Way Too Early Predictions: Michigan's Top 10 Players In 2020
This is a prediction for who the 10 best will be throughout the 2020 season, not who are the best right now.
Jr. DE Aidan Hutchinson: Among returning players, Hutchinson had more "impact" plays than any other defender (defined as anything other than a tackle) with 18: 10 tackles for loss, six pass breakups and two forced fumbles. He's versatile, playing inside on both run and pass plays, and while he lacks the explosiveness of a true edge rusher, he makes up for it with strength, instincts and great hand work.
A likely future captain, Hutchinson could double his sack (four) and TFL (10) numbers from this season, in 2020.
So. WR Giles Jackson: I'm extremely high on Jackson as an offensive jackknife in the same vein as the way Purdue used Rondale Moore in 2018. Moore averaged 11.0 yards per reception, scored 12 times, and had 10.1 yards per carry on 21 rushing attempts. He was the Boilermakers' most dangerous weapon, and I could see Jackson, who had four catches for 57 yards in the bowl game, including a 40-yard completion on a wheel route out of the backfield, being utilized similarly.
So. S Daxton Hill: It was a freshman season of highs and lows for Hill, but he came out better for it, and his combination of speed and athleticism provides Michigan something it has rarely had at the safety position - a coverman that can stay stride for stride with any wide receiver, and a potential playmaking centerfielder.
Teamed up with senior Brad Hawkins, this could be the best safety duo of the Jim Harbaugh era.
Sr. WR Nico Collins: If chatter is correct and Collins returns for his senior season then what a season it could be with the proper strong-armed QB throwing to him. Collins is a deep threat and player that can be better utilized in the red zone. He probably still won't put up gaudy numbers, but he could become just the 10th Wolverine in school history to average better than 20.0 yards per catch and the 12th receiver to catch 10 or more touchdowns in a single campaign.
R-So. Cam McGrone: Like Hill (and more consistently), McGrone showed flashes of brilliance in his first season a starter. He also had a few hiccups, including lapses in coverage, and for a player with his dazzling athletic ability, to have four games with three tackles or less as a starter proves he needs to adjust when offenses key on him. But, the skill set is as dynamic as his predecessor, Devin Bush Jr., with an ability to go sideline to sideline and attack the offensive backfield with ferocious speed.
McGrone is capable of competing for the Butkus Award (honoring the nation's top linebacker) if he takes a step forward in 2020.
R-So. QB Joe Milton: You have to go with one of the likely starting quarterbacks and my money is on Milton for a few reasons A) his arm is second-to-none (perhaps in the Big Ten) and he's not afraid to use it B) with his size, he's probably more durable in the read-option game than Dylan McCaffrey C) when he signed, scuttlebutt among the coaches was that they believed Milton was a future Heisman winner (and there was no such talk when other QBs signed).
Michigan is desperate for its program-changing quarterback, hoping either Milton or McCaffrey is it. I like McCaffrey and would be fine with him being the starter, but I think Milton has greater untapped talent and greater promise.
R-So. RT Jalen Mayfield: Week by week, as I watched the film, I loved what I saw out of Mayfield. He looks unassuming but he's a true right tackle that loves to punish defenders in the running game and with his footspeed and quickness, he can get to the second level, block down field, lead screen protections, and - as we witnessed against Ohio State's Chase Young - block high-end pass rushers.
Senior Cesar Ruiz belongs on this list too if he returns for another year, but one way or another, you should see Mayfield take over as U-M's best offensive lineman.
Sr. DE Kwity Paye: Putting up 6.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss this past year, Paye still has something left to give. What that translates into numbers I'm not sure, but it wouldn't surprise me if Paye had a Taco Charlton-like 10-sack senior season. What stands in his way (and that of Hutchinson) is Paye is asked to do so much more than pin his ears back and go get the quarterback. But his ability to play the run, leverage his edge, and slide inside in certain packages is also what makes him valuable.
Sr. CB Ambry Thomas: One could argue that at some point in October and definitely in November, Thomas actually leapfrogged Lavert Hill as Michigan's top cornerback. Not as handsy as Hill (and thus prone to fewer pass interference and holding penalties), Thomas has top-flight speed that he uses to stay step-for-step with an outside receiver. He's also shown strong football smarts, understanding scheme and how to defend crossing routes. And he's not afraid to make a tackle, racking up 38, including three for loss, in 2019.
R-So. RB Hassan Haskins: If Michigan is to take another step forward offensively, it needs more consistency and more home runs from its running backs. Haskins provided more of the latter than sophomore Zach Charbonnet, with a team-leading seven rushes of 20 yards or more in 2019. It remains to be seen if he can add a more consistent presence than Charbonnet, though, as the two jockeyed back and forth as U-M's leading rusher this year: Charbonnet was the top performer in seven games, Haskins in five.
It's likely the two will continue to work in tandem, and we'll see what returning senior Chris Evans or freshman Blake Corum can offer, but Haskins, who spent much of his first year at Michigan playing linebacker, has the potential for exponential growth and more big plays in him than Charbonnet.
