Poll results: Which Michigan player(s) will get drafted in the 2015 NFL Draft?

Frank Clark

Several days ago, I asked which Michigan players would get drafted. Here are the results of the poll:

Devin Funchess: 95%
Funchess went in the 2nd round (#41 overall) to the Carolina Panthers.

Jake Ryan: 93%
Ryan went in the 4th round (#129 overall) to the Green Bay Packers.

Frank Clark: 67%
Clark went in the 2nd round (#63 overall) to the Seattle Seahawks.

Devin Gardner: 11%
Gardner signed an undrafted free agent deal as a wide receiver with the New England Patriots.

Raymon Taylor: 1%
Taylor went undrafted and has not signed with an NFL team.

Other: 1%
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Notes on a few other guys:

- Defensive end Brennen Beyer signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Baltimore Ravens.

- Outside linebacker Josh Furman, who played safety at Michigan before transferring to Oklahoma State for his fifth year, was drafted in the 7th round (#252 overall) by the Denver Broncos.

- Cornerback Delonte Hollowell signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Detroit Lions.

- Running back Thomas Rawls, who played his senior season at Central Michigan, signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Seattle Seahawks.

2015 NFL Draft Results: Big Ten

Brandon Scherff was the first Big Ten player taken. He went #5 to the Washington Redskins.

For those of you interested in how the Big Ten is doing in the NFL Draft, here's a rundown of all the Big Ten prospects taken. Ohio State led the conference with five draft selections, while Michigan State and Minnesota had four each.

ILLINOIS

INDIANA
3rd: Tevin Coleman - RB - Indiana

IOWA
1st: Brandon Scherff - OG - Redskins
3rd: Carl Davis - DT - Ravens
4th: Andrew Donnal - OT - Rams*

MARYLAND
5th: Stefon Diggs - WR - Vikings*
6th: Darius Kilgo - DT - Broncos

MICHIGAN
2nd: Devin Funchess - WR - Panthers*
2nd: Frank Clark - DE - Seahawks*
4th: Jake Ryan - LB - Packers*
7th: Josh Furman - LB - Broncos*#

MICHIGAN STATE
1st: Trae Waynes - CB - Vikings
4th: Jeremy Langford - RB - Bears
5th: Tony Lippett - WR - Dolphins
5th: Keith Mumphery - WR - Texans

MINNESOTA
2nd: Maxx Williams - TE - Ravens
4th: Damien Wilson - LB - Cowboys
5th: David Cobb - RB - Titans
5th: Cedric Thompson - FS - Dolphins

NEBRASKA
2nd: Ameer Abdullah - RB - Lions*
2nd: Randy Gregory - OLB - Cowboys
5th: Kenny Bell - WR - Buccaneers

NORTHWESTERN
4th: Ibraheim Campbell - SS - Browns
7th: Trevor Siemian - QB - Broncos

OHIO STATE
2nd: Devin Smith - WR - Jets*
3rd: Jeff Heuerman - TE - Broncos*
4th: Doran Grant - CB - Steelers*
6th: Michael Bennett - DT - Jaguars*
6th: Evan Spencer - WR - Redskins

PENN STATE
2nd: Donovan Smith - OT - Buccaneers
5th: Adrian Amos - FS - Bears
5th: Jesse James - TE - Steelers

PURDUE
5th: Ryan Russell - DE - Cowboys

RUTGERS
3rd: Tyler Kroft - TE - Bengals
5th: Michael Burton - FB - Lions

WISCONSIN
1st: Melvin Gordon - RB - Chargers*
2nd: Rob Havenstein - OT - Rams

#Played his fifth year at Oklahoma State
*Offered by Michigan

Comparing the Recruiting Sites: Star Ratings for 2015 First Round NFL Draft Picks

Marcus Mariota

Questions often get raised about which recruiting site is the most accurate. There might be many ways to calculate, and some of them are beyond the scope of this here blog. But one way to analyze recruiting rankings is by looking at the star ratings of each first round draft pick, which I have done below. Each of the four recruiting sites was mined, although admittedly, 247 Sports is at a bit of a disadvantage since they are the newest site; fifth year seniors were not evaluated by 247 Sports coming out of high school.

1. Jameis Winston - QB - Florida State (Buccaneers)
ESPN: 4
Rivals: 5
Scout: 5
247 Sports: 4

2. Marcus Mariota - QB - Oregon (Titans)
ESPN: 2
Rivals: 3
Scout: 3
247 Sports: 4

3. Dante Fowler, Jr. - OLB/DE - Florida (Jaguars)
ESPN: 4
Rivals: 5
Scout: 5
247 Sports: 5

Hit the jump for the star ratings of the other 29 first-rounders.

2015 Mock NFL Draft Results

The first round of the 2015 NFL Draft took place last night. It was a brisk one, starting at 8:00 p.m. and finishing at approximately 11:30 p.m. I posted a mock draft on Thursday morning just to see how I would stack up against Mel Kiper, Mike Mayock, etc. Unfortunately, I don't have an ESPN Insider account, so I can't see Kiper's picks. For reference, here's the draft tracker (LINK).

