Michigan Offers Two Offensive Linemen

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 Per his twitter 2013 OL Kenny Lacy received an offer from Michigan today. He is currently committed to UCLA. According to the message board on ESPN he has also scheduled an official visit to Ann Arbor on December 14th. It happens to be the same weekend that some current commits will be there so could be something happening.

Another big time offensive linemen that the coaches extended an offer to this week was Cal Commit Cameron Hunt.  He's a 4-star linemen and another good prospect.  He has become great friends with current commit Kyle Bosch and looks to have some serious interest in Michigan.  He is looking to visit Michigan the weekend of the 7th of December so if he decides to pull the trigger could be interesting to see what happens with Kenny Lacy.


Both of these guys are very solid prospects and are concensus 4-stars according to all of the experts.  Coach Funk is very good at evaluating talent so if he offered these two its because he sees that these two guys are great fits for the class.  The coaching staff has put an emphasis on wanting another offensive linemen in the class because depth does seem to be a bit of an issue especially if Junior OT Taylor Lewan decides to delcare for the NFL Draft.  We will see how things pan out but I do believe that it could be a race to see who commits because in my opinion one of these two guys will end up in the 2013 recruiting class.  Keep your eyes peeled especially the second week in December.  

Michigan's Undrafted Free Agents - Find Out Where They Ended Up

Photo Credit: AnnArbor.com

The 2012 NFL Draft is over. Luck and Griffin III have been drafted to their predicted teams. There have been good picks, and head scratchers. It has already been written about the Michigan Men (Martin, Molk, Hemingway) who were drafted onto an NFL team, so here's one about the guys who weren't.

Let it be known that when a player goes undrafted, that doesn't mean he doesn't receive a shot. Every player who enters the draft hires an agent, and when they are drafted by a team, that agent then works out the contract particulars for that player. However, when a guy goes undrafted, that player gets to choose between a limited number of teams who have expressed interest.

Most undrafted playres rarely get a starting job. Of course, the same can be said for players from the 4th round to the 7th round. These are your backup players, your practice squad guys. They're not granted the starting job right away, but have to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.

Now, just because I've said this, doesn't mean it's the bottom of the barrel. There are many players who go undrafted who go on to be stars in the NFL. Jeff Saturday, Wes Welker, Rod Smith, Antonio Pierce, and Bart Scott are just some of the guys who went undrafted, busted their tails, and went on to star careers in the NFL. Can our guys do the same? It is possible, and here's my guess as to how it might work out:

Troy Woolfolk

1. Troy Woolfolk, CB--Cowboys. Woolfolk has a good shot here. Cowboys were weak in the secondary before the draft, which is why they traded up to the 6th overall spot to grab Claiborne from LSU. It wasn't until they drafted a safety, Matt Johnson, out of Eastern Washington in the 4th round, that Dallas even drafted another secondary player. We all know Woolfolk has a rocky history at Michigan, when you include injuries and being on one of the worst defenses ever during the RR era, but I think he has the potential to grab a solid backup spot behind Claiborne. I still think the weak side of the Cowboys secondary is going to be a sore spot, especially with the heavy passing league the NFL has become. And typically, you'll find more teams adding secondary players to their teams and practice squads in case there's a major injury. Only Woolfolk's injury prone history might stop him for now.

Michael Shaw

2. Michael Shaw, RB--Redskins. This is very intriguing. Most fans are very well aware of Shanahan's penchant for picking different starting running backs. Last year, it was a mix of Hightower, Torain, and Royster. This year will have an even bigger change. Hightower left via free agency, and Torain was released. What did the Skins do this year in the draft? They took Griffin III of course. Then, against all common sense, they drafted Cousins out of MSU in the 4th round. The only running back they drafted? Alfred Morris our of Florida Atlantic in the 6th round. So, bottom line--Morris has just as much of a chance as Shaw does. Shaw, at 6'1" and 195 lbs, might seem sort of tall for a prototype running back in Shanahan's zone blocking offense. Shaw ran for just over 1,000 yards and 14 TDs in his career at Michigan; a respectable number but a low one compared to others who were drafted. Bottom line--the future is bright for Shaw, and would be for any running back for Mike Shanahan.

Brandon Herron

3. Brandon Herron, LB--Buccaneers. Herron, a 4 yr letterman might have the longest road to making an NFL team. Herron starred in some games last season, even making 1 start. His 2 defensive TDs in 1 game against WMU is a highlight no fans will be soon to forget. However, his play was never steady and he only seemed to show up big in non-conference games. The Bucs have a young defense on their team, which shows when they were blown out in their last 5 regular season games, and their head coach was fired. Now, they bring in Greg Schiano from Rutgers, who had a good head coaching career there, but keep in mind that for years he coached in different defensive positions at Miami, Penn St, and even the Chicago Bears for some time. The Bucs went mostly defense during the recent draft, and with Herron's playing history, the whole situation could be iffy. Bottom line--I think Herron will be cut before training camps start in July, or at least in the first couple weeks of camp.

Ryan Van Bergen

4. Ryan Van Bergen, DE--Panthers. I have to say, Van Bergen going undrafted surprised me. At 6'6 and 288 lbs, I thought he'd be the ideal pick for any team. He's had the experience on the line, and his motor was just closely mirroring that of Mike Martin. The Panthers defense was absolutely porous last year. Keep in mind that, before Cam Newton showed up, the Panthers scored 17 TDs and went 1-15. Last season with Cam, they scored 48 TDs as a team and went 6-10. Now yes, that is a significant upgrade from the previous season, but if their defense had been better, they might have contended for a playoff spot. The Panthers love their linebackers and defensive ends to be solid, and rush the passer consistently. Van Bergen shows these traits in spades. Bottom line--it will only be a matter of time till Van Bergen is able to grab an occasional starting nod, maybe due to injury or otherwise.

The next few months will prove to be interesting. Rookie mini-camps will start, and full team training camps begin towards the end of July. The NFL draft gave me just a little reprieve from the monotony of the NBA and NHL seasons. I will continue monitoring any news coming up on our new guys in the NFL, drafted or undrafted.

Junior Hemingway To The Kansas City Chiefs

Photo Credit: Big Ten Network

With the 238th Pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs select Junior Hemingway, WR from the University of Michigan. Yes!! Another pick from Michigan, thank goodness. This pick made a lot of sense because the Chiefs needed another weapon on offense, some quarterback that just signed with Denver (haha) is known for gun slinging and putting up a lot of points. Junior will join Michigan alum Steve Breaston, as well as Dwayne Bowe in Kansas City.

He should definitely go a long way in improving the receiving numbers for the Chiefs. The Chiefs ranked 27th in the NFL in total offense and 25th in the league in passing. At the combine, Hemingway put up 21 reps at 225 which was among tops among all receivers. Also, he ran a 4.53 in the 40, which is decent and had a 35.5" jump. Not crazy impressive numbers, but still pretty good for a wide receiver. He's 6'0 tall and weighs 225 lbs, but has some great hands.  The biggest thing that probably hurt his draft stock is his height.

In his career at Michigan, Hemingway started 31 games at WR and appeared in 48 games overall. He ranks 17th in Michigan history with 1,638 yards receiving, he also amassed six 100-yard receiving games placing him 9th in school history.  Let's not forget about his 2 touchdowns in the Sugar Bowl this past year, which earned him Sugar Bowl MVP. Along with this, he earned All Big-Ten team honorable mention.

In 2011, he led the team in receiving with 34 catches for 699 yards averaging 20.6 yards per catch, and tied for the team lead with 4 touchdowns. His biggest game was against the Irish, where he grabbed 3 balls for 165 yards and 1 touchdown. In 2010, he caught 32 balls for 593 yards averaging 18.5 yards a catch and also had 4 touchdowns. 2009 he had 16 catches for 268 yards and 2 touchdowns. In 2007 and 2008, he didn't play much, but he did have 6 catches for 30.5 yards and 1 touchdown. Now, Hemingway wasn't just a receiver, he also did some work in the return game early on in his career.  He had 11 career returns for 120 yards, averaged 10.9 yards a return and a career long of 34 yards.  

This by no means is a Rich Rod bashing, but I definitely think that playing in his era hurt Hemingway. We all know it was a run heavy offense due to the spread. In a more traditional offense, or even the one that they ran this year, he would have had better numbers. If he had been in this offense, who knows how high he would have been taken in the draft.  Regardless, Hemingway should do some solid things in Kansas City in the future.

David Molk To The San Diego Chargers

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With the 226th Pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the San Diego Chargers selected David Molk, Center from the University of Michigan. Finally when we all thought there was no hope, another Michigan man comes off the board. Better late than never I guess. Molk is just under 6'1" and that's what many pro scouts said was the knock on him. To me, that's ridiculous, he is after all, the Rimington Award Winner for Best Center in the country, so that should say enough about him. He was a four year starter, a First Team AP All-American, and earned consensus All-American honors. He's not the only former Wolverine in San Diego, as he joins Stephen Schilling and Jonas Mouton.

Molk was a team captain, as well as the anchor and signal caller of an offensive line that provided two 1,000 yard rushers in Denard Robinson and Fitz Toussaint. As we all know, offensive linemen don't get credit in the stats category, but he sure did deserves some. Michigan ranked 2nd in the Big Ten in rushing yards at 221.8 yards per game. He started 41 games at Michigan, proving that he has great durability. He also put up 41 reps at the combine showing great upper body strength. I was surprised to see him fall to the 7th round of the draft, but I guess the scouts put a lot of focus on his height.

I think he's going to be a great addition to the Chargers and enjoy playing alongside his former teammate, Stephen Schilling, which may help him make the adjustment into the NFL. He will have some competition if he wants to be a starter, as the Chargers just signed Center Nick Hardwick to a 3 year contract. The Chargers have a pretty good stable of running backs including Ryan Matthews and Mike Tolbert, and let's not forget about their quarterback Phillip Rivers. The Chargers and Molk will have a tough time in the new AFC West created by the addition of Peyton Manning to the Broncos.  Molk is a great pickup and he's adding to one of the NFL's better offensive lines.

I hope Molk gets right in there, competes and sooner than later, snags the starting job. I wish him the best of luck in the NFL and hope he has a long, injury free career. Go Blue we will miss you in Ann Arbor.

Mike Martin To The Tennessee Titans

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With the 82nd Pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Tennesse Titans select from the University of Michigan, DT Mike Martin! Finally, what all of us have been waiting for. One of our own has come off the board. Mike ran a 4.88 in the 40 at the combine, as well as putting up 36 reps at 225 lbs and had a 33.5" vertical jump.

To give you all an idea of what the Titans are getting production wise from Mike Martin, I'll throw some numbers at you. Freshman yea,r he had 20 tackles, 4.5 for loss and 2 sacks. So not that big of production but he wasn't the main guy on the DL, so that's somewhat to be expected. As a Sophomore, his numbers improved. 51 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and a forced fumble. So already, in just one season his numbers pretty much doubled. Junior year he had 37 total tackles, 6 of which were for loss and 2.5 sacks. Let's face it this was in the RR era, where the defense was atrocious. He was the best player on that side of the ball, but its no surprise that his numbers were down. Senior year under Coach Hoke and Great Mattison, his numbers jumped. He had 64 total tackles, 6 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. So for his career at Michigan he ended up with 172 total tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and a forced fumble. Mike was constantly double teamed by the opposition and he still found ways to impact the game. Always penetrating the backfield and disrupting run plays or getting after the quarterback. One thing for sure is that the Titans are getting a freak athlete and a guy that is going to work extremely hard day in and day out. The battles he had in practice against Rimington Award Winner David Molk certainly helped. Maybe not right away, but with some work and developing, he will definitely be a force to be reckoned with in the NFL.

Mel Kiper and Todd McShay both praised Mike Martin. With his great wrestling background, he's great at getting leverage and penetrating into the backfield. In my opinion, Martin is going to be great for the Titans. They aren't very strong on the defensive line in the middle. They were 24th in the league last year allowing just over 128 yards per game on the ground. Total yardage they were 18th in the league, but let's face it they do have a great backfield. Mike Martin will go along way towards solidifying the defensive line and thus making that defense that much better.

I wish Mike the best of luck in the NFL playing for the Titans we all know that he is going to be a force to reckon with. With his tireless work ethic and tenacity on the field to get after the quarterback he will do big things in years to come.

