After a title-winning season in 2023, the Michigan football program fell backward in 2024 to an 8-5 record, though it included upset wins over Ohio State and Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Despite the disappointing season, the Wolverines will see a handful of players go in the first few rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Many of the players who contributed to the team’s 2023 national championship are eligible for this week’s NFL draft. A few should be called in the first round, with a projected top-10 pick for a second straight year after quarterback J.J. McCarthy was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings at No. 10 last year.
Here’s a quick guide on the Michigan players likely to be taken in the 2025 draft, along with some who could hear their name called late or sign on as an undrafted free agent.
Mason Graham, DT
The first-team All-American and Outland Trophy winner is projected as a top-6 pick by many outlets, including the latest mock draft of our very own Detroit Free Press NFL expert Dave Birkett. PFF listed Graham as the highest-rated defensive tackle in college football in 2024, as he started a combined 25 games for the Wolverines in 2023-24.
Multiple mock drafts see Graham going fifth overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are in need of help on their defensive line. The Jaguars ranked 28th in sacks and 24th in opponent rushing yards per game in 2024, and Graham is someone who can immediately help the team improve in both respects.
Colston Loveland, TE
The junior tight end from Idaho set the Michigan school record for catches in a season by a tight end (56) despite playing in only 10 games due to a shoulder injury. He made first-team All-Big Ten in 2023 after playing in all 15 games for the title-winning Wolverines.
A few mock drafts think the Indianapolis Colts will take Loveland with the 14th overall pick. The Colts could use some pass-catching help from their tight ends, as the team didn’t have a single player at that position record at least 200 receiving yards in 2024. Loveland more than doubled that total in only seven starts in 2024.
Will Johnson, CB
Some mock drafts have the speedy cornerback Johnson going ahead of Loveland, while some have him going after. Either way, Johnson is a likely first-round pick, which would give the Wolverines three first-round picks in the 2025 draft (the school’s most since 2001).
Johnson set the Michigan record for interceptions returned for touchdowns in a career (four) while also being named the MVP of the 2024 CFP championship game against Washington. Many rank Johnson as the second-best defensive back in the draft, behind two-way star Travis Hunter.
Potential landing spots for Johnson include going to the New Orleans Saints with the ninth overall pick, as the Saints need the help after trading cornerback Marshon Lattimore in 2024. Our mock draft as him going No. 13 to the Miami Dolphins, with Jalen Ramsey on the trade block.
Kenneth Grant, DT
Not satisfied with projecting just three first-round selections from Michigan, some experts see a fourth in tackle Kenneth Grant. If Grant (or any other Wolverine) were selected as the fourth Michigan player in the first round, it would mark the first time in school history more than three Wolverines were selected in the first round of a single NFL draft.
The record for most first-round picks from a single school is six, an achievement shared by Alabama in 2021 and Miami (Florida) in 2004.
Grant, the third-team All-American defensive lineman recorded 32 tackles in 12 game for the Wolverines last season. The Ringer recently projected he will go in the first round to the Detroit Lions, who can pair him with star rusher (and former Wolverine) Aidan Hutchinson in 2025.
Josaiah Stewart, EDGE
Stewart, a Bronx native, and second-team All-Big Ten defender led the Wolverines with 13 tackles for loss and 8½ sacks in 2024. The senior transfer from Coastal Carolina was also named a captain midway through the season and served as a defensive leader for the Wolverines.
Many draft analysts see him as an undersized NFL prospect, but Mel Kiper Jr. recently listed him as the eighth-best outside linebacker available in the draft. That could make him a fit for the Cincinnati Bengals, or even the Lions in Round 2 at Pick 60.
William Wagner, LS
It might be a long shot at the draft for Michigan’s long snapper, but ESPN’s draft analyst Jordan Reed ranks Wagner as the second-best long snapper in the class, behind West Virginia’s Austin Brinkman.
Long snappers aren’t usually selected in the NFL draft, but it has happened before. Two were selected in 2021, including former Michigan snapper Cameron Cheesman, who spent three seasons with the Washington Commanders.
Other notables
Running backs Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards are both draft eligible, with some outlets placing Mullings as a late-round possibility. Fifth-year senior safety Makari Page could also get a look, while teams might take a chance at the 6-foot-7 offensive tackle Myles Hinton, who started 10 games at left tackle for the Wolverines in 2024.
You can reach Christian at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: NFL draft: Michigan players who could be picked in 2025
After a title-winning season in 2023, the Michigan football program fell backward in 2024 to an 8-5 record, though it included upset wins over Ohio State and Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Despite the disappointing season, the Wolverines will see a handful of players go in the first few rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Many of the players who contributed to the team’s 2023 national championship are eligible for this week’s NFL draft. A few should be called in the first round, with a projected top-10 pick for a second straight year after quarterback J.J. McCarthy was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings at No. 10 last year.
Here’s a quick guide on the Michigan players likely to be taken in the 2025 draft, along with some who could hear their name called late or sign on as an undrafted free agent.
Mason Graham, DT
The first-team All-American and Outland Trophy winner is projected as a top-6 pick by many outlets, including the latest mock draft of our very own Detroit Free Press NFL expert Dave Birkett. PFF listed Graham as the highest-rated defensive tackle in college football in 2024, as he started a combined 25 games for the Wolverines in 2023-24.
Multiple mock drafts see Graham going fifth overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are in need of help on their defensive line. The Jaguars ranked 28th in sacks and 24th in opponent rushing yards per game in 2024, and Graham is someone who can immediately help the team improve in both respects.
Colston Loveland, TE
The junior tight end from Idaho set the Michigan school record for catches in a season by a tight end (56) despite playing in only 10 games due to a shoulder injury. He made first-team All-Big Ten in 2023 after playing in all 15 games for the title-winning Wolverines.
A few mock drafts think the Indianapolis Colts will take Loveland with the 14th overall pick. The Colts could use some pass-catching help from their tight ends, as the team didn’t have a single player at that position record at least 200 receiving yards in 2024. Loveland more than doubled that total in only seven starts in 2024.
Will Johnson, CB
Some mock drafts have the speedy cornerback Johnson going ahead of Loveland, while some have him going after. Either way, Johnson is a likely first-round pick, which would give the Wolverines three first-round picks in the 2025 draft (the school’s most since 2001).
Johnson set the Michigan record for interceptions returned for touchdowns in a career (four) while also being named the MVP of the 2024 CFP championship game against Washington. Many rank Johnson as the second-best defensive back in the draft, behind two-way star Travis Hunter.
Potential landing spots for Johnson include going to the New Orleans Saints with the ninth overall pick, as the Saints need the help after trading cornerback Marshon Lattimore in 2024. Our mock draft as him going No. 13 to the Miami Dolphins, with Jalen Ramsey on the trade block.
Kenneth Grant, DT
Not satisfied with projecting just three first-round selections from Michigan, some experts see a fourth in tackle Kenneth Grant. If Grant (or any other Wolverine) were selected as the fourth Michigan player in the first round, it would mark the first time in school history more than three Wolverines were selected in the first round of a single NFL draft.
The record for most first-round picks from a single school is six, an achievement shared by Alabama in 2021 and Miami (Florida) in 2004.
Grant, the third-team All-American defensive lineman recorded 32 tackles in 12 game for the Wolverines last season. The Ringer recently projected he will go in the first round to the Detroit Lions, who can pair him with star rusher (and former Wolverine) Aidan Hutchinson in 2025.
Josaiah Stewart, EDGE
Stewart, a Bronx native, and second-team All-Big Ten defender led the Wolverines with 13 tackles for loss and 8½ sacks in 2024. The senior transfer from Coastal Carolina was also named a captain midway through the season and served as a defensive leader for the Wolverines.
Many draft analysts see him as an undersized NFL prospect, but Mel Kiper Jr. recently listed him as the eighth-best outside linebacker available in the draft. That could make him a fit for the Cincinnati Bengals, or even the Lions in Round 2 at Pick 60.
William Wagner, LS
It might be a long shot at the draft for Michigan’s long snapper, but ESPN’s draft analyst Jordan Reed ranks Wagner as the second-best long snapper in the class, behind West Virginia’s Austin Brinkman.
Long snappers aren’t usually selected in the NFL draft, but it has happened before. Two were selected in 2021, including former Michigan snapper Cameron Cheesman, who spent three seasons with the Washington Commanders.
Other notables
Running backs Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards are both draft eligible, with some outlets placing Mullings as a late-round possibility. Fifth-year senior safety Makari Page could also get a look, while teams might take a chance at the 6-foot-7 offensive tackle Myles Hinton, who started 10 games at left tackle for the Wolverines in 2024.
You can reach Christian at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: NFL draft: Michigan players who could be picked in 2025
