Amara Darboh in the third round. That gave the Wolverines their biggest haul since the 2008 draft when seven U-M players were selected, and five more joined them on Saturday.
When Jeremy Clark was drafted late in the sixth round, he became the 11th U-M player picked, the most in program history, exceeding the 10 in the 1972 and 1974 drafts.
Sixth round
• Cornerback Jeremy Clark was drafted No. 197 by the New York Jets. His situation was always interesting because Clark tore his ACL in Michigan’s fourth game last season. He was strong in the first few games, playing aggressive and making 10 tackles with three pass breakups. After the tear, he was out of mind for the team and NFL personnel. But his size at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds was massive for a cornerback and he showed on tape that he is able to run. While some thought that meant he would play his previous position of safety, the tantalizing aspect of him at corner got him a combine invite, even though he couldn’t do anything with his legs. Still he had an impressive 20 reps on the bench, raising his profile.
Fifth round
• Tight end Jake Butt was drafted No. 145 overall to open the fifth round, a precipitous fall after his ACL tear in the Orange Bowl. ESPN.com reporter Darren Rovell tweeted that Butt was gaining $10,000 with each pick he fell below his expected non-injury draft position. But a year after he might have been the No. 2 tight end drafted, going as the eight tight end was a shakeup. Butt expects to be healthy for the early season, which would be nine months after the injury but said he could be ready as soon as six months out, which would be July.
Related:
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Michigan's Chris Wormley had a feeling the Ravens would draft him
Fourth round
• Receiver Jehu Chesson was drafted No. 139 by the Kansas City Chiefs. This is a lower spot than many projected entering the season as Chesson exploded late in 2015, becoming Michigan’s team MVP, including a record-setting game at Indiana. He entered that season with one career touchdown but ended up with nine that season, catching 50 passes for 764 yards. His numbers were cut by a third in 2016 and his draft stock fell as well. Though he won the races as the team’s fastest player in 2015, a knee injury seemed to sap some of his speed and he ran a 4.47 40-yard dash at the combine. It was an average receiver time and with limited strength – 10 reps – his profile suffered.
• Defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow was drafted No. 138 by Cincinnati. While many point to his bloodlines with older brother Graham in the NFL, a third-round pick by the Lions in 2016, Glasgow has made his own niche on the defensive line. He had 9.5 tackles for loss and four sacks last season, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors. As a former walk-on, he worked his way into the middle, anchoring the line as he emerged midway through 2015. But then a pectoral tear set him back. After months of rehab, he was stronger in 2016, consistently drawing double teams.
“He’s a lunch-pail type guy,” Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said. “Great kid, everybody talks so highly of the guy. His brother’s a guard at the Detroit Lions so he’s got some lineage there, some familiarity with the NFL game. He was one of the guys that stood out to us at the Senior Bowl both as a pass rusher and an interior run defender.”
Related:
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Seahawks were 'laying in the weeds' to draft Michigan's Amara Darboh
• Linebacker Ben Gedeon was drafted No. 120 by the Minnesota Vikings. As Michigan’s most prolific defender last season with a team-high 106 tackles, he made the most of his one season as a starter. Gedeon was aggressive and thrived in defensive coordinator Don Brown’s system, finishing second on the team with 15.5 tackles for loss with 4.5 sacks. At the combine, he said he was trying to prove he had athleticism and put on one of the most impressive performances in the bench press, 20 yard and 40 yards shuttles.
"He made an awful lot of plays this year at Michigan," NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said. "Gedeon kind of controlled things up front. Very aggressive... Gedeon I thought did a really nice job. He's probably a run-only guy. I don't think he's going to match up in man coverage, but at the end of the day, he brings toughness and that's what (general manager) Rick Spielman wants and that's what (coach) Mike Zimmer wants."
Undrafted free agents
Once the draft concluded, there were still a number of Wolverines available and they began agreeing to terms with teams as undrafted free agents: offensive lineman Erik Magnuson went to the San Francisco 49ers, defensive lineman Matt Godin to the Houston Texans, safety Dymonte Thomas to the Denver Broncos, offensive lineman Kyle Kalis to the Washington Redskins, and cornerback Channing Stribling to the Cleveland Browns.
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