For Michigan's Seniors, The Future Is Now

The NFL draft is coming up, but before that happens, there is a lot of work to do for the coaches and GMs. College pro days are in full swing, giving more athletes an opportunity to show their skills whether or not they were invited to the Scouting Combine back in February. Michigan's pro day has come and gone and I'm going to throw some ideas out there about our seniors. Michigan will not have an underclassmen that has declared for the draft, which I think that is more of a testament to the type of program Hoke is building.

First, I'm not a draft expert. Picking the draft correctly is like being perfect on your NCAA Tournament bracket. It's just not going to happen. However, I've tried not to attach myself to player stats. Everyone knows by know that Jerry Rice was criticized at college for being too slow. Are we going to argue about that now? I can tell you where I believe each player would be best suited to go. Then of course, this is all subject to opinion and any views expressed forthwith are just mine.

Mike Martin, DT--Martin was an absolute stud this past season. Martin has always been a talented player on the defensive line. It took Mattison's arrival to show just how special he can be. Some scouts believe his height is a detriment, but with his motor, there's nothing that can prevent him from being an important cog on the D-line. My guess: Vikings. Kevin and Pat Williams no longer anchor their stout line, and the entire defense has holes. I could see him going in the early to mid 3rd round area.

David Molk, C--This is a tricky one for NFL scouts. He repeated his numbers at the pro day from the Combine, but also had his right foot in a cast. Molk communicates wonderfully at the line of scrimmage, rarely gets called for penalties, and knows how to audible. When he came out due to an injury at the Sugar Bowl, the drop-off was considerable. Centers can come at a premium at the NFL level, but with time Molk could easily be a Pro Bowler. My guess: Packers. The Packers just lost their sturdy Pro Bowl center Scott Wells to free agency. I believe Molk would be an asset hiking the ball to Aaron Rodgers, and he should be gone in the late 2nd round.

Junior Hemingway, WR--The NFL is a quarterback driven league. This past season had a bounty of passing records broken. Every team looks for the next big thing, and Hemingway could be it. He surprised scouts at both the Combine and the pro day with his speed. Considering he's always able to run that long post route, or go over the middle, he is an ideal fit for any team. My guess: Broncos. With losing Eddie Royal to free agency, that leaves Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker at receiver. That wouldn't be too bad with Tebow at the helm, but now that Peyton Manning has signed on as starting quarterback, they're going to need at least one more receiver to catch his passes. Middle of 4th round.

Kevin Koger, TE-- Team captain Koger seemed to disappear at times last season, yet he always makes that spectacular catch or block on just the right play. Snubbed by not getting an invite to the combine, that might make him work harder for a roster spot. My guess: Cardinals. Tight ends are becoming the sexy position of the league. Koger could be one of the top 10 TEs taken, but I don't think that'll happen till the 5th or 6th rounds.

Martavious Odoms, WR--Always efficient and elusive. In the NFL, probably better suited as a return man and special teams player. My guess: Chargers. San Diego's special teams suffered last year by losing Darren Sproles to free agency. Odoms could be that guy to step in. I wouldn't go after him til the 6th to 7th rounds however.

Ryan Van Bergen, DL--Alongside Martin, they were a formidable team to try to run against. Some pro teams stockpile players on the D-line, and Van Bergen fits any defensive system. My guess: Browns. Cleveland seems to be perpetually bad on defense, and Van Bergen could end up as a starter. I'm guessing 6th round.

Troy Woolfolk, CB--Woolfolk is a true mystery. Will he be a shutdown corner that we've seen flashes of, or the oft-injured guy we pined for? One thing that might be going for him is his dad, Butch, was drafted by the Giants in 1982. My guess: Buccaneers. The defense is aging for the Bucs, a la Ronde Barber, and Woolfolk could be a stopgap measure to replace him. I'm figuring on 7th round.

Steve Watson, Mark Huyge, Brandon Herron, Kelvin Grady, Tony Anderson, Michael Shaw, J.B. Fitzgerald, Marell Evans, Jared Van Slyke, John McColgan, Zac Johnson, amd Will Heininger are all probably going to be undrafted, or undrafted free-agents.

The 7 listed players above, however, do signal a shift in players drafted out of Michigan. In recent years the numbers have dwindled to 3 or 4. Hopefully our outgoing seniors will show we're still here to contend with, because we're "Michigan for God's sake".

Photo Credit: Miami New Times