Former Indiana wide receiver Donaven McCulley has committed to Michigan.
McCulley is a 6'5", 200 lb. player who started his career at quarterback in 2021 before switching to wide receiver for the past three seasons. He was just the third true freshman quarterback to start a game for Indiana, completing 35/82 passes for 475 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions in 2021; he also ran 64 times for 135 yards and 2 scores. He caught 18 passes for 184 yards and 1 touchdown in 2022 and then made 48 catches for 644 yards and 6 touchdowns as a junior in 2023.
McCulley entered the transfer portal following the 2023 season and had interest in Michigan, but he was convinced to return to Indiana with new head coach Curt Cignetti coming to Bloomington. Unfortunately for McCulley, Cignetti brought some of his own transfers from JMU, who ended up winning out and leaving McCulley mostly on the bench. He caught just 2 passes for 21 yards while playing in four games. If he had continued to play beyond four games, he would have lost the ability to play in 2025 and presumably finished his college career as a backup for the Hoosiers. Instead, he announced he would enter the transfer portal after four games, which allows him to play one more year.
Michigan needs help at the receiver position with top receiver Tyler Morris entering the portal and not much size on the roster. The "big" target on the squad is 6'3", 182 lb. Amorion Walker, who was injured for much of the 2024 season, so McCulley immediately becomes the biggest target for incoming freshman Bryce Underwood and whoever else Michigan can land in the portal.
McCulley is the third transfer to come from Indiana to Michigan in recent years, joining TE A.J. Barner and QB Jack Tuttle, both of whom joined the Wolverines prior to the 2023 national championship season.
A part of the class of 2021, McCulley was a 4-star, the #24 quarterback, and #223 overall in the class of 2021.
Can he still play QB?
ReplyDeleteSeems too tall for WR. Most WRs are not this tall. More likely to be successful if he was closer to the prototypical 5'10-6'3 range.
Shhhh nobody tell Sherrone I said this.
About what was to be expected. Our RunFirstRunOften, SMASH offense isn't going to attract the most elite, but Moore added size without compromising Hands, Agility or Speed. He's an upgrade in a low output room, having more Catches, Yards & TDs in his all-Conference 2o23 season than everyone else in our WR coprs has in their entire careers
ReplyDeleteGet two more and we should have a playmaker between the three
There are reasons why McCulley sat the bench at Indiana. As his height is an asset, it's logical to assume there are other limitations. I haven't watched him closely enough to assess his game but below is one review that covers exactly the issues.
DeleteThis reflects my argument elsewhere, that if your pros are your height and you aren't an elite talent like Julio Jones or Randy Moss or DJ Metcal or (name your preferred big WR) then you probably have some substantial limitations in your game. The inverse is true if you are lacking in height and producing, you probably are making up for it with great skill (like Amon St Brown) and or speed (like Tyreek Hill).
In McCulley's case the issue does not seem to be hands (which is very good) but it does seem to be a lack of explosiveness and route running (which is bad). His height is good but it comes with tradeoffs.
In other words -- Moore added size while compromising skill.
It is not really very clear at all if McCulley will be an upgrade relative to Morris for example. We'll see. To some extent it depends on how he is used. Michigan has not really been a jump-ball throwing type of offense since the Denard days. Most people know that those are low probability strategies and high turnover risk, so a lot of teams (especially ball control emphasizing teams) don't like to do it -- even if they have guys who can win more than their fare share like Nico Collins.
https://www.thedraftnetwork.com/2024/06/14/donaven-mcculley-scouting-report-nfl-draft
Strengths:
Elite catch radius
Prototypical X-receiver build
High-point specialist
Reliable hands-catcher
Concerns:
Limited route tree
Consistent separation
Raw (only two years at WR)
Explosiveness early in reps
Lank, yes but unfortunately, he offers something that none of our other WRs do plus those concerns apply to basically all of our WRs so at least with McCulley we are getting the height and hands.
