The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JUNE/JULY 2021 THE WOLVERINE 47 A surprise selection occurred late in the third round when cornerback Ambry Thomas was chosen as well, with the San Francisco 49ers grab- bing him at 102nd overall. Linebacker Cameron McGrone and fullback Ben Mason came off the board in the fifth round to the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens, respectively, before running back Chris Evans and long snapper Camaron Cheeseman capped off Michigan's action when they both heard their names called in the sixth round. Evans was chosen by the Cin- cinnati Bengals and Cheeseman by the Washington Football Team. Michigan's eight selections were the second most in the Big Ten, and tied with Florida for the fifth most of any program in the nation. The only four schools that had more than U-M were Alabama and Ohio State with 10, and Georgia and Notre Dame with nine. Michigan also saw its streak of at least one Wolverine drafted extended to 83 straight years, a record only USC can match. Michigan State had been close behind with an 80-year stretch of its own (1940-2020), but saw that come to an end when no Spartans were taken this year. A total of 39 players have now been drafted since Harbaugh took over (dating back to the 2016 NFL Draft), which equates out to an aver- age of 6.5 per year. THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS KNEW THEY COULDN'T PASS ON KWITY PAYE Kwity Paye joined elite Michigan defensive end company this year when the Indianapolis Colts selected him at No. 21 overall in the NFL Draft. He became just the sixth Wol- verine edge rusher ever to come off the board in the opening round. The five first-round defensive ends who preceded Paye were Curtis Greer (No. 6 overall to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1980), Kevin Brooks (No. 17 to the Dallas Cowboys in 1985), Brandon Graham (No. 13 to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010), Taco Charlton (No. 28 to the Cowboys in 2017) and Rashan Gary (No. 12 to the Green Bay Packers in 2019). Of the six, three have occurred under head coach Jim Harbaugh's watch — Paye, Gary and Charlton. Paye was viewed by many as the best defensive end in this year's draft, but wound up being the second edge rusher taken. Jaelan Phillips of the Miami Hurricanes narrowly edged him out, going just three spots higher at No. 18 to the Miami Dolphins. "It's easy to draft talent — that's not hard to do," Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard said after the Colts took Paye. "But to draft talent with character is what's difficult — they don't always come together. "I've made some pretty easy picks where you just knew — you pulled the card, and it was an easy pull. Pulling the card on Kwity Paye was very easy. He stands for everything we want to stand for." Ballard also revealed the Colts had a trade offer on the table for the 21st overall pick, but he wasn't interested in risking it and potentially losing out on Paye. "It wasn't enough value for us to move and pass on a player we think very highly of who fits our culture and what we want to do. When you get a player who has a unique skill set with character, it's a beautiful thing." The Houston Texans traded three future draft picks to move up in the third round and select wide receiver Nico Collins. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY The Biggest Draft Classes In Michigan History Players Head Coach Year Chosen The Previous Fall 2017 11 Jim Harbaugh 1972 10 Bo Schembechler 1974 10 Bo Schembechler 2020 10 Jim Harbaugh 1975 9 Bo Schembechler 1948 8 Fritz Crisler 2021 8 Jim Harbaugh