Scoring:

• 2 points for correct team and player
• 1 point for correct team
• 1 point for correct player

Peter King's mock draft (LINK):

• Correct team and player: Winston, Mariota, Waynes, Shelton
• Correct team: Armstead
• Correct player: None
• Total points: 9

Mike Mayock's mock draft (LINK):

• Correct team and player: Winston, Mariota, Fowler, Cooper, Shelton, Humphries
• Correct team: Armstead
• Correct player: None
• Total points: 13

Touch the Banner's mock draft (LINK):

• Correct team and player: Winston, Mariota, Fowler, Cooper, White, Shelton, Agholor, Jones
• Correct team: Armstead
• Correct player: None
• Total points: 17

So there you have it, folks. Yours truly is the source  for mock NFL drafts. Tell your friends and neighbors.

I'm just kidding, of course. I mean, those guys do this job full-time, and all I do is read mock drafts, watch television shows, and put together my own scenario of how I think things will go down. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

2015 Mock NFL Draft

Former Michigan commit Jake Fisher could go late in the first round

I won't claim to be an NFL expert, but as a big college and pro football fan, I like to take my shot at an NFL mock draft and see how I stack up against Mel Kiper, Todd McShay, Mike Mayock, and the like. So here's my 2015 mock NFL Draft. If any trades are announced before the beginning of the draft, I reserve the right to make some changes. Otherwise, I'm guessing roughly 27 of these picks will be 100% accurate.

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Jameis Winston - QB - Florida State
I don't like the idea of spending a #1 pick on someone with such character concerns, but it looks like that's the direction the Bucs will go.

2. Tennessee:
Marcus Mariota - QB - Oregon
There seems to be a good chance that someone trades into this spot to take Mariota. I think it's probably too high to take Mariota, but teams get desperate when looking for a quarterback.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars: 
Dante Fowler - OLB - Florida
Jacksonville went after a quarterback last year, so now it's time to shore up the pass rush.

4. Oakland Raiders:
Amari Cooper - WR - Alabama
Oakland is in need of a receiving threat. When's the last time they had a consistent wide receiver threat?

5. Washington Redskins:
Leonard Williams - DE - USC
Williams is a little bit inconsistent, so he would fit in well with the 'Skins.

Hit the jump for picks 6-32.

2015 NFL Draft Preview: Michigan

Devin Funchess will likely be the first Michigan player selected in this year's NFL Draft

As the NFL Draft approaches on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, we are bound to see a couple Michigan players' names called. From 2009-2014, Michigan has been going back and forth between having two and three players drafted (LINK). If that trend continues, just two of these players will be selected. Linked to each player's name is their senior profile, in which I detail some of their workout numbers and a projection.

Devin Funchess, WR: Funchess is the one guy who might sniff the first round, but it would take a leap of faith by a daring team. A wide receiver with a tight end body, he has never been a plus blocker despite being much taller and heavier than the corners and safeties he has faced. When Michigan actually played him at tight end during his freshman and sophomore seasons, he was downright terrible as a blocker. However, he is large and fairly fast and has a 38.5" vertical. I would not advise a team to take him as a tight end because he doesn't have the blocking chops, but he's a guy who can be a mismatch problem for a team that likes to be creative and use multiple tight ends.
My wild guess: 2nd round (#44 overall) to the New Orleans Saints.
Other good fits: Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, New England Patriots

Hit the jump for a rundown of Michigan's other draft-eligible players.

Devin Funchess declared for the NFL Draft

This was Devin Funchess's one impressive game in 2014

Michigan tight end/wide receiver Devin Funchess declared for the NFL Draft on Tuesday afternoon. Coincidentally, this morning I left him out of a projected 2015 depth chart (LINK) because I figured he would be out of the picture. The 6'5", 230 lb. true junior led the Wolverines this season with 62 catches for 733 yards and 4 touchdowns playing wide receiver full-time. He was voted Second Team All-Big Ten this year by conference coaches.

As a sophomore in 2013, he split time between tight end and wide receiver, ending the year with 47 catches for 727 yards and 6 touchdowns. He thought that was good enough to warrant asking for the #1 jersey, which is kinda sorta given to players who will honor the jersey with their leadership and play on the field; Brady Hoke agreed to give it to him prior to the 2014 season.

Aside from an outstanding performance in the 2014 season opener against Appalachian State (3 touchdown receptions), Funchess was mostly a disappointment. His production slipped because of a mediocre offensive line and a struggling quarterback, but also because Funchess looked like he was going about 75% for most of the season. After spraining an ankle against Notre Dame in week two, he missed the next game against Miami. I've suspected for a while that he didn't want to go 100% because he was saving himself for the draft, and that's exactly what appears to have occurred. Funchess had numerous dropped passes, would not risk his body to make anything other than routine catches, and rarely attempted to break tackles despite being about 6" taller and 35-40 lbs. heavier than most defensive backs trying to bring him down.

At one point Funchess was projected to be a 1st round pick, and he still might be. His size and speed are tantalizing. I recently saw him projected as a #26 overall pick. The Detroit Lions took a similar player in the 1st round in 2014, Eric Ebron out of North Carolina. I would hope that NFL scouts and coaches look at Funchess's inconsistency and lack of effort in 2014 as a warning sign, but you never know.

I cannot say that I wish Funchess professional success beyond college. I am indifferent to his success. He was moved away from tight end because he was unwilling to block, and he took the #1 jersey physically but not in spirit. Head coach Brady Hoke stated that he didn't name captains until the end of 2014 because he thought the 2013 squad had too much of a sense of entitlement, but entitlement seemed apparent in Funchess. Maybe that's a product of the leadership Hoke mentioned from last year. Regardless, I have very little respect for players who don't put forth maximum effort, especially on such a regular basis.