Delete@ Lank 1:50 p.m.
DeleteThis is just one of those things where I go, "Yeah...and?" I don't really understand the point.
I think we can all agree that Donaven McCulley is not Julio Jones, a guy who was an elite recruit and got drafted in the 1st round of his junior year.
What he does do is he offers size and hands for a team that didn't have that combo in any individual player aside from tight ends.
You're famous for saying "trust the coaches" but you ignore a huge number of coaches who value size. College teams and NFL teams look for size to help out their receiving corps. It's rare that a team is happy running a bunch of 5'11" guys out on the field. A lot of teams have one of their top 2-3 guys (maybe not #1, sure) who has a decent frame. The Lions signed Tim Patrick to go along with St. Brown and Jameson Williams. The Bengals have Chase and the 6'4" Tee Higgins. The Texans have Nico Collins with Dell and the (now injured) Diggs.
Either the coaches are right and being tall-ish is helpful, or wide receiver size doesn't matter and the coaches are wrong. Either way it goes, you're going to end up wrong in some way.
(NOTE: Nobody is saying a 6'4" guy with zero skills is better than a 5'10" guy with tremendous skills.)
If mcculley's "weakness" is route running & separation, it's a strength relative to the 2o24 group, substantiated by getting open to make more catches for more yards ... if his "weaknesses" is explosiveness, it's a strength relative to the 2o24 group, substantiated by the bigger plays, including TDs over 4o yards (we got ZERO from our current corps)
DeleteThis is why I've been asking for a year now regarding our "playmakers:" compared to what?
Well, compared to a guy playing for Indiana's 3win team, what we had was lacking a great deal. That makes this pickup part of an upgrade that is desparately needed
*I'd post Tyler Morris & Peyton OLeary Draft Network reviews, but they haven't been good enough to earn one
We do have Portal ratings though. McCulley is not elite but rated the #37WR &188 Overall, right about what was expected for a RunFirstRunOften SMASH offense
https://www.on3.com/db/donaven-mcculley-37977/
Meanwhile, Tyler Morris is #95WR & 556 Overall. He's likely to stay, because there is not much Demand
https://www.on3.com/db/tyler-morris-117881/
@Thunder
DeleteThe "yeah and" is that there are limitations and tradeoffs here. Nobody is saying the difference is "zero skills" vs "tremendous skils" but if you focus on size you are going to get qualifying comments like "good speed FOR HIS SIZE" that make that tradeoff clear.
All that matters is the results. If Michigan is able to leverage McCully's size -- great! It worked. Historically, they have NOT really had success with big jump ball targets who have below average speed or receiving skills. There is widespread recognition that jumpballs are generally a bad idea, a low probability proposition -- Harbaugh avoided them almost completely.
I would say Devin Gardner is probably the best example of success of such a player and there are definitely different perspectives on Gardner as a WR. I think he sucked, but he played a role and got some yards under Hoke.
-------------------------
I never said Trust All Coaches. Nor did I say Trust All Coaches on all things.
I said Trust Coaches in the context of depth chart decisions of Michigan coaches. I was critical of Harbaugh for some things and Hoke for other things -- like focusing on size at WR.
Now I'm being critical of Moore for the same thing.
-------------------------------------
Being tall-ish is helpful but coaches shouldn't seek it out. That's my opinion. I'm well aware that some do.
The Lions are not a good argument. They were content to have a WR corps whose top 3 were 5'8, 6'1, and (generously) 6'0 going into 2024. They let 6'3 Josh Reynolds walk away prior to 2024 just like they let 6'3 DJ Chark walk away prior to 2023. They have produced one of the best offenses in football with that group. Their TEs are tall and that's enough. Patrick has emerged into the rotation as a proven veteran, but he was not targeted specifically to add size to the roster. He was a practice squad signing, one of several at WR. He is also 5th on the team in receiving yards, barely ahead of David Montgomery.
