The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 43 2020 SEASON PREVIEW There are so many worthy candidates based on merit from last season that it's hard to limit to just five. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Cameron Mc- Grone, for example, evolved into an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick, and he might be the leading candidate for U-M's Defensive Player of the Year — but he doesn't crack this top five. Ditto redshirt sophomore right tackle Jalen Mayfield, who many project as an NFL first-round pick next year. There was no spring ball for the players to discern themselves, but these five have proven themselves as the guys heading into the 2020 campaign: 1 Senior Wide Receiver NICO COLLINS — The 6-4, 222-pounder is now the go-to guy out wide when it comes to deep threats, and he seems ready for a breakout season. He endeared himself to Michigan fans when he decided to return for his final season, citing "unfinished business," and we still have yet to see the best of him. This could be the year. Collins is a mismatch with his size and has great hands. He hauled in 37 passes for 729 yards and a team-best seven touch- downs a year ago, and he could better those numbers substantially in 2020 as the veteran of his group. 2 Junior Defensive End Aidan Hutchinson — Some in Hutchinson's camp once wondered if he'd become good enough to play at Michigan. Then he blossomed into a consensus four-star prospect and top-200 recruit na- tionally by his high school senior season. He has become one of the Big Ten's top defenders, an instinctive end with underrated athleticism and a non-stop motor. He is versatile, too, able to move inside if need be to take on interior linemen. Hutchinson was a third-team all-conference selection last year after notch- ing 68 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks to share the Richard Katcher Award as the team's top defensive lineman. He'll build on those numbers in 2020, which he enters as the Big Ten's top returning defensive end based on last year's Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades (82.9). 3 Senior Defensive End Kwity Paye — Defensive coordinator Don Brown praised Paye last year as one of the best in the country at being where he's supposed to be on the field at all times, a high IQ end who is relent- less in getting off blocks and pursuing plays. PFF dubbed him the second- highest-graded returning defensive end in the Big Ten, his 80.9 mark just trailing running mate Hutchinson. Paye notched 50 total stops, 12.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and three quar- terback hurries last year en route to earning second-team All-Big Ten honors from league coaches. He shared U-M's Richard Katcher Award with Hutchinson. 4 Senior Cornerback Ambry Thomas — Thomas has played in Lavert Hill's shadow the past two seasons, but this will be his year to shine. Hill was a first-team All-Big Ten selection the last two years to Thomas' third-team honor in 2019, yet it was Thomas who won the team's Defensive Skill Player of the Year award last fall. He was up to the task when teams threw away from Hill, allowing just 25 of the 47 balls against his coverage to be completed for 332 yards with one score, while he tied Hill with a team-high three interceptions and broke up four more passes. He will be asked to be the Wolverines' lockdown guy in the secondary this season. 5 Junior Wide Receiver Ronnie Bell — The former two-star recruit has blossomed into U-M's best all-around receiver. Though he still has to work on securing the ball, Bell is always where he's sup- posed to be on his routes and earned the team's Offensive Skill Position Player of the Year award after hauling in 48 receptions for 758 yards, both of which led the squad. Though his eight drops were twice as many as anybody else on the roster in 2019, he also nearly doubled up the next-best receiver in yards after the catch, ranking 40th nationally with 454 (Collins was second with 234). Bell's high motor and ability as a blocker make him one of the team's most valuable offensive players, a reason head coach Jim Harbaugh said he'd "take 100 Ronnie Bells" on his team if he could find them. 1 Sophomore Safety DAXTON HILL — He is argu- ably the best athlete on the team, incredibly fast with a cornerback's cover ability. Michigan's defensive coaches have said they'd be fine putting him at corner, in fact, if need be. Hill was named the team's Defensive Rookie of the Year after notching 36 tackles with an interception, and even made Pro Football Focus' (PFF) Freshman All-Amer- ica third team — at cornerback, due to playing so much nickel — despite only three starts. The outlet graded him sixth among all freshman safeties that logged at least 300 defensive snaps, with an overall mark of 71.6. He has All-America potential down the road and will be entrenched as a starter in the secondary. 2 Redshirt Sophomore Right Tackle Jalen Mayfield — He enters the season with extremely high ex- pectations — can he live up to them? That's what we'll be watching (closely). He went from 50-50 to start to a projected 2021 first- round NFL Draft pick after a season in which he emerged as an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection. He gained confidence with each start and started to play with an edge by the middle of Big Ten season, dominating at times. Per PFF, he was charged with allowing just one sack and three quarterback hits on 851 snaps. The 6-5, 319-pounder really put himself on the map with an outstanding showing against Ohio State defen- sive end Chase Young, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. 3 Sophomore Tight End Erick All — Despite be- ing a true freshman at a position crowded with veterans, he played in 11 games last year and caught one pass for 10 yards. He might have played more had he been a bit better in knowing his assignments, an area of weakness, but that comes with experience. He has great hands and earned praise last spring as an impact pass catcher, and he's a violent blocker (when he knows who to block). He's listed at 229 pounds — he could become elite as he adds more weight. 4 Redshirt Freshman Cornerback DJ Turner — The second-year Wolverine turned heads in fall camp last year, but inconsistency — not unex- pected for a freshman at that position — plagued him a bit and he wasn't able to crack the rotation. He's got all the ability and instincts needed to play the position, and the 6-0, 180-pounder will get his op- portunity. The Wolverines need a third corner to step up behind senior Ambry Thomas and redshirt sopho- more Vincent Gray, and he's the No. 1 candidate. 5 Redshirt Freshman Defensive Tackle Mazi Smith — He had some issues with condition- ing which a few have attributed to asthma. The 6-3, 305-pounder is one of the strongest players on the team, however, and they need his girth in the middle against bigger offensive lines. Developing depth on the interior is one of the keys to this year's defense, and Smith is expected to help. Top Five Players To Watch PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Top Five Players Heading Into The Season