Seahawks Taking Close Look at Michigan Prospects at NFL Combine
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Hired by Jim Harbaugh to fix a struggling Michigan defense in 2021, new Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald only spent one season in Ann Arbor as the defensive coordinator before returning to the Baltimore Ravens in the same role.
But while Macdonald bolted town quickly and his stay with the Wolverines was ever so brief, his impact on the program endured following his departure, culminating with a National Championship victory over Washington in January. The Massachusetts native transformed Michigan's defense from one of the worst in the Big Ten into a fearsome top-10 unit seemingly overnight, overhauling everything from scheme to culture on that side of the football.
After allowing 34.5 points per game in 2020, which ranked a dreadful 95th out of 128 FBS schools, Michigan cut that average in half in Macdonald's lone season, vaulting to eighth in the nation in scoring defense. As a result, the Wolverines advanced to the college football playoff for the first time, and though they lost to eventual champion Georgia in the Orange Bowl, the seeds were planted for future success.
Though he only coached one year at Michigan, Mike Macdonald's influence carried over the past two years as Kris Jenkins (#94), Junior Colson (#25), and others starred for the nation's best defense.
Speaking with media at the 2024 NFL Combine on Wednesday, standout defensive tackle Kris Jenkins credited Macdonald for building the foundation of Michigan's defensive dominance, as the program ranked sixth and first in scoring defense in the past two seasons running the same defensive scheme under Jesse Minter.
"He was very important. He was the one who instilled that defensive mindset that we had, he kicked it off," Jenkins said of Macdonald. "The swarm, be disruptive, be violent, be quick, play fast, and play as a unit. That was the biggest game changer we had playing as a unit and we embraced that identity and that's when we started to take the [idea] of team more seriously, buy in more seriously. He's a great coach."
While Macdonald didn't travel to the Circle City for the combine and instead stayed back in Seattle to work with his new staff preparing for offseason workouts in early April, the Seahawks have unsurprisingly taken great interest in several of his former players from Michigan. After winning the National Championship, the Wolverines have a record 18 players who received invites to the event, including Jenkins, the son of former Panthers star Kris Jenkins.
Built with a lean 305-pound frame, Jenkins played an integral role in Michigan's defensive dominance in the trenches. Away from contributing 2.5 sacks last season, Pro Football Focus credited him with 20 quarterback pressures and 23 run stops, ranking 16th in the latter category among defensive tackles at the FBS level while earning Second-Team All-Big Ten honors and Second-Team All-American distinction from the Football Writers Association of America.
With veteran Leonard Williams scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent, Seattle has held formal interviews with multiple players at the position thus far, scoping out potential replacement options for the defensive line. Among those, Jenkins met with the team on Tuesday, and he isn't the only ex-Wolverine who played for Macdonald to speak with general manager John Schneider and the player personnel staff this week.
Earning starter snaps as a true freshman in Macdonald's defense, linebacker Junior Colson helped key Michigan's rapid improvement in 2021, racking up 60 tackles and two pass breakups. Growing into one of the country's best all-around linebackers over the past two seasons, he tallied 196 tackles and eight tackles for loss roaming the middle of the defense, garnering All-Big Ten honors twice and opting to forgo his final season of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft.
From Colson's perspective, he wouldn't have been able to leave school early without Macdonald's tutelage and confidence in him, which paved the way for his immense success as a sophomore and junior at Michigan. Acknowledging he had met with the Seahawks in a formal interview earlier this week, he made sure to mention how his former coach influenced his development and how much he has grown since then.
"I love that man," Colson smiled. "When I came to Michigan, I was a blank slate, so for him to be able to mold me into the player I am and trusting me with defense, especially as a freshman, was phenomenal."
While Colson and Jenkins stood out as stars on a loaded defense, they are far from the only talented Michigan defenders set to showcase their talents in Indianapolis. Cornerbacks Mike Sainristil and Josh Wallace, defensive linemen Braiden McGregor and Jaylen Harrell, and linebacker Mike Barrett also made the trip looking to bolster their NFL stock.
Sainristil and Wallace won't speak with media until Thursday, while McGregor, Harrell, and Barrett didn't mention formal interviews with Seattle this week. But with Wallace being the lone exception, the other four players all saw action playing for Macdonald three years ago in reserve roles, setting the stage for them to be key contributors for the National Championship squad.
Given that previous relationship at Michigan, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Seahawks exit this week having interviewed all of those players who suited up for Macdonald in Ann Arbor and even the one who didn't. As evidenced on Wednesday, Harrell and others who played for him then expect him to thrive in his new position and would love the opportunity to link up with him again in the Pacific Northwest.
"Coach Mac is very smart, very intelligent, he's going to dial things up and put his players in the best position to succeed. He's a real big players' coach and he's going to listen to what the players think. That defense and that team he's coach of now, they'll be ready to roll and have a great time."