The lions have been cycling through multiple guys on the practice squad to fill out depth. They absolutely have NOT emphasized size in building up their WR room. One example of that is who they are drafting. Since 2020 the WRs they have drafted have been 6'1, 6'1, 5'11, and 6'0.
Tall WRs exist! Some of them are really good! Nobody is arguing this.
It's also true that short WRs exist and some of them are really good. Pointing out one does not really make a good argument for superiority over the other. Since you can't prove that tall>short or short>tall it follows that emphasizing height probably isn't a smart thing to do -- even if some coaches do it.
@jelly
DeleteIf your bar is O'Leary -- yeah I'm going to agree that McCully is an upgrade relative to a walk-on. Just like the Fresno State QB is an upgrade over our walk-on QB.
I don't think that's the bar. The bar for me is closer to Roman Wilson, Cornelius Johnson, and Ronnie Bell. Michigan has had NFL caliber WRs consistently despite not putting up big counting stats.
We have tall guys who lack other skills already on the roster. Walker is fast even. Adding height just to add height isn't moving the needle. It has to be something more. If McCully has great hands that is a needle mover.
We don't agree on Morris. If he stays, which I hope is true, I think he'll be WR1 again. I think he's a good route runner and I think he played as much as he did in 2023 and 2024 because he's a good WR.
McCulley could be a nice complement and brings a different skillset. Different, not necessarily better. I do agree with Thunder that different skillsets in the WR group can be helpful. I just don't think height is an important "skill".
What trade-off? Did MICHIGAN lose a specific quality in acquiring McCulley? As far as we can tell, he's superior to every WR we had. Not just in stats either, but even his PFF score screams "upgrade"
DeleteWho said McCulley is only there for jumpballs? Did Coach Moore even mention such a thing?
If we're trusting the coaches in the context of Depth Charts only, I bet it's safe to assume - barring injury of course - that McCulley just leapt ahead of the WR room
Short WRs do exist! And some are good, great & elite. Not in the 2o24 MICHIGAN WR room though. Coach Moore is addressing that, and ADDING size
*doubting the integrity of the Lions players' Height just days after arguing in favor of online listed Heights is wild
#generously
@Lank 1145AM
DeleteOLeary & Morris are the only Draft eligible WRs we had this year Lank; I think you know this, but are trying to talk around Draft sites ignoring them
You ignore that I compared him to Morris too, while switching to Roman Wilson, who left a year ago ... that's not a trade-off. Implying so is misleading at best
As for Morris, do you have 4o times? Shuttle times? The speed probably favors McCulley, if only slightly, but still. The route running should be in favor of Morris - a HS WR - but the stats don't show that. McCulley was able to produce far more in one season than Morris did in his career ... Moore got us an upgrade in every way measurable
@ Lank 11:28 a.m.
DeleteThis is a lot of discussion about what will/won't work with McCulley, but we've already seen him do it. This isn't a projection based on high school film or FCS film like C.J. Charleston. McCulley has already been the leading receiver for a (bad) Big Ten team. He had 48 catches for 644 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2023. That included 137 yards against a solid Illinois defense and 96 yards against a very good Penn State defense in 2023.
If Michigan can't make it work with McCulley, it's not because of McCulley's lack of skills. We already have proof that he has the hands, size, speed, and capability to be fairly successful in this league.
This is a free agent signing of a veteran NFL (okay, NCAA) wide receiver. We know what he is. We're all going to be surprised if he gains 1,200 yards and scores 15 touchdowns, but we should also be surprised if he catches 5 passes for 50 yards (barring injury).
@jelllly
DeleteI'm not talking around draft sites. That's your fantasy. I am telling you that McCulley is better than a walk-on, who you brought up. It is not surprising that a walk-on is not listed on draft sites. What are you talking about? Stop dreaming up new fantasies every day.
If your point is that McCulley is better than Morris because he is on draft radars and Morris isn't - OK. That's a valid argument, if that's what you are saying. It doesn't affect my opinion very much nor do I care very much but I understand your point.
