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Michigan’s Josh Uche impressing at Senior Bowl practice

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

It’s been a good week for former Michigan linebacker Josh Uche. With a chance to improve his draft stock during Senior Bowl practice, the ex-Wolverine defender is taking full advantage of the opportunity.

Uche was labeled as one of the “Day 2 winners” at Senior Bowl practice this week, showing off his skill and versatility throughout practice. Not only did he demonstrate the ability to get to the quarterback regularly, he was also really solid in coverage, shutting down Purdue tight end Brycen Hopkins in a one-on-one drill.

Yahoo Sports says that Uche is really turning some heads this week.

From Yahoo Sports:

“There’s still a debate to be had about what a team will do with Uche, who is a pass rusher in a sawed-off frame at 6-1 and 241 pounds. But it’s clear that Uche has pass-rush ability that shouldn’t be wasted because he doesn’t fit an ideal protoype. Uche had a fantastic practice Wednesday, racking up wins all day. He has great twitch and wiggle, and great upfield quickness to stress bigger tackles. Every time I looked up, Uche was in the backfield.

“That’s not all he does. Uche also opened eyes in coverage, blanketing Purdue TE Brycen Hopkins on one impressive one-on-one rep. It’s unclear if Uche will have quite the three-down versatility of players such as Patriots LB Jamie Collins or Saints LB Demario Davis, but I’ve been impressed with his bag of tricks. There aren’t too many Robert Mathis-sized full-time pass rushers who have made it, so maybe Uche can win the way Yannick Ngakoue does. The way he is showing out, I may have to rethink my overall evaluation of Uche.”

Uche finished his final season at Michigan with 11.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. He tallied a total of 35 stops and also broke up two passes. The Wolverines finished 9-4.

There’s still some question has to how Uche would be utilized in the NFL, but with his versatility, he’ll surely find a spot somewhere in the league.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB