Michigan received another surprise commitment over the weekend in the form of 2016 defensive end/tight end Rashad Weaver (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida), who was in Ann Arbor over the weekend.
Weaver is currently ranked as a two-star prospect, per the 247 Composite. His commitment gives Jim Harbaugh and staff another under-the-radar prospect that they see having quite a bit of upside. He told me following his commitment that the staff told him that they are looking at him as a defensive end.
At 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, he definitely has the size to play either position.
Clint Brewster of 247 Sports has this to say about Weaver:
Weaver is a long DE with size and point-of-attack strength. Makes hustle plays. Can cross the face of OT's and get inside to play the run.
— Clint Brewster (@clintbrew247) June 14, 2015
He has long arms and shows a good burst off the snap. In terms of his technique and some other fundamental parts of his game, Weaver still looks pretty raw, but he definitely has the look of someone who could be a rotational pass-rush specialist in time for the Wolverines.
What his commitment does is continue the trend of versatile players that the staff wants to bring in. It looks like Harbaugh and company are fine with bringing in athleticism and figuring out where to go from there.
The staff will still be able to get some of the bigger names on the board, but with this looking like a class that could max out at around 25 players, there is room to take chances on upside. Weaver gives them that.