The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1520409
18 THE WOLVERINE ❱ JUNE/JULY 2024 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE A mazed by the talent at Mich- igan's pro day, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, a Super Bowl cham- pion, stopped Jim Harbaugh, the former U-M head man who's now with the Los Angeles Chargers, and said, "No wonder you guys won the national champion- ship." The Wolverines didn't just finish 15-0 with the program's 12th-ever title, but they set records during the NFL Draft process, with 18 players invited to the combine, the most by any school in a year. They also cemented program re- cords with seven top-100 selections and 13 overall draft choices. The school's previous record for most picks in a sin- gle year was 11 in 2017. Michigan's total of 13 draftees stands as the fourth-most by a school in one year in the event, behind Georgia (15 in 2022), LSU (14 in 2020) and Ohio State (14 in 2004). The 13 picks led all schools this year, with Texas (11), Alabama, (10), Florida State (10), Washington (10), Oregon (8), Georgia (8) and Penn State (8) trail- ing behind. Michigan had 30.9 percent of the Big Ten's 42 draftees, with the league ranking third among conferences behind the SEC (59) and Pac-12 (43). Michigan started off the draft with a bang when quarterback J.J. McCarthy was taken No. 10 overall by the Minne- sota Vikings, who traded up one spot to grab their guy. McCarthy is U-M's third first-round signal-caller, joining Forest Evashevski (No. 10 to the Washington Redskins in 1941) and Harbaugh (No. 26 by the Chicago Bears in 1987), and 18th quarterback overall to be drafted. The La Grange Park, Ill., native going off the board at No. 10 made it six straight STEPPIN' UP Michigan Sets Program Record With 13 NFL Draft Picks Quarterback J.J. McCarthy was taken No. 10 overall by the Minnesota Vikings, only the third Michigan quarterback ever taken in the first round of the NFL Draft and the 53rd first- rounder overall in school history. PHOTOS COURTESY OF NFL AND MICHIGAN FOOTBALL