The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503142
THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 147 him to miss the entire season … Signed by the Cleveland Browns March 18 … Has played in 42 career games and totaled 78 tackles. Aidan Hutchinson DE 1 Detroit Lions The 2022 No. 2 overall NFL Draft pick led all rookies with 9.5 sacks last season and was named to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team … Fin- ished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting … Contributed 52 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 15 quarterback hits, 3 interceptions, 3 pass breakups and 2 fumble recoveries. Donovan Jeter DL 1 Chicago Bears Played in one game with the Washington Commanders as a rookie, totaling 1 tackle in 18 defensive snaps … Picked up by the Bears Jan. 10. Taylor Lewan OT 9 Free Agent Suffered a torn ACL Week 2, ending his 2022 season early … The three-time Pro- Bowler was released by the team following the campaign and is on the market as a free agent. Jourdan Lewis CB 6 Dallas Cowboys Went down with a season-ending foot injury Week 7 against the Detroit Lions … Played in six games with four starts prior to the ailment, registering 26 tackles and 1 pass breakup. David Long Jr. CB 4 Las Vegas Raiders Inked with the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency March 22, after four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, including winning Super Bowl LVI in February 2022 … Saw time in 12 contests with four starts a year ago, amassing 21 tackles and 1 pass breakup. Ben Mason FB/TE 2 Baltimore Ravens Spent last season on the Ravens' practice squad and is on the roster this offsea- son … Has yet to appear in an NFL game in two seasons. Jalen Mayfield OL 2 Atlanta Falcons Lost his entire 2022 campaign due to a back injury … Started and played in 16 contests at guard as a rookie in 2021. Cameron McGrone LB 2 Indianapolis Colts Made his NFL debut with the Colts last season, playing and racking up 1 tackle in Week 17, after recovering from a knee injury as a rookie in 2021. Sean McKeon TE 3 Dallas Cowboys The former undrafted free agent has stuck with the Cowboys, playing in 36 out- ings over three seasons, including 13 this past season … Hauled in 2 catches for 11 yards in 2022. Josh Metellus S 3 Minnesota Vikings Played in 17 games with three starts, achieving career-highs in tackles (42), stops for loss (1), pass breakups (5) and interceptions (1) last season. Bryan Mone DT 4 Seattle Seahawks Competed in 13 clashes with three starts, totaling 25 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 quar- terback hit and 1 pass breakup in 2022, before going down with a season-ending knee injury Week 15. 3. DE Brandon Graham, Philadelphia Eagles Nobody was sure what to expect from Graham heading into the 2022 campaign. He missed almost the entire previous season with a torn Achil- les — which could've derailed the 35-year-old's career. Instead, he put up a career-high 11 sacks while playing in all 17 games with one start, helping his team to a 14-3 regular season, NFC championship and Su- per Bowl berth. His sack total was tied for second on the team, and the group combined for 70 — the most of any squad in NFL history. 4. LB JOSH UCHE, New England Patriots Uche was a second-round pick in 2020 and had lots of promise com- ing out of college, where he led Michigan in sacks each of his final two years. However, the start to his NFL career was a bit slow. He had just 4.5 sacks and 11 quarterback hits in his first 26 professional contests, before becoming one of the 2022 season's biggest breakout stars. The 6-foot-3, 245-pounder had a six-week stretch where he totaled 10 sacks and finished the year with 11.5 to go along with 27 tackles, 9 stops for loss and 14 quarterback hits. His 12.8 pass rush productivity score slotted second among edge rushers, per Pro Football Focus. He's working to keep his level of play that high and isn't focused on the past but rather looking forward to the 2023 season, intent to not get "big-headed." "Last year is last year. Can't cash in on much from last year," Uche said May 18. "It's a new season. Just focusing on the next opponent, just improving. New plays need to be made, new steps need to be taken. Just trying to build and become the best football player I can be." 5. OL Michael Onwenu, New England Patriots A versatile offensive lineman, Onwenu played both guard and tackle his first two professional seasons, before settling in at right guard in 2022. He became one of the best at his position in the league, grading out fourth among guards with a 79.3 overall PFF rating — sixth in pass protection (83.1) and 12th in run blocking (73.1). MassLive.com's Mark Daniels called Onwenu's omission from the Pro Bowl a "snub." "The development of Onwenu has been one of the better stories to come out of the Patriots over the past three seasons," Daniels wrote. "At age 25, he looks like a key building block on offense." PHOTO BY ERIC J. ADLER/NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS