The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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146 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Michael Dwumfour DT 3 Chicago Bears Was on the Bears' practice squad last season and hasn't appeared in an NFL game since seeing time in nine in 2022. Chris Evans RB 3 Cincinnati Bengals Competed in eight outings last season … Entering the final year of his rookie contract. Rashan Gary LB 5 Green Bay Packers Led the Packers with 9 sacks in the regular season, opening 13 games and appearing in 17 … Added 22 quarterback hits and 7 tackles for loss … Signed a four-year, $96 million contract extension last October. Zach Gentry TE 5 Las Vegas Raiders Signed by the Raiders last December after previously being on the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad … Played in one game with no stats to round out the year for Las Vegas. Graham Glasgow OL 8 Detroit Lions Opened the final 15 regular-season contests (three at center and 12 at right guard) and helped the Lions reach the NFC championship game for the first time since 1991 … Projected to start at right guard again in 2024. Brandon Graham DE 14 Philadelphia Eagles Posted 16 tackles, 4 stops for loss, 3 sacks and 6 quarterback hits in 17 appearances off the bench last regular season … Agreed to a one-year contract extension in March, saying this will be his final campaign in the league … "I can't wait to go out there and take it all in for my last go-around," Graham said. Vincent Gray CB 2 Cleveland Browns Appeared in one outing in 2023, a Week 18 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, tallying 5 tackles and 2 pass breakups. Gemon Green CB 1 Green Bay Packers Signed by the Packers in April after one season with the New York Giants' practice squad. Jaylen Harrell OLB R Tennessee Titans The seventh-round pick was chosen No. 252 overall in the 2024 draft … Expected to compete for a backup role as a rookie. Hassan Haskins RB 2 Tennessee Titans Did not play in any games last season, after totaling 93 rushing yards on 25 attempts as a rookie in 2022. Ryan Hayes OT 1 Miami Dolphins The 2023 seventh-round selection has yet to make his NFL debut, spending his first season with the Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts. LaDarius Henderson OG R Houston Texans Not expected to start right away but will add depth both at guard and tackle, accord- ing to general manager Nick Caserio … Drafted in the seventh round with the No. 249 overall pick this spring. Dax Hill CB 2 Cincinnati Bengals Moved to cornerback ahead of next season, according to head coach Zach Wilson, after starting all 17 games at safety in 2023 … Tallied 110 tackles (third on team), 6 stops for loss, 1.5 sacks and 2 interceptions. Christopher Hinton DL 2 Los Angeles Chargers Saw time in three games last season, registering 10 tackles … Expected to be a backup on the interior of the defensive line this season. James Hudson III OT 3 Cleveland Browns Started in seven of 16 appearances last season, including four at right tackle … Head- ing into the final year of his rookie contract. Khaleke Hudson LB 4 New Orleans Saints Signed with the New Orleans Saints April 4, after spending his first four years in the league with Washington … Started eight of 17 contests last season, totaling 44 tackles and a sack. Top Five NFL Seasons In 2023 1. DL Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions The 2022 No. 2 overall pick took a step forward in his second professional season, leading the team with 11.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss, while adding 7 pass breakups and 3 forced fumbles. His 121 pressures ranked second in the league, behind only the 49ers' Nick Bosa (122). Pro Football Focus (PFF) named him the 17th-best player in the league for the season. A Plymouth, Mich., native, Hutchinson led his hometown Lions to the NFC champion- ship game, notching two home playoff victories over the Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers along the way. The Lions won a playoff game for the first time since 1991, ending the longest postseason winless streak in the NFL. "It was everything I wanted it to be and more," Hutchinson told Forbes. "This past year was so historic. It was bigger than our team. It was that Detroit grit, Detroit mentality. All the people in Detroit, that's what we were embodying." 2. WR Nico Collins, Houston Texans The third-year pro ranked eighth in the NFL and led his team with 1,297 receiving yards on 80 catches, scoring 8 touchdowns. He was the favorite target for quarter- back and NFL Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud, and the duo brought Houston to the postseason for the first time since 2019. His 3.1 yards per route run checked in second in the NFL behind only Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill (3.7). Collins is looking ahead to an even bigger 2024 campaign and reports this offseason have indicated that he may receive a significant contract extension from the Texans' brass. "I feel like this year is going to be a little bit of a better year. Just mentally and physically, I know what to expect," Collins said on Fubo Sports. "I feel like I'm learning and getting better and growing. I'm just learning the game better." Second-year pro Aidan Hutchinson led the Detroit Lions and was tied for 12th in the NFL in sacks (11.5), adding 51 total tackles with a team-high 14 tackles for loss en route to the NFC championship game. PHOTO COURTESY NFL.COM