The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/629217
INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Michigan has produced at least two NFL Draft picks for 21 straight years (U-M only had one in 1994), and that streak should continue, though the Wolverines likely won't see a player drafted in the first three rounds of the 2016 edition. Michigan could have had a first-rounder this year if juniors Jake Butt and Jourdan Lewis declared, but the tight end and cornerback, respectively, decided to re- turn for their senior seasons. "I was surprised by both because they have bright NFL futures," said Dane Bru- gler, a Senior NFL Draft Analyst for NFL- DraftScout.com and CBS Sports. "With Butt, I think he is, arguably, the top tight end in this draft. It's not a strong tight end class. "We may not have a senior go in the top 100 this year, and I think Butt was in that conversation … probably a second- round type of player." The 6-6, 248-pound Butt became just the third Michigan tight end in school history to reach 50 receptions in a sea- son, recording 51 grabs for 654 yards and three touchdowns. He announced shortly after the regular season, however, that he would be back for one more year, citing a desire to compete for championships and set career tight end records at U-M. "These underclassmen decisions are so personal that I never say a kid should have come out or shouldn't have," Brugler said. "It's a hard decision but when you look at what Michigan did in year one with Jim Harbaugh and what they could do next year, it's a decision [to return] that makes sense." Underclassmen Have Caught NFL Scouts' Attention Junior tight end Jake Butt is on NFL scouts' radars after an impressive campaign, but he decided to return to Ann Arbor for his final year of eligibility. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN