The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Jan. 18 in St. Petersburg, Fla., receiving 30 defensive snaps and chipping in half a sack during the all-star contest. "That East-West Shrine Bowl was huge and played a big part in the position I'm in now," Danna told reporters in a con- ference call after Kansas City selected him. "I knew I had to have a really good week and knew what was all at stake. I had to show up and I feel like I did what I had to do and took care of business the right way. It paid off. "I respond to adversity, like not being able to have a pro day and not receiving an invitation to the combine. I had to put all my chips on the table, and it's a blessing to be in my position now. Not being invited to the combine played a great deal of why I do what I do. I put a lot of work and time into my craft, so it was just fuel and I used it to my advantage." Potential Position Change: OT Jon Runyan Jr. — The U-M legacy served as an offensive tackle for the entirety of his starting career in Ann Arbor, earn- ing the opening nod in 25 games at left tackle and one on the right side (the 2018 Outback Bowl loss to South Carolina). Runyan was excellent at pro- tecting U-M quarterbacks' blind sides, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches during each of his final two years (2018-19) in the winged helmet. Despite his past success as a tackle, experts have forecasted him moving down to offensive guard with the Green Bay Packers, who chose him in the sixth round with the No. 192 overall pick and even announced him as a guard. "What he's going to be in the NFL at 6-4 and change, 306 pounds with shorter arms than you prefer is a guard," ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. noted. "He's going to have to move inside to the guard spot. Athleticism, he can hold up there as a pass blocker. "I thought he more than held his own out there on that island at tackle, both at right tackle for that one game and left tackle for the 25 starts there. The issue for him at guard will be the power rushers — can he handle that and tran- sition inside? Evidence came this year, when he was challenged in pass pro- tection at that left tackle spot, and he should do a pretty good job kicking inside." Fortunately for Runyan, he received action at right guard in six games at Michigan as a redshirt sophomore in 2017. Unexpected Undrafted: CB Lavert Hill — Most prognosticators saw him as a late-round pick, with very few pegging him to go unselected. That's precisely what happened, however, de- spite an illustrious four-year career at Michigan (three years as a starter) that was capped off with a phenomenal se- nior season. As a starter, Hill helped anchor three U-M secondaries (2017-19) that all ranked in the top 10 nationally in pass- ing yards allowed per game (first in 2017, second in 2018 and 10th in 2019), while his 29 career passes broken up finished tied with defensive back James Whitley (1997-2000) for the sixth most in school history. Pro Football Focus tabbed Hill as the draft's fifth-best "man coverage" cor- nerback, explaining that he was tar- geted 25 times as a senior while in the specific aforementioned defense, and only allowed nine completions (36.0 completion percentage). Opposing sig- nal-callers also racked up a dismal 58.6 quarterback rating while targeting him in man coverage in 2019. CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso named Hill the fourth-best player who went un- selected in 2020, though it didn't take him long to find a home once the draft had concluded — he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as a free agent April 24, the same day the event came to an end. "For an outside corner, Hill is rather small [measured in at 5-10, 190 pounds at the NFL Combine] and has been k nown for his excessive grabbing downfield, which will be an issue for the Chiefs, as the team saw its fair share of pass interference penalties last season," Jalon Dodson of ArrowheadAddict.com explained. "Working with the Chiefs' de- fensive staff, Hill will need to take to coaching on a few things, but he has real potential to work his way toward making the 53-man roster." — Austin Fox Jim Harbaugh and his father, Jack, were both big fans of guard Ben Bredeson, so it made sense John Harbaugh drafted him for the Baltimore Ravens. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL MAY 2020 THE WOLVERINE 23