Roundtable: Who would go No. 2 in a Michigan-specific draft?
We had a little fun recently when we asked you, the fans, who you think would be the most desirable player in a Michigan-only draft, with more 190 responses so far. Our staff each took a stab at it too.
Michael Spath: When I evaluate this question, I look at what has consistently been the most important positions in football during my lifetime – quarterbacks and pass rushers.
While Tom Brady is the GOAT, he wasn’t so at Michigan. He was a very capable quarterback and probably should have been the full-time guy for each of his two seasons instead of sharing snaps with Drew Henson, but if we’re being honest, Michigan hasn’t had a QB worth going No. 2 overall in at least the 40 years I’ve been alive.
My pick is, perhaps, a surprise, but I would choose Brandon Graham, the most dominant defensive lineman I’ve witnessed in 18 years professionally covering the team.
Graham is one of only two Wolverines in school history with three seasons of 8 sacks or more (8.5, 10.0, 10.5), joining Mark Messner (1985-88). He and Messner are the only two players in program history with two seasons of 20 tackles for loss or more, Graham putting up 20 in 2008 and 26.0 in 2009.
While players like LaMarr Woodley, David Bowens, James Hall, Glen Steele and Mike Hammerstein had singularly great seasons, only Messner was as consistently overwhelming as Graham for an entire career. And you could make the argument for either going No. 2 behind Woodson.
I give Graham the nod only because I witnessed his brilliance firsthand.
Steve Deace: As the old man here now, I’m going way old school and way before my time. All the way back to “Old 98” Tom Harmon, arguably the greatest college football player pre-WWII. Or at least in the same conversation as Red Grange and Bronco Nagurski.
Harmon was the rare transcendent athlete before television and mass media. From the cover of Life Magazine, to a movie about his exploits, and Michigan’s lone Heisman Trophy winner for a half century, Harmon remains to this day one of the most iconic players ever to wear the winged helmet.
Eric Rutter: Dominant left tackles are difficult to come by, so I’m grabbing Jake Long to shore up the offensive line. While in college, Long helped keep the pocket clean for Chad Henne en route to back-to-back All-Big 10 and All-American teams in 2006 and 2007. Long also helped open up holes for Mike Hart, who is perhaps the best Michigan running back of the past two decades.
Finding talented, disciplined lineman is difficult to accomplish in college, and Long certainly qualifies there, in addition to bringing an element of leadership to the table. Long served as a co-captain during his junior and senior seasons before going No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft in 2008.
Given his dominance, consistency and pure blocking ability, my team would snag Long to help solidify the O-Line for years to come.
Brandon Brown: I’m finding it really tough to decide who I would take.
On one hand, Tyrone Wheatley is probably my all-time favorite Wolverine, and he’s arguably Michigan’s best home-run threat of all time out of the backfield. You could build an offense around him and be pretty happy with the results no matter the scheme or era of football.
On the other hand, I would love to take Desmond Howard for some of the same reasons. He obviously won the Heisman and was basically un-guardable as a wide receiver. He was a massive weapon in the return game and, like Wheatley, was also a home-run threat from various spots on the field.
Even though I’m massive fans of both of those players, and think you could do a lot with them, I’m actually going to go with Denard Robinson. In all of my years of watching Michigan football, there hasn’t been a more exciting player. He can simply change the game in one play, and if we’re talking about today’s offenses, he’s perfect.
If I’m drafting a team, and can build it how I want, I’m taking Shoelace.
