The Wolverine

April 2017

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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44 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2017 BY JOHN BORTON M ichigan's football resur- gence over the past two seasons hasn't been ac- complished on smoke, mirrors and whole milk. While the Harbaugh Effect is unmistakable, the Harbaugh Effected are pretty good. That's why Michigan led all col- leges with 14 players attending the NFL Scouting Combine Feb. 28 through March 6 in Indianapolis. The Wolverines' host of seniors — and an underclassman star — pro- duced 20 wins over the past two years and are now ready to produce at the next level. Two of them, defensive end Taco Charlton and safety/hybrid line- backer Jabrill Peppers, are likely to be taken in the first round. But Michigan overall should feature draft choices approaching — if not into — double digits. Here's a look at the Wolverines under the microscope at the NFL Combine, their numbers and some comments: THE SUPREME TACO IS ON THE RISE FOR THE DRAFT Taco Charlton's Twitter handle, "The Supreme Taco," seems ever more fitting as he works his way through the preliminaries toward the impending NFL Draft. Charlton began catching the eyes of scouts down the stretch in Michi- gan's season. At a fraction under 6-6 and a lean 277 pounds, he continued to impress during the NFL Combine while maintaining a very humble approach. Even while some were projecting a possible top-10 status in the first round for Charlton, the former U-M edge rusher waved off any notion of overconfidence. He insisted he approached the NFL Combine like "an undrafted free agent." He's definitely comfortable with his skills, and credits Michigan de- fensive coordinator Don Brown with helping him unleash them in his fi- nal season as a Wolverine. Charlton recorded 9.5 sacks among 13 tackles for loss as a senior, becom- ing a major pass-rushing presence. He mastered several techniques to get after quarterbacks, he noted. "I'm versatile, I play a little bit of every position, I play inside, out- side, I play heavy, I play light, I play a little bit of everything," Charlton said. "My arsenal's pretty wide. I can stab, I can bull, I can spin, I can speed rush. The arsenal I have and the combination of positions I've played — three-tech, four-tech, five-tech, weakside end. All of those things add up to separate me a little bit." Charlton was at his best against the Wolverines' best competition last year. He posted a combined 14 tackles with five sacks against Ohio State and Florida State, and knows he'll be making a living getting after quarterbacks in the NFL. "The best thing about my game is probably my pass-rushing abil- ity," Charlton said. "I want to be un- stoppable. I'm somebody who won't stop until I feel like I'm one of the best out there." CHARLTON BY THE NUMBERS Ht./Wt.: 6-6, 277 pounds Arm Length: 34¼ inches Hand Size: 9¾ inches 40: 4.92 seconds — Tied for 33rd among 51 DL Bench: 25 reps — Tied for 13th among 49 DL Vertical Jump: 33 inches — Tied for 10th among 51 DL Broad Jump: 116 inches — Tied for 22nd among 50 DL Three-Cone Drill: 7.17 seconds — 13th among 46 DL 20-Yard Shuttle: 4.39 seconds — Tied for 14th among 48 DL FAB 14 Michigan Features Numbers And Quality At The NFL Scouting Combine On NFL Network's combine coverage, analyst Mike Mayock compared Taco Charlton to Carlos Dunlap, a two-time Pro Bowler for the Cincinnati Bengals who was a second-round pick out of Florida in 2010. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN

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