Both comparisons are being made above. To O'Leary - a walk-on - is inconsequential. To Morris - Michigan's #1 WR last year - it is relevant. We don't agree there. To Wilson - Michigan's #1 WR in 2023 is also relevant.
---------------------------------
On Morris vs Mcculley
McCully was able to produce, mostly in 1 game against Illinois, on a limited scale at Indiana when he didn't have much competition. When he did - he was benched.
Morris played a key role when he was the #3 WR behind 2 guys drafted to the NFL. When he ascended to #1 WR the following year......his QBs were absolute garbage and the passing attack was woeful. I maintain that's on Campbell, Warren, Orji, and Tuttle -- NOT on the WRs. Other folks disagree. That's fine. These are opinons.
Morris was a highly ranked WR recruit. And he beat out a bunch of other highly ranked WR recruits for playing. He seems like a good player to me and he made some plays. I like him and think he was underutilized. A star? Probably not. An NFL draft pick? We haven't seen enough to think yes. But he has proven he can make plays and he has spent 3 years beating out a lot of other talented players for opportunities so that means something to me.
I hope McCulley is an upgrade but I'm not convinced. He has more production by about double -- but Morris was playing on playoff contending teams in 22 and 23 so had a small role. McCulley was on a playoff contending team in 24 and got benched. So I dunno -- very different circumstances.
Do you have any proof that route running is better for McCulley than Morris. That hands are? We're just supposed to assumed because McCulley put up a big game against Illinois in 2023 as WR1 on a 3-9 Indiana team that he's better "in every way"? I don't think so!
CJ Charleston had 500 yards and 4 TDs in 2023 -- doesn't mean he's better in "every way measureable" than Michigan's returning WRs in 2023. Context matters. You can't just compare stats head to head and call it no contest.
It's subjective right now. Let's get them both on the 25 roster and maybe we can answer this question pretty directly.
@Thunder
Delete"If Michigan can't make it work with McCulley, it's not because of McCulley's lack of skill"
I don't agree with you Thunder. I think McCulley's lack of skill may have contributed to why it didn't work with Cignetti.
Sometimes mediocre players put up respectable stats on bad teams. Roy Roundtree had a 935 yard season with 7 TDs on the 2010 team and 580 yards on the 2012 team. I don't think very highly of his WR skills despite "proof" that he can play, he wasn't that fast or good at getting open or good at winning contested balls.
I agree McCulley will catch more than 5 passes for 50 yards. That's really totally beside the point. Amarion Walker can do that. Payton OLeary can do that. Who cares.
The point is that Michigan CHOSE to target a guy, because he is tall, even though he is a guy who doesn't have a particularly impressive resume. They could have made a different choice. But they chose to prioritize a guy who does NOT have great speed and has been called out for route running and ability to get open -- which seemed to play out against OSU and Michigan in 2023 and overall in 2024.
There is some reason this guy who is "proven" was benched in favor of a 5'9 WR and a 5'11 WR and a 6'2 WR at Indiana.
"*doubting the integrity of the Lions players' Height just days after arguing in favor of online listed Heights is wild"
DeleteSt Brown has been listed at 5'11 other places and was under 6' at the combine.
https://www.nfl.com/prospects/amon-ra-st-brown/32005354-4241-5291-a564-57e98d35161d
Another LIE you are caught in in this quote. All I argued is the McNamara and Davis have the same list height -- and both are equally dubious. Both are dubious, like I said.
Calling out your BS jellly. HOLD IT UP
@Blue in NCDecember 18, 2024 at 4:05 PM
DeleteYes I mean the WR room needs to add players no doubt. The issue is are we settling for a guy who seemingly lacks in WR skills, because he is tall.
I'm not mad we got McCulley I'm concerned that Sherrone Moore once again is demonstrating poor judgement in his strategy. My baseline expectation is not the 2023 WR room.
