The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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18 THE WOLVERINE ❱ JUNE/JULY 2023 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE A nother successful NFL Draft is in the books for Michigan football. The Wolverines had the second highest number of draftees among all colleges with nine players picked, trailing only Alabama and Georgia (10). They were three ahead of Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Penn State (six apiece). The Wolverines had their third-biggest draft class in eight years under head coach Jim Harbaugh, with only 2017 (11) and 2020 (10) being larger. The event started off with a bang, with defensive tackle Mazi Smith hear- ing his name called at No. 26 to the Dal- las Cowboys. That marked five consec- utive drafts with a first-round pick from Michigan. Interestingly enough, too, only five teams drafted the nine Michigan prod- ucts. Four organizations jumped at the opportunity to take multiple Wolver- ines. Eight are headed to franchises that made the playoffs in 2022. With the selection of both special- ists — kicker Jake Moody and punter Brad Robbins — Michigan now has had at least one player selected from every Defensive tackle Mazi Smith was the first of nine U-M players chosen in this year's NFL Draft, going No. 26 overall in the first round to the Dallas Cowboys. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL / GRAPHIC COURTESY ON3 PRO BLUE Nine Michigan Players Were Selected In The 2023 NFL Draft