The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 63 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE H ere are the top 10 Michigan play- ers worth keeping an eye on in the NFL this season. WR NICO COLLINS HOUSTON TEXANS The 6-foot-4, 222-pounder played in only 12 regular-season games last season and still ranked No. 22 in the league with 1,006 receiving yards, with 68 catches and 7 touch- downs. That marked his second straight cam- paign with 1,000-plus yards, having recorded 1,297 in 2023. Collins checked in No. 32 on the NFL Top 100 list as voted on by the players themselves. RB BLAKE CORUM LOS ANGELES RAMS Two drives, 2 touchdowns for the former Michigan running back in a 31-21 preseason win over the Dallas Cowboys Aug. 9, a po- tential sign of what's to come. Corum had an interesting rookie season, carrying only 58 times for 207 yards. He backed up lead back Kyren Williams, who ranked third in the NFL in rushing attempts (316). Corum figures to have a larger role in 2025, with Los Angeles Times writer Gary Klein pre- dicting that he could shoulder more of the load to keep Williams fresh this fall. DL RASHAN GARY, GREEN BAY PACKERS The No. 80-ranked player in the NFL's Top 100 list, Gary led Green Bay with 7.5 sacks and 49 pressures last season. The team's best pass rusher is "on a mission" this season, he told FOX Sports, and much more comfortable in coordi- nator Jeff Hafley's system heading into Year 2. With 39 career sacks in six seasons, Gary continues to be a mainstay in the NFC North. DT MASON GRAHAM, CLEVELAND BROWNS Michigan's third-highest drafted defender since the AFL-NFL merger in 1966 (Aidan Hutchinson, Charles Woodson), the No. 5 overall selection is a projected starter head- ing into his rookie campaign. Browns radio broadcaster Lance Reisland said Aug. 14 that Graham "already looks like a vet," and has "elite hand usage." DT KENNETH GRANT, MIAMI DOLPHINS The No. 13 overall choice in the 2025 NFL Draft is "building confidence" with every rep, he told reporters, and has noted that he's improved "in the run game and with the power structure." The 6-foot-3, 335-pounder is expected to be a big part of the defensive tackle rotation as a rookie. DE AIDAN HUTCHINSON, DETROIT LIONS Before going down with a season-ending leg injury in Week 5 in 2024, Hutchinson was leading the league with 7.5 sacks and 39 quarterback pressures, making him the fa- vorite to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors. By all accounts, he's come back just as strong — if not better — in 2025 training camp. The Lions have implemented a "Hutch Rule," where the play keeps going even if Hutchinson records a hypothetical sack in practice, so that the offense can get its rep in. "If you can't block Hutch and he's going to blow every practice up, then that's not good," head coach Dan Campbell said. CB WILL JOHNSON, ARIZONA CARDINALS Lauded for his lockdown coverage all dur- ing training camp, including on second-year wideout and former Ohio State star Marvin Harrison Jr., Johnson is off to a strong start in Arizona, after being picked in the second round this spring. NFL.com's Dan Parr wrote that the Cardinals have been looking for "sta- bility" at the position for years, and that if Johnson can provide that this season, it would "be a huge lift" to a defense that's expected to be one of the better units in the league. According to the unofficial depth chart re- leased by the team, Johnson is currently a starter. TE COLSTON LOVELAND CHICAGO BEARS The Chicago Bears have shored up the offen- sive line and added weapons around second- year quarterback Caleb Williams, with Loveland — the No. 10 overall pick in this year's draft — being one of the playmakers. Listed as a starter alongside fellow tight end Cole Kmet, Loveland will be a big factor in the passing game. QB J.J. MCCARTHY, MINNESOTA VIKINGS The Minnesota Vikings cleared the deck for McCarthy, who missed his rookie season with injury, to be the starting quarterback in 2025. (Last year's signal-caller, Sam Darnold, ❱ MICHIGAN IN THE PROS Ten Former Wolverines To Watch During The 2025 NFL Season Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) was ranked No. 32 on the NFL Top 100 list this offseason, as voted on by the players themselves. He has accounted for 2,303 receiving yards the past two seasons. PHOTO BY JORDAN MCKENDRICK/HOUSTON TEXANS