The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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18 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Multiple Wolverines Could Emerge As 2020 NFL Draft Picks Other than junior wide receiver Donovan-Peoples Jones, no other Wolverine has consistently shown up on 2020 mock drafts. However, Eric Galko — the owner and director of Optimum Scouting — thinks there are many Michi- gan players that are intriguing 2020 prospects, in- cluding senior quarterback Shea Patterson. "He's a high-character guy, and NFL teams really resonate with him in that way," Galko said. "He's a genuine leader and smart quarterback. … But I think Shea loses confidence too quickly. Part of that is he was adjusting from free-wheeling [at Ole Miss] to a more reserved offense." Galko said Patterson will likely feel more comfort- able after another offseason at Michigan. "I think more trust in the easy second- and mid- third-and-short downs will make him more success- ful," Galko said. "I expect a much improved year and a quarterback who can emerge as potentially a top-100 pick, but he's got to make those strides in being efficient when he has to be." Although senior linebacker Josh Uche had a limited role in 2018, he's one of the most interesting pros- pects on Michigan. "He's a guy I expect to take a big step forward," Senior linebacker Josh Uche is the Wolver- ines' highest-rated returning defender, ac- cording to Pro Football Focus, after posting an 83.4 overall grade last season. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN Pro Football Focus Likes Michigan In 2019 The focus of Michigan's offseason was the hiring of new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. Coming from Alabama, Gattis was charged with turning Michigan's offense into an elite unit. Pro Football Focus analyst Josh Liskiewitz thinks the Wolverines can be just that. "It's tough to project where they are going to go," Liskiewitz said. "Offensively, I think they have a chance to be pretty special. I love the fact that they brought in the new coordinator. I think they have the personnel for it too." One of the reasons why Michigan might improve offensively in 2019 is senior quarterback Shea Pat- terson. Last season, he had a big-time throw rate of 6.8 percent, which is tied for ninth among returning quarterbacks with a minimum of 210 attempts. When he was kept clean in 2018, Patterson had an adjusted completion percentage of 76.4, a passer rating of 117.4 and an overall PFF grade of 90.8. Liskiewitz called this number the most stable statistic that helps them to project future success, both in college and the NFL. "He graded really well on intermediate and downfield throws," he continued. "I like that aspect of him, I think he's going to get some more opportunities with play action. Some of that is going to be RPO [run- pass option] based, which really suits his skills." Patterson has two of the best wide receivers in the conference to throw to in 2019. Among returning Big Ten receivers, juniors Nico Collins and Donovan-Peoples Jones have the two highest passer ratings for wideouts with at least 50 targets. Collins led the conference with a 128.8 mark, while Peoples-Jones wasn't too far behind at 126.6. "This is as dynamic of a group as they've had in a long, long time," Liskiewitz said of the receivers. On the offensive line, Michigan returns four out of five starters from 2018, another reason for optimism. "Looking at their numbers from last year, most of them graded pretty well in terms of pass [protection]," Liskiewitz said. "Bredeson gave up two sacks, but everyone else only gave up one. None of them gave up more than two quarterback hits either. "When you're getting that type of production on that end, it says you have a chance to be really solid as a unit." However, Liskiewitz admits run blocking is an area that they could work on. On defense, the analyst believes the pieces are there for a strong unit, even though they lost talented players such as Devin Bush Jr., Rashan Gary, Chase Winovich and David Long. One of those key players in the reload is Central Michigan transfer defensive end Mike Danna, who had a PFF pass-rushing grade of 91.3 last season, which was the highest of any returning player in the country. He also ranked in the top 10 among returning edge rushers nationally in run stops (30) and pressures (55). "He was our 69th-best player in the country as a whole," Liskiewitz noted. "That's not just guys return- ing, that's as a whole. He was outstanding. He had close to 60 total pressures. That's just a massive need for them." Besides Danna, Michigan's other top pass rusher will be senior hybrid linebacker/defensive end Josh Uche, who had 19 total pressures (sacks, hurries and QB hits) in less than 100 snaps last season. On the back end of Michigan's defense is senior safety Josh Metellus, who had the fourth-best returning PFF grade of any defensive Wolverine. "Metellus made some strides in coverage," Liskiewitz said. "When he was the primary defender in cover- age, he allowed completions on well under 50 percent of his throws, which is excellent." Overall, Liskiewitz thinks if U-M's defense stays healthy this season, the Wolverines have a chance to have a strong unit. "Under Harbaugh, these defenses have been excellent in terms of tackling ability," Liskiewitz noted. "The returning guys had 43 missed tackles last year with 13 from [senior linebacker Khaleke] Hudson and seven from Metellus." PFF's Highest-Rated Returning Offensive Players Player Overall Grade Passing Grade Pass Blocking Grade Running Grade QB Dylan McCaffrey 91.7 89.4 — 78.8 QB Shea Patterson 85.5 83.3 62.2 69.3 RB Christian Turner 78.4 74.6 — 73.4 WR Donovan Peoples-Jones 78.2 78.9 — 64.2 WR Nico Collins 73.0 71.9 — — PFF's Highest-Rated Returning Defensive Players Player Overall Grade Run Defense Tackling Pass Rush Coverage LB/Edge Josh Uche 83.4 66.3 71.9 83.2 82.9 LB Josh Ross 78.8 78.9 74.0 78.1 68.9 CB Ambry Thomas 76.2 70.3 71.4 — 76.2 S Josh Metellus 73.3 72.0 70.1 57.8 75.9 CB Lavert Hill 71.5 65.3 44.7 — 71.6