A look into the Michigan Wolverines who were selected in 2024 NFL Draft
The undefeated Michigan Wolverines saw several of its players get selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. Here's a list of the Wolverines who have been drafted.
(CBS DETROIT) - The undefeated Michigan Wolverines saw several of its players get selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Starting on Thursday, six players were drafted, starting with quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
Here's a list of the Wolverines who have been drafted:
J.J. McCarthy
As the 10th overall pick, J.J. McCarthy was selected by the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday.
Minnesota selected the 21-year-old after a trade between the Vikings and the New York Jets pushed the team from the No. 11 overall spot to No. 10.
"His ball placement and timing need to improve to help mitigate an average operation time due to a windup release," according to McCarthy's NFL Draft profile. "McCarthy doesn't seek to play out of structure but is fairly consistent at making positive plays when it happens and ramps up his focus late in games and on third downs. He is confident and seems to have the ability to take slights and digest it as competitive fuel."
Kris Jenkins
Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins was selected 49th overall in the second round of the draft.
"Jenkins has a smaller frame for his position, but he plays with good strength in one-on-one power swaps. He can neutralize single blocks but has trouble fighting back to muddy his gap against double-teams," read his draft profile. "His motor stays engaged. He's frequently running down ball-carriers and chasing quarterbacks by the end of the play."
Jenkins' father, a four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle, was selected in the second round of the 2001 draft by the Carolina Panthers.
Mike Sainristil
In a back-to-back selection, Michigan cornerback Mike Sainristil was selected by the Washington Commanders in the second round as the 50th overall pick.
Sainristil, who played five seasons with Michigan, won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week in November 2023, starting all 15 games in the season and contributing to the special teams.
He led with 44 tackles and set a single-season record in 2023 with 232 interception return yards.
Junior Colson
Michigan Linebacker Junior Colson will join Jim Harbaugh after being selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the third round (69th overall pick.
He won the Lott IMPACT (Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, Tenacity) Award in 2023 and was named to the second-team All-Big Ten Conference. He started all 15 games and led Michigan with 95 tackles.
"Colson's upper-body strength and body control stand out when battling blocks or finishing tackles. He has adequate sideline-to-sideline range but needs to play with faster recognition to keep from getting trapped by climbing blocks," read his draft profile. "He doesn't play with a trigger-happy, downhill mindset, so he misses out on playmaking opportunities. Colson is a tough guy with good stopping power and can handle himself in coverage."
Blake Corum
Michigan running back will be heading to Los Angeles to play for the Rams after being selected in the third round of the NFL Draft.
Corum, who was selected 83rd overall, dominated in his last season with the Wolverines, starting in all 15 games and leading the team with 258 rushes for 1,245 yards and 27 touchdowns.
"Compact runner with average size, outstanding contact balance and a rare talent for finding and fitting into small crevices for short-yardage conversions and touchdowns," according to his NFL Draft profile. "Corum is a bit of a one-speed runner lacking sizzle and wiggle but gets it downhill with timing and finishes runs with good forward lean. He has the hard-hat mentality to handle heavy workloads and can exploit defenses that fatigue or miss their run fits."
Roman Wilson
Wide receiver Roman Wilson was picked by the Pittsburgh Steelers as the 84th overall pick in the third round.
The sixth Wolverine selected, Wilson led Michigan with 48 catches in the 2023 season, 789 yards and 12 touchdowns. He set a career-high with nine catches and 143 yards in the Nov. 4, 2023, game against Purdue.
Zak Zinter
Michigan guard Zak Zinter was the last Wolverine on Friday to be selected in the NFL Draft.
The Cleveland Browns selected Zinter as the 85th overall pick.
Standing at 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 309 pounds, Zinter was a three-time All-Big Ten selection at Michigan and a two-time CSC Academic All-American.
"Zinter enters the league with NFL size, toughness and technique. He is an average athlete in short spaces but is very capable of climbing to the second level with good angles and making hits on short pulls. He can be stood up and neutralized by two-gapping pluggers but is rarely beaten soundly," according to his draft profile.
