clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Scouting report for each Michigan Wolverine in the 2023 NFL Draft

Several Wolverines hope to hear their names called this weekend.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: DEC 03 Big 10 Championship - Michigan vs Purdue Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The NFL Draft is upon us and the Michigan Wolverines once again offer a robust amount of unique prospects to the next level. In total, 10 players hope to be headed to a new home this weekend, and we have you covered with what each of these guys could bring to their next team.

Let’s take a look at some of the talent coming out of Ann Arbor.

DL Mazi Smith

Smith was a monster up front for the Wolverines. His 6-foot-3, 323-pound frame made him one of the best run stuffers in college football in 2022. Smith is fantastically strong, putting up 34 reps on the bench press at the NFL Combine, the most among any defensive lineman. I think he is a top-five interior defensive lineman and has a chance to be a plus starter in the league.

CB DJ Turner

Turner has the makings of a top-five corner in the 2023 NFL Draft class. He ran the fastest 40-time at the NFL Combine at 4.26 seconds. According to PFF, he allowed only 22 receptions for 225 yards and two touchdowns in the 2021 regular season, making him one of the best cover corners in college football.

TE Luke Schoonmaker

Michigan used Schoonmaker inline, in motion and in the slot. He is excellent at reading the quarterback, often breaking from his route when seeing J.J. McCarthy rolling out, finding open space in zone coverage for an easy throw from his quarterback. Having all the physical characteristics of a future TE1, he should be drafted in the third or fourth round.

WR Ronnie Bell

A team is going to fall in love with Bell. He’s a leader in the locker room and has really high upside when he gets the ball. He’s got a shiftiness to him that makes guys miss. Bell will never give up on a play; he will set the example whether that’s pushing for extra yardage or blocking a player down the field just a bit further. I suspect he’ll be selected somewhere between the third and fifth rounds.

C Olu Oluwatimi

Oluwatimi’s best games in 2022 were also Michigan’s best games, and that’s no accident. Early and often, the Wolverines ran up the gut through massive holes made in part by Oluwatimi. By the end of the season, he was the best player on the best offensive line in the country; that’s why he won the Rimington and Outland Trophies and the unit became the first to ever win back-to-back Joe Moore Awards.

Edge Mike Morris

Morris’ tape is excellent. He finished tied for second in the Big Ten with 7.5 sacks in 2022, earning him first-team All-Big Ten honors. The fourth-year edge was expected to crush the NFL Combine, but things didn’t go as planned. It’ll come down to tape and production vs. the combine and pro-day performances, and I suspect he’ll be drafted on Day 3.

K Jake Moody

It’s not often you get to call your kicker a weapon, but the Wolverines were able to do that the last few seasons with Moody. In 2021, he won the Lou Groza Award. He leaves Ann Arbor as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 355 points. He has a great shot at having a promising NFL career if he can find consistency from beyond 40 yards in temperate climates and domes.

LT Ryan Hayes

Hayes was a four-year letterman who appeared in 40 games and 29 career starts at left tackle, with almost all those starts coming the last two seasons when he was a part of consecutive Joe Moore Award-winning offensive lines. Most see him as an early Day 3 selection, and I can see him being a backup for a season or two before taking over as a starter after making a transition to guard.

P Brad Robbins

Robbins has been in the Michigan locker room since 2017 and was a three-time All-Big Ten honorable mention. He finished his Michigan career with the second-highest punting average and fifth-most punting yards in school history. Robbins excels at directional punts, and one-third of his kicks resulted in fair catches last season. Last year, he didn’t kick a single ball into the end zone, while 16 were kept inside the 20-yard line. He’ll have a shot to be a late Day 3 pick.

CB Gemon Green

By the time he left in 2022, Green was the most experienced corner on the team, seeing 24 starts in 42 career games. He has great size for the position and has knowledge of several packages. At Michigan’s Pro Day, he ran a 4.53 40-yard dash, a little slow for the position. Perhaps he will hear his name called somewhere in the late parts of the draft, but I suspect he will be a UDFA somewhere.