McCulley is taking up a slot on the roster, using up NIL money, etc. It's not purely additive because there are many other options on the table.
I can make a case that Mikey Keene is an upgrade at QB over the guys we have and that's probably true, but it's also OK to be disappointed that who we got is well below the expectation for a Michigan caliber starter.
something off the table because that recruit is taking up a spot, using a scholarship, etc.
We are CHOOSING to take a guy who got benched by Indiana as a junior. We do not have unlimited roster space so anyone we bring in is taking someone elses place.
McCulley could be a great addition, but he's not one I personally am very excited about because his best trait seems to be height and height isn't very import for being a good WR. Having good hands is far more interesting and enticing. I hope it works!
19 Dec at 5:35PM
DeleteFantasy? On 18 Dec at 1:5oPM, YOU brought up a draft site ... unless that was one of your other usernames? Lemme check ... nope, it was you!
I countered that neither of our draft eligible WRs were good enough to even have a profile, then compared McCulley to Morris Portal rankings, and then McCulley to all of our WR stats (even one season v Career)
Lank's Draft site: McCulley > 2o24 non-playmakers
Portal: McCulley > 2o24 non-playmakers
Stats: McCulley > 2o24 non-playmakers
B1G Honors: McCulley > 2o24 non-playmakers
This looks like an upgrade, by every (available) standard
Key role? Catching passes in less than half our games, for under 2oo yards and ONE touchdown isn't very key Lank, at least not in this comparison
Morris made one play - an RPS+2 when coaches matched him against a LB. Nothing outside of garbage time besides that, and even then nothing memorable ... you're going to HS recruiting rankings because there's nothing more at the college level to point to, while McCulley earned all-Conference honors
YOU are the one insisting there was a tradeoff for size. Do YOU have any proof? I too am in wait & see mode, but point to YOUR draft site, portal rating & PFF score as indicators of an upgrade. If that's not enough, he was #3 in conference in contested catches and has SIX games with +5o yards, while Morris has ONE ... an objective upgrade, but YMMV if you're a feelings guy
Comparing CJ Charleston (FCS YoungstownSt) to a WR who produced in our conference and Division is stuff made of ... fantasy
*LMAO: "we are settling for a guy who seemingly lacks in WR skills, because he is tall" ... the Draft site YOU shared disagrees with this claim ... hahahahahaha, not even YOU agree with you
19 Dec 5:59PM
"all you did" is carry on about Jaydyn Davis height for over a week ... be honest Lank
How did I lie?
Ah, "every accusation is a confession" ... I gotcha. Might be time for another username change
@ Lank 5:46 p.m.
DeleteWait a minute...Roy Roundtree got a chance in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals. That type of thing was seen as confirmation that Wilton Speight was a good quarterback. If you don't think highly of Roundtree's WR skills, does that also mean you don't think highly of Speight's QB skills? This is confusing and contradictory.
McCulley has produced at the Big Ten level. And no, not just against Illinois. You ignored my comment above. 4 catches for 96 yards and 1 touchdown against #13 Penn State, which has had a good defense for several years, is nothing to scoff at.
Also, would it be a huge surprise to think that a guy who was a QB early in his career might take two or three years to improve at his new position? The end of the 2023 season saw his production increase (28 catches, 420 yards, 5 TDs in his final five games).
You can also look at his PFF scores and see that he graded out at 76.5 for the year, which is a pretty solid grade. (Tyler Morris graded out at 60.8 for the 2024 season, and Fredrick Moore was the highest graded WR at 62.4.)
I know you don't like tall receivers, but the numbers are the numbers.
Waking contradiction ... Roundtree/Speight shot at the League only matters if it supports the narrative of the day
DeletePFF, stats, portal rating, draft potential ... data gets in the way of feelings
@Thunder
DeleteThat's a valid point -- I have a lower opinion of Roundtree as a WR than Speight as a QB, but their NFL careers seem to be the same (1 camp invite and then cut. the end.) So perhaps I shouldn't. -- It's fair to say they are both competent/solid but unexceptional college players.
