The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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20 THE WOLVERINE ❱ APRIL 2024 his lone season at Michigan did for him, after spending his first three years at Indiana. "I wanted to go somewhere and com- pete for a national championship, I wanted to go somewhere to win and I wanted to go somewhere to be challenged every single day," Barner said. "Michigan checked all the boxes. My personality — I'm a blue-collar, disciplined kid. I fit right in with the winged helmet. The style of offense that we played and the program that Michigan runs I feel is as similar as it's going to get." — Clayton Sayfie SAINRISTIL, JENKINS HEADLINE STRONG DEFENSIVE SHOWING IN INDY Seven players on the defensive side of the ball represented U-M at the NFL Combine, headlined by impressive show- ings from defensive back Mike Sainristil and lineman Kris Jenkins in the event. Sainristil established himself as one of the top nickel defenders after a 4.47-sec- ond 40-yard dash, a 6.99-second 3-cone drill and a 4.01-second 20-yard shuttle, the latter of which was good for second among the 10 cornerbacks who partici- pated in the drill. The two-time cap- tain and heart and soul of the Michigan defense turned many heads during the week-long exhibition. "Sainristil is at the top of that nickel cornerback group," ESPN's Jordan Reid said. "He solidified himself as a late-Day 2 prospect on Friday. … As a converted receiver, his ball skills and change-of-di- rection ability really stand out. … Teams looking for an immediate starter at nickel have to be excited about Sainristil's work- out." NFL.com ranked Jenkins fifth at defen- sive tackle for his performance in Indy, in which he did all drills except for the 3-cone event. His 4.91-second 40-yard dash was fifth among 19 players at the position, and his 29 bench press reps were good for second in the DT group. "He is a physical freak," NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah said. "When your nick- name is 'The Mutant,' you're pretty darn athletic. And at his size, you're going to see him move really, really well." Linebacker Junior Colson did not work out in Indianapolis due to a hamstring injury but still drew praise from the NFL Network broadcast as a potential top-50 selection in the draft. "You talk about a big linebacker, who played last year with the broken hand — shows you the toughness," Jeremiah said. "You couldn't keep him off the field. The comparison when I watched him was [former Michigan linebacker] David Har- ris. Leadership, toughness, excellent, ex- cellent player with the Jets. To me, this is a top-50 pick every day of the week and twice on Sunday. I think whoever gets him is going to get somebody they can plug into the middle of their defense and let him roll." Cornerback Josh Wallace ranked 42nd among corners coming out of the com- bine, via NFL.com, and participated in the vertical and broad jumps, 20-yard shuttle and bench press. His play at U-M helped position him for an NFL opportu- nity, and that's all he could ask for. "A year ago, I would've never thought I'd be in this position, so I'm just taking it day by day and embracing the moment," he said. "Being at Michigan played a huge role in it, being on a bigger scale or on the map, as you say, and the competition throughout the year that was lacking, I guess, at UMass, so that helped out." Mike Sainristil solidified himself as a late-Day 2 draft prospect with his showing in Indianapolis. According to ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid, "Teams looking for an immediate starter at nickel have to be excited about Sainristil's workout." PHOTO BY CLAYTON SAYFIE Jaylen Harrell's 37-inch vertical jump tied for fourth-best among the 25 defensive end pros- pects at the NFL Combine. PHOTO BY BEN LIEBENBERG/NFL