Mock Draft Roundup: Where do the Wolverines rank after the NFL Combine?

A handful of Michigan Wolverines anticipate their name being called in next month's NFL Draft. but did the players do enough during last weekend’s NFL Combine to enter the first round or two?

After giving the national media time to evaluate the prospects after the combine, Maize n Brew combed through several mock drafts and rankings. Here is how things shaped out:

ESPN’s Todd McShay, Mel Kiper Jr, Matt Miller, and Jordan Reid ($):

The four NFL Draft experts at ESPN compiled their positional rankings into one story after the NFL Combine. Only McShay’s incorporated the results of the combine, though. The rest came the week prior.

Here’s how McShay’s list looked for the Wolverines:

• Brad Robbins, P1
• Olu Oluwatimi, C3
• Mazi Smith, DT5
• Jake Moody K2

It was strange to see Smith fall all the way to the No. 5 DT despite leading in bench press reps. Georgia’s Jalen Carter, Clemson’s Bryan Bresee, Wisconsin’s Keanu Benton and Pitt’s Calijah Kancey rank higher than Smith to McShay.

There was also no mention of DJ Turner, who ran the fast 40-time this year with a 4.26. Instead, McShay has Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez, Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon, Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes, Penn State’s Joey Porter and Maryland’s Deonte Banks in his top-five at the position.

Before the combine, Kiper had:

• Olu Oluwatimi, C2
• Mike Morris, OLB4
• Mazi Smith, DT4
• Jake Moody, K2
• Brad Robbins, P3

Kiper is the only one to rank Morris as highly as the rest. At one point, he was up to No. 3 at his position, but I don’t expect this to hold in the future since his 40-yard dash was a little slower than anticipated at a 4.95. Overall, he graded out at a 6.36, which was ninth among edges at the combine, per NFL.com.

Miller’s rankings included:

• Luke Schoonmaker, TE5
• Olu Oluwatimi, C4
• Mazi Smith, DT3
• DJ Turner, CB5
• Jake Moody, K2

This list came before the combine, so it was nice to see Turner get a little love before running that 40-yard dash. I’d imagine we see him even higher in the future because of it.

Reid may have been the lowest on the Wolverines:

• Olu Oluwatimi, C4
• Mazi Smith, DT4
• Jake Moody, K2

He had the fewest Wolverines on his list, with a few notable absences. It will be interesting to see where he has Turner and others once he incorporates the combine into his rankings.

PFF’s Michael Renner:

PFF is always quick to the trigger with content after events like the NFL Combine, and draft expert Mike Renner queued up his top-100 prospects following the weekend’s events:

No. 34: DI Mazi Smith

“All Smith did was flex his muscles en route to 34 bench reps with 33 3/4-inch arms. That was the most of any player in attendance and backs up the prodigious play strength he shows on tape.”

No. 95: TE Luke Schoonmaker - No analysis

A surprising absence once again, as Turner wasn’t mentioned on Renner’s list. However, 15 other corners found their way onto the top-100. I don’t see a scenario where there are that many guys ahead of Turner. I guess we will have to see if that many corners hear their names called before he does.

Barstool’s Steven Cheah:

On the exact other end of the spectrum on Turner was Steven Cheah from Barstool. In his Mock Draft 2.0 released post-combine, Cheah had the Michigan corner as a first-rounder:

27. Dallas Cowboys - CB DJ Turner (Michigan)

“Turner was a guy I had heard could be on the 1st round map and his performance in Indy solidified those thoughts with a 4.26 40-yard dash. Putting him opposite Trevon Diggs would give the Cowboys a dynamite pairing in their secondary.”

Dallas has loved Michigan players in the past. Taco Charlton and Jourdan Lewis have both been drafted by Jerry Jones in recent memory, and they could dip into the bag once again with Turner.

USA Today’s Nate Davis:

30. Eagles – DT Mazi Smith, Michigan

“For starters, this feels like the kind of pick Philadelphia EVP/GM Howie Roseman typically swaps for future capital. If not, keep an eye on Smith, who topped The Athletic’s famed ‘Freaks List.’ He showed off his standout strength in Indy (34 reps on bench) but will wait to do a full workout at the Wolverines’ March 17 pro day. He could form a “freakish” combo with 2022 first-rounder Jordan Davis in Philly, which will likely be looking to replenish its depth given DTs Javon Hargrave, Fletcher Cox, Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph are on the wrong side of 30 and without contracts for 2023.”

Smith gets a little love as well after performing well at the combine. This isn’t the first mock we have seen him as a first-rounder, and it certainly won’t be the last. Plenty of people see Smith as a potential fit with teams in the back half of the first round, but it will all depend on their preference of him and some of the other guys mentioned at the top of this story.

There is still a little over a month to go until the Chicago Bears are on the clock at No. 1 overall — unless they trade out of that pick, of course. Keep it locked in here as we continue to round up these mock drafts to evaluate where the Wolverines may be headed.