The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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12 THE WOLVERINE ❱ FEBRUARY 2025 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS FOUR U-M STARS PROJECTED TO GO IN FIRST ROUND OF NFL DRAFT The Michigan Wolverines did not have the season some thought they would, but they were still full of top-end NFL Draft talent that will be on display this spring — specifically, four members of their 2022 recruiting class. CBS Sports released its latest mock draft from Ryan Wilson, including four Michigan stars in defensive tackles Mason Gra- ham and Kenneth Grant, cornerback Will Johnson and tight end Colston Loveland. All are projected to come off the board within the first 20 selections. The highest honor goes to Graham, who was projected to be selected No. 5 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars. "My comp for Mason Graham over the summer was Chris- tian Wilkins," Wilson said. "My co-host on the 'With the First Pick' podcast, Rick Spielman, took it a step further and said Quinnen Williams. Wherever you land, Graham is a special talent who headlines a deep defensive line class." Johnson, who missed the final six games of the 2024 season, came off the board one pick later in the mock draft to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 6, putting him into the organization that once selected Michigan icon Charles Woodson in the 1998 NFL Draft. "Will Johnson was my No. 1 player over the summer and he remains a top-10 talent," Wilson wrote. "He battled a toe in- jury that sidelined him for much of the second half of the 2024 season, but when he's healthy, he's one of the best defenders in college football; there's a reason the easy comp for him is Patrick Surtain II." The first Michigan player to come off the board outside of the top 10 was Grant, whom Wilson compared and contrasted with a former teammate. The Arizona Cardinals were pro- jected to choose him with the No. 16 overall selection. "Kenneth Grant is a really good athlete for his size — and he has a knack for getting his hands up in the passing lane and knocking the ball down," Wilson said. "He moves well laterally, as he has a surprisingly quick first step with good hand usage to shoot gaps and be disruptive in the backfield. For me, he's more explosive and consistent than Kris Jen- kins, his former teammate and Bengals second-round pick in 2024." Rounding out the group was Loveland, tabbed to be se- lected by the Denver Broncos at No. 20 overall. "Colston Loveland is listed at 6-foot-5 and 237 pounds, and while he runs like he's 185, he plays like he's 260," Wil- son said. "He'll run through open-field arm tackles all day long, has an enormous catch radius, and is a precise route runner, looking like a receiver at times in his movement skills. He's a willing blocker, but like most pass-catching tight ends coming into the league, he'll need to improve in this area." The 2025 NFL Draft is scheduled for April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wis. The first round will be held on the first night, with the second and third rounds on Day 2. The fourth through seventh rounds will take place on Day 3. BURNETT, TEAM USA CAPTURE GOLD AT ROHRMAX CUP U-M field hockey sophomore Abby Burnett was part of the USA Field Hockey women's national indoor team that grabbed a gold medal at the Rohrmax Cup on Jan. 5 in Vienna, Austria. Team USA defeated Belgium, 7-4, in the championship final, finding a way to get revenge for its only loss during pool play. During the event, the ninth-ranked Americans posted a 5-1 record that included victories over three top-10 opponents in the world rankings in No. 2 Czechia, No. 8 Belgium and No. 10 Poland. The event is the last before the 2025 FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup, scheduled for Feb. 3-9 in Croatia, for which the roster has yet to be determined. Burnett has competed plenty on the international stage in her career. She played with Team USA's indoor squad in the 2023 World Cup event in South Africa in addition to partici- pating at the first-ever FIH Hockey5s World Cup in Oman in 2024. She also has a silver medal to her name from the Junior Pan American Championships last summer in British Co- lumbia. Burnett started all 20 games for the Wolverines this past season and helped the team record its ninth Big Ten Tourna- ment championship in program history. — Anthony Broome MAIZE AND BLUE NOTEBOOK Cornerback Will Johnson, despite missing the final six games of the season with a foot injury, is still projected to be a top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL