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Michigan projected to have best 1st-round performance in 2 decades in way-too-early 2025 mock draft
By Paul Harvey
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Michigan is the current king of the college football world after a 15-0 season, and the Wolverines are coming off a dominant showing in the NFL Draft. Now, the program could be in store for another impressive outing at the draft when 2025 rolls around.
Over the weekend, Jim Harbaugh’s final team in Ann Arbor led the way in Detroit with 13 players selected. Though that number did not match Georgia’s record of 15 players taken in the 2022 Draft, it was the most from a single school in 2024. Texas (11), Washington (10), Alabama (10) and Florida State (10) were the only other programs with double-digit players drafted this year.
How will Michigan follow up that type of 2023 season and 2024 NFL Draft showing? Well, according to Dane Brugler’s way-too-early mock draft for The Athletic, the Wolverines have a shot to produce their best 1st-round showing since 2001.
The last time Michigan produced 3 1st-round picks at the draft came in 2001 when David Terrell, Steve Hutchinson and Jeff Backus were all selected. However, the 2025 draft class has a chance to be even better.
Of that 2001 trio, only Terrell was a top-10 pick at No. 8 overall. In Brugler’s mock draft, he has a pair of Michigan stars coming off the board in the top-5 picks with defensive tackle Mason Graham (No. 3 overall to the New England Patriots) and cornerback Will Johnson (No. 5 to the Las Vegas Raiders).
If that scenario plays out, it would be a bit more history for Michigan. The Wolverines have just 10 top-5 picks in their history, and they have never produced top-5 picks in the same draft. And be sure to use Tradition’s Michigan sports betting apps to track all the odds for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Outlook for the Wolverines
Though Michigan saw 13 players drafted this year, just 1 player came off the board in the 1st round. That was JJ McCarthy, coming off the board at No. 10 overall in a big 1st-round push for quarterbacks.
Next season, that number appears bound to look different. Will Johnson already looks like CB1 for next year’s draft with the former 5-star prospect starring in his first 2 collegiate seasons.
Johnson already has 7 career interceptions, including 1 while guarding Marvin Harrison Jr. in 2023 and another in the CFP National Championship vs. Washington. Barring some crazy injuries or fall off in performance, Johnson should soar on draft boards throughout the pre-draft testing in 2025.
Mason Graham is a prototypical defensive lineman who has been disruptive in the passing and ground game. Graham has 10 TFL and 5.5 sacks in his career, and his nimbleness at 6-foot-3 and 318 pounds is the kind of frame and athleticism NFL teams covet on the interior.
Tight end Colston Loveland is the other player projected to join Johnson and Graham in the 1st round of Brugler’s mock draft. Listed at 6-foot-5 245 pounds, Loveland arguably would have been a high-round selection had he been eligible for the 2024 Draft.
Loveland finished the 2023 season with 649 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns and is a complete TE. Even if his numbers dip a bit alongside a new passer in 2024, his frame and complete package should still test well heading into the 2025 NFL Draft.
It’s also possible other players rise into potential 1st-round picks. Kenneth Grant, a massive defensive tackle at 6-foot-3 and 339 pounds, is another player to particularly watch this fall. He burst onto the scene this past season with 29 tackles, 5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 6 QB hurries, 5 pass deflections and even added an interception against Nebraska.
If Michigan does wind up producing that kind of talent in the NFL Draft, it’s likely the Wolverines will have enough firepower this fall to once again contend in the new-look B1G. Stay tuned.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.