2023 NFL Draft Results: Michigan

 

Mazi Smith is now a Dallas Cowboy

Here are the results of the 2023 NFL Draft for Michigan:

1st round: Mazi Smith - DT - Dallas Cowboys (#26 overall)
2nd round: Luke Schoonmaker - TE - Dallas Cowboys (#58)
2nd round: D.J. Turner II - CB - Cincinnati Bengals (#60)
3rd round: Jake Moody - K - San Francisco 49ers (#99)
5th round: Mike Morris - DE - Seattle Seahawks (#151)
5th round: Olu Oluwatimi - C - Seattle Seahawks (#154)
6th round: Brad Robbins - P - Cincinnati Bengals (#217)
7th round: Ryan Hayes - OT - Miami Dolphins (#238)
7th round: Ronnie Bell - WR - San Francisco 49ers (#253)

CB Gemon Green was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Giants and TE Joel Honigford was signed by the Arizona Cardinals.

Below are some former Wolverines who were drafted or signed as undrafted free agents:

2nd round: Zach Charbonnet - RB - Seattle Seahawks (#52 overall)
UDFA: Chuck Filiaga - OG - New York Giants
UDFA: Hunter Reynolds - S - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The following player, Eric Gray, was committed to Michigan at one point but signed with Tennessee before transferring to Oklahoma:

5th round: Eric Gray - RB - New York Giants (#172)

Jake Guarnera, Wolverine

 

Ponte Vedra Beach (FL) Ponte Vedra offensive lineman Jake Guarnera

Ponte Vedra Beach (FL) Ponte Vedra center Jake Guarnera committed to Michigan on Friday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Florida, Miami, Ole Miss, and Penn State, among others.

I wrote up a full scouting report on Guarnera Friday before his commitment, so feel free to check that out (LINK).

I had been working on an "If I Had My Druthers" post regarding finishing out the offensive line class, but there's only so much time in a day, so I ran out of real estate for getting that posted. I still may complete the post now that Guarnera is in the fold, but . . . he was not particularly high on that list. The amazing thing is that it's not even that he's a bad prospect, but he was low on the list because so many high-quality linemen are interested in Michigan.

Guarnera will have to transition from playing left tackle in high school to playing center (or guard) in college, and it's always difficult to gauge how those moves will go. For example, Reece Atteberry was another tackle who was slated for center, but he does not seem to have gained much traction there and now plays exclusively at guard.

Michigan now has five offensive linemen in the class and will probably try to land a sixth, if not a seventh. Guarnera is the best bet to play center. He is the third lowest ranked commit in the class, ahead of only German native Manuel Beigel and little known Zach Ludwig.

Guarnera would be the first player from Ponte Vedra High to play for Michigan.

Damani Dent, Ex-Wolverine

 

Damani Dent

Redshirt freshman Damani Dent has entered the transfer portal.

Dent spent a chunk of 2022 away from the team and returned late in the year, but he never set foot on the field. The Jacksonville (FL) Terry Parker product was a Jim Harbaugh favorite as part of the recruiting class, but perhaps he did not see a path to playing time. I gave him a TTB Rating of 82 by the spring of 2022 after seeing his senior highlights, but he was a 3-star, the #65 safety, and #778 overall in his recruiting class.

Michigan lost both Dent and R.J. Moten (LINK) from the safety depth chart within a week, so that must mean good things about some of the young safeties on the roster, like Zeke Berry and Keon Sabb. This fall's expected starters are junior Rod Moore and redshirt junior Makari Paige. I recently ranked Dent #132 in the 2023 Season Countdown because I did not expect him to play much this fall (LINK).

Dent is the second member of the class of 2022 to hit the transfer portal, following linebacker Deuce Spurlock (LINK), who transferred to Florida.

James Turner, Wolverine

 

James Turner

Louisville transfer kicker James Turner has committed to Michigan.

