Two seasons ago, the University of Michigan rode a stalwart, all-time great defense toward its first national championship since the 1997 season. A handful of those players moved on to the 2024 NFL Draft, including defensive lineman Kris Jenkins Jr. (Bengals), cornerback Mike Sainristil (Commanders) and linebacker Junior Colson (Chargers) as top 100 picks. This year’s Wolverines did not reach those same heights, but they had a few players on that national championship defense who may get drafted in the first round next week.
Defensive linemen Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, along with cornerback Will Johnson, all have a chance to go in the first round — despite Michigan having a down year.
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Why the slide? Five players off that championship defense were drafted, and 13 total players were selected last spring. That amount of talent and leadership, particularly on offense, was hard to replace. The players on this year’s roster weren’t able to come anywhere close to that offensive production, putting even more pressure on Michigan’s defense, which suffered a dip in its own production and performance.
However, the players who have been projected to go at the top of the class still have a reason to be considered that highly.
Graham is likely going to be the first Michigan player selected this year, but he struggled with injuries during his final collegiate season and had a left heel bruise that prevented him from working out at the NFL scouting combine. Graham is a disruptive, supremely athletic defensive tackle who can get up the field with ease when he’s healthy. He played in all 12 games this season and notched seven tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Michigan didn’t have the same depth up front, leading to Graham (and Grant) taking on a bigger role than they did previously. Even with the injury-plagued season, Graham showcased the skill and ability to disrupt to be considered a potential top-five pick. The eye stats weren’t extraordinary, but it’s hard to find defensive tackles who move like Graham — and so far, there’s no need to be concerned that these injuries will linger in the NFL.
Will Johnson was dominant … in 2023. This past season, injuries largely kept him on the sideline, including during the scouting combine and Michigan’s pro day. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Steph Chambers via Getty Images)
Grant was a good complement to Graham’s slithery and explosive style of play. Grant is also explosive, but at 330 pounds, his explosion manifests itself in a different way. He is a terror at the point of attack and was incredibly hard to move for college offensive linemen. He cleanly profiles as a nose tackle at the next level and showed off his athleticism at that size, grabbing seven tackles for loss and three sacks — similar standard production to Graham. Grant’s ability to push the pocket at his size, paired with his stellar run defense, will give him a chance to be a first-round pick even if the perception of valuable run defense has taken a hit in recent years. This is teetering into Bill Parcells’ “planet theory” where there are just so few people on the planet this big and this athletic that teams can’t afford to pass up on them. Grant will hear his name called quickly during next week’s draft.
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Johnson might be the biggest question mark in the first round, which is surprising after how he played on that title defense in 2023. Johnson looked to be a top-five lock coming into the season as a dominant outside starting cornerback prospect — a truly difficult player to find for NFL teams. Johnson certainly had his moments of brilliance in 2024, but was hampered by a shoulder injury before suffering turf toe that prevented him from working out at the combine. A hamstring injury didn’t allow him to perform at Michigan’s pro day in the lead up to the draft. With some concerns about his long speed, it’s going to be concerning for some NFL talent evaluators.
Johnson’s draft process may knock him down the board, but someone is going to take an early swing on him due to what he’s already shown on tape. It’s hard to quantify how big of a risk Johnson is, but he has undoubtedly gone through some high highs and low lows over the past two years. Still, the potential of a lockdown cornerback will be too hard to pass up for a team in the first round.
Michigan’s championship defense continues to put players into the NFL, even if the team had a down year in 2024. Edge rusher Josaiah Stewart and safety Makari Paige are also projected NFL players this draft class, but Graham, Grant and Johnson are the ones to keep an eye on from the Wolverines’ defense this past season.
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