Maybe Roundtree's a bad example but I stand by the point that sometimes mediocre/bad players put up stats on bad teams and good players don't put up stats on good teams. Kalell Mullings could have been a 1000 yard rusher if he was on Indiana instead of Michigan in 2023. Cade McNamara couldn't have put up a 140 passer rating in 2021 if he wasn't surrounded by NFL talent all around him. Context matters and in McCulley's case he was on a terrible team that gave him a lot of opportunities.
I also think you have a valid point that McCulley could be a guy to take time to develop. The increase in production from the first to the second half of the season supports this in 2023. Unfortunately, getting benched in 2024 undermines that argument.
I like tall receivers! Braylon was awesome. Nico Collins was awesome. Colston Loveland was a WR for us about half the time -- he was awesome too. DJ Metcalf is my second favorite WR to watch right now (after ASB).
What I don't like is WRs who lack WR skills -- a lot of times those guys tend to be tall (e.g., Gardner, Stonum, most Hoke recruits). If a WR can ball and he happens to be tall that's a nice bonus to have. If he's tall and he can't ball, there is no point. What I see is a pattern where some coaches get enticed by size but ignore a lack of skills. Seen it so many times that it has made me skeptical of any player who is tall because in that instance they are going to either be a 5 star if they have the skills or they are going to be something lower and not have the skills. Sometimes they can develop them, most of the time they don't.
---------------------------
As for PFF grades - can we compare apples to apples for McCulley and Morris? What are their 2023 scores?
In 2024 McCulley was benched so I'm guess it wasn't good and Morris was functionally benched by an inept passing offense.
Bottomline on McCulley is that it seems like you are pretending like 2024 never happened. That doesn't make sense to me. The 2023 season was not so impressive that you can ignore everything that happened after it.
I give Morris a pass for 2024 season. I know he did this: https://x.com/PFF_College/status/1741963480465322004
That's against the NFL-level secondary of Alabama. I don't know if McCulley has ever done anything as impressive or important in his career. It's just one play -- but Morris saw a whole lot of playing time on a national champion and generally did well with limited opportunities in 2024.
I genuinely don't know who the better college player is. IMO, it could go either way.
So if the team sucks, it HELPS McCulley produce ... but if the team sucks, that HURTS Morris production
Delete#walkingcomtradiction
@jellly
DeleteMcCulley is the 43rd ranked WR in the Portal per 247. We know he is tall so he checks that box. Why is he ranked so low down?
Morris is unranked by 247 in the portal at this point. Seems like they haven't gotten around to him? Not enough tape to judge?
As a recruit Morris was the #18 WR and #104 player nationally. McCulley was not ranked as a WR but was the #223 player nationally.
On On3 they give Morris an 86 ranking (3 star) and McCulley an 88 ranking (3 star). So that source is agreeing with you but not by much and definitely within the margin of error.
I stand by my take that it is not clear that McCulley is an upgrade over Morris. He is taller though! If you discount height (as I do) then it seems like Morris might be the more skilled WR.
Proof will be in what they do in 2025. It could go either way right now, IMO.
@jelly
DeleteNice try jelly but we all know you aren't built for this.
Michigan 2024 offense threw 1600 yards on <300 attempts. The #1 TE had more catches than the 3 top WRs combined. The team passing rating was 111.
Indiana 2023 offense threw for >2500 yards on >350 attempts. The top 5 leaders on yards were ALL WRs. The team passing rating was 128.
Indiana's 2024 offense that benched McCulley threw for >3000 yards on 327 attempts with a passer rating of 179.
Different contexts. Different conclusions.
2 bad offenses but - Morris wasn't thrown to in 2024. McCulley was in 2023.
2 good offenses but - Morris played a lot in 2023. McCulley was benched in 2024.