Turner was listed at 6'0" and 205 lbs. at Louisville last season, where he made 20/22 field goals and 38/39 extra points during the 2022 season. Before that he was 14/22 on field goal attempts and 46/48 on extra points in 2021, and he went 13/15 on field goals and 40/40 on extra points in 2020. Altogether, that makes him 47/59 on field goals. He has also handled kickoff duties at times.

Turner was a class of 2019 prospect from Saline (MI) Saline who did not get an offer from the Wolverines at the time. Michigan did not sign a kicker in 2019, but they had nabbed Quinn Nordin (2017) and Jake Moody (2018) in back-to-back classes at that point.

Turner should be Michigan's starting placekicker this fall. Redshirt sophomore Tommy Doman has not been used much so far in his career, but he will probably fill in at punter for the departed Brad Robbins and perhaps on kickoff duties. Meanwhile, the placekicking duties will likely be a battle between Turner and incoming freshman Adam Samaha, with Novi (MI) Catholic Central walk-on product Charlie Mentzer also in the mix.

This is the first player to commit to Michigan in the spring portal window, but Michigan landed several players right after the season, including TE A.J. Barner, LB Ernest Hausmann, OL La'Darius Henderson, OL Chris Hinton, OL Drake Nugent, DE Josaiah Stewart, and QB Jack Tuttle

Scouting Report: 2024 C Jake Guarnera

 

Jake Guarnera (image via Ponte Vedra Recorder)

Name: Jake Guarnera
High school: Ponte Vedra Beach (FL) Ponte Vedra
Height: 6’4"
Weight: 290 lbs.
Position: Center
Class: 2024
Offers: Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Boston College, Coastal Carolina, Duke, East Carolina, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, Tennessee, Troy, UCF, USF, Virginia, Wake Forest, Wisconsin
Commitment: Uncommitted

Notes: ESPN 3-star, #16 OG, #65 in FL . . . On3 3-star, #30 IOL, #61 in FL . . . Rivals 3-star, #18 OG, #74 in FL . . . 247 Sports 3-star, #25 IOL, #54 in FL . . . Father Jim Guarnera played defensive line at Rutgers

Hit the jump for more.

2023 NFL Draft Preview: Michigan

 

D.J. Turner II is fast!

NOTE: This was posted on touch-the-banner.com prior to the draft, but I didn't migrate it over here to Blogger until after the draft concluded. 

With the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft coming up on Thursday night, here's a look at how things might play out for several former Wolverines:

CB D.J. Turner II: Turner wowed people at the Combine by running a 4.26 in the forty, which seems to have launched him from maybe a mid-round pick to the lower end of the 1st round. Personally, I do not view him as a 1st round talent and I do not think he's physical enough at 5'11" and 178 lbs. to play up to those expectations. But it sure seems like a lot of people are convinced he's going to go in the mid- to late 20s on Thursday night.
Prediction: 1st round

DT Mazi Smith: Smith was the #1 freak on Bruce Feldman's "Freaks List" last year, but that athleticism wasn't enough to turn him into a surefire 1st round selection in 2023. In fact, some early optimism about being a high 1st round pick has fizzled to the point where many think he's a 2nd rounder. At 6'3" and 323 lbs., he has good size but isn't an outlier in that area. I think he could slip into the last few picks of the 1st round, but more likely he'll have to wait until Friday.
Prediction: 2nd round

Hit the jump for more.

Jerod Smith, Wolverine

 

Jerod Smith (left, image via Twitter)

Cheshire (CT) Cheshire Academy defensive lineman Jerod Smith committed to Michigan on Tuesday evening. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame, and Texas, among others.

Smith is listed at 6'3" and 265 lbs. As a junior at Windsor (CT) Loomis Chaffee, he made 63 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 1 interception. He has a twin brother named Jacob, who is a defensive end prospect being pursued by an almost identical list of schools, including Michigan.

RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 82 grade, #9 DT, #169 overall
On3: 3-star, 88 grade, #50 DL
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #23 SDE
247 Sports: 4-star, 90 grade, #30 DL, #270 overall

Hit the jump for more.