Jake Moody, Brad Robbins Make History
Michigan absolutely killed it in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Mazi Smith got things going when the Dallas Cowboys selected him 26th overall in the first round. Tight end Luke Schoonmaker also went to Dallas when the Cowboys selected him at No. 58 overall in the second round. Next up was DJ Turner, who went to the Cincinnati Bengals just two picks later. In the third round, it was Jake Moody to the San Fransisco 49ers with pick No. 99. In the fifth round the Seattle Seahawks grabbed two Wolverines when they picked Mike Morris at No. 151 and the Olu Oluwatimi three picks later. Brad Robbins will be joining Turner in Cincinnati after the Bengals took him in the sixth round with pick No. 217. Rounding things out were two seventh rounders in Ryan Hayes at No. 238 to the Miami Dolphins and Ronnie Bell at No. 253 to the 49ers.
Obviously Smith is the most noteworthy pick going in the first round, but it was Moody and Robbins who made history. Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the two specialists did something that's only happened one other time in the last 40 years of the NFL Draft.
That's pretty damn cool.
Moody was a bonafide rockstar while at Michigan. The 6-1, 210-pounder is an all-time fan favorite and just happens to be Michigan's all-time leading scorer as well. Clear your schedule, because his list of achievements takes a while to read through.
• Consensus All-American (2021)
• Second-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, AP, AFCA (2022)
• CoSIDA Academic All-District 5 (2021)
• NFF Hampshire Honor Society Member (2023)
• Four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2019, '20, '21, '22)
• Two-time Bakken-Andersen Big Ten Kicker of the Year (2021-22), the first winner in Michigan history
• Two-time All-Big Ten selection (consensus first team, 2022; first team, coaches; third team, media, 2021)
• U-M's first-ever Lou Groza Award winner (2021); a two-time finalist (2022)
• William V. Campbell Trophy Semifinalist (2022)
• In his first game place kicking (Indiana, Nov. 17, 2018), set Michigan records for single-game kick scoring (19 points) and most made field goals in a game (6)
• Set single-season program records for made field goals (29), PATs (60), points scored (147), and 40-plus yard field goals in a season (10); all set in 2022
• Owns career program records for points (355), field goals (69), 40-plus yard field goals (17) and tied-most 50-plus yard field goals (4), PAT percentage (100)
• Three-time Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week: twice outright (Oct. 11, 2021, Nebraska; Oct. 17, 2022, Penn State) and once as a co-recipient (Nov. 19, 2018, Indiana)
• Three-time Lou Groza Award Star of the Week following his 15-point games at Michigan State (Nov. 1, 2021) and against Penn State (Oct. 15, 2022), and a 17-point game against Michigan State (2022)
• Recipient of the 2018 Team Rookie of the Year Award (Special Teams), and the 2021, '22 Specialist of the Year Awards
• Appeared in 60 games as the team's kickoff specialist, handling field goal and PAT duties in 40
• Five-year letterman (2018-19-20-21-22)
If Moody left the program as the most legendary specialist of all time, Robbins isn't far behind. With the bald head and glorious mustache, Robbins too became a fan favorite during his time at U-M. Like Moody, he got a lot done while in Ann Arbor.
• Three-time All-Big Ten honoree (honorable mention, coaches, 2017, 2020-21; media, 2020-21)
• The program's only two-time recipient of the Robert P. Ufer Bequest (2021, '22)
• Finished his career with the No. 2 career punting average (42.0 yards per attempt) and No. 2 single-season average (46.33) in program history; fifth in total punt yards (7,698)
• Has appeared in 44 career games during his career
• Five-year letterman (2017, '19-20-21-22)
• Two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2021, '22)
• Missed the entire 2018 season and the start of 2019 due to an injury
Given what Moody and Robbins did at Michigan, it's not surprising that they're already making waves in the NFL.
