The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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10 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2021 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS In a class full of freaks off the edge, Paye still stands out for what he's physically capable of. He's a jumbo 6-foot-4, 272-pound edge [defender] with ideal inside-outside versatil- ity. Anyone lining up across from him is going to be in for a handful all day. "He moves the line of scrimmage with ease in the run game and can flatback tackles in pass protection on contact. His pass-rushing toolbox is still fairly barren, but even so, we've seen it improve by leaps and bounds over the past two seasons. If that pro- gression continues, look out." — Pro Football Focus' Michael Renner Feb. 2, after tabbing U-M senior defensive end Kwity Paye as the top defensive edge prospect in the NFL Draft BY THE NUMBERS 2 First-round picks for U-M in ESPN expert Todd McShay's post-Super Bowl mock draft, with defensive end KWITY PAYE going off the board at No. 21 overall to the Indianapolis Colts and offensive tackle Jalen Mayfield being selected at No. 28 to the New Orleans Saints. The Wolverines have seen multiple former players chosen in the draft's first round under head coach Jim Harbaugh twice thus far, in 2019 (Rashan Gary and Devin Bush) and 2017 (Jabrill Peppers and Taco Charlton). Chad Reuter of NFL.com and Dane Brugler of The Athletic also tabbed Paye and Mayfield as first-rounders in recent mock drafts. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN "We're building something special in Ann Arbor! I believe in our players, coaches and university." — New Michigan defensive coordina- tor Mike Macdonald on Twitter after the Wolverines wrapped up an excellent 2021 signing class 6 Is how many times former Wolverines have been awarded the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player honor, which is the most out of any school in the coun- try, with Alabama, Georgia and Notre Dame all checking in tied for second with three. Desmond Howard won the award in Super Bowl XXXI, and Tom Brady has taken home the distinction five differ- ent times, most recently Feb. 7 when his Tampa Bay Buccaneers knocked off the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 in Super Bowl LV, which marked the quarter- back's seventh championship. PHOTO BY DAVID SILVERMAN/COURTESY OF THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 84.3 84.3 Was former U-M offensive lineman MIKE ONWENU'S overall PFF grade during his rookie season in 2020, good for No. 60 on PFF's count- down of the top 101 overall players in the league dur- ing 2020. Only two rookies ranked higher than Onwenu, who played at least 100 snaps at three different spots along New England's front. Right tackle was where he saw the majority of his ac- tion, and the outlet graded Onwenu 10th out of 39 qualifying right tackles in the league.