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Jake Butt’s long wait ends with first pick of fifth round
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Jake Butt waited, waited then he waited some more. Finally, the former Michigan tight end has an NFL home.
With the first pick of the fifth round, the Denver Broncos drafted Butt at No. 145 overall.
We were holding our breath these last few picks hoping to get Michigan TE Jake Butt. A top-notch TE we're fortunate to select in the 5th.
— John Elway (@johnelway) April 29, 2017
Butt’s slide was obviously a result of his torn anterior cruciate ligament in the Orange Bowl. Healthy, the Mackey Award winner was projected as a possible late first-round pick. That was where Butt was projected to come off the board if he left Michigan after his junior season.
Instead, Butt returned for his senior year and never had a thought about sitting out the Orange Bowl. Fortunately, Butt did put an insurance plan in place after his injury.
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Butt was due $150,000 after not being selected in the first three rounds. He received $10,000 for every pick after that he wasn’t selected. That gave him an extra $393,000, and a total of $543,000.
$2.8 million: Approximate cost to Jake Butt, in money lost, from his Orange Bowl injury, including money he will get from insurance.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 29, 2017
The All-American tight end set that his timeframe could bring him back as early as July. In all likelihood, Butt will be brought back slowly from his second ACL tear.
Butt became Michigan’s 10th player drafted. The Wolverines already set a program draft record in the seven-round era, and with three rounds left, they’ll be in position to chase Ohio State’s record of 14 draftees in 2004.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.