Michigan Wolverines Top NFL Draft Prospects for 2013 and Beyond

16 Denard Robinson, QB/WR/ATH, Senior  5’11” 195 pounds

Robinson is a supremely talented athlete who is one of very, very few people to throw for over 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in consecutive seasons. That is an absolutely incredible feat and if he stays healthy in 2012, he’s going to likely do it again. In my opinion, Robinson’s NFL future is not at the quarterback position unless he shows significant progress in his passing this season. He threw far too many interceptions last year, and really struggled with accuracy. Still, Robinson is capable of making great throws at times, but I think in the NFL, he is going to transition to the receiver position, where guys like Josh Cribbs and Antwan Randle-El have paved the way in previous years. He has incredible speed and elusiveness in the open field. Robinson will take steps as Michigan’s leader in 2012, and should be a Heisman Trophy finalist as a senior. When he gets to the NFL, some team will take a chance on him in the second or third round and use him in a variety of ways as a receiver, runner, return man, and quarterback. This is a unique talent who can be a very valuable asset to a football team depending on his willingness to play other positions. I am not sure he has a future at QB, but a future in the NFL is not even in question.

28 Fitzgerald Toussaint, RB, Junior  5’10” 195 pounds

Toward the end of last year, there were not many better running backs in college football than Michigan’s Fitzgerald Toussaint, who had four 100 yard games in the Wolverines’ last six contests. At the end of the Big Ten regular season, Toussaint was virtually unstoppable and was instrumental in Michigan’s wins over Illinois, Ohio State, and Nebraska, games which they scored 31 or more points.

The junior tailback stands at 5’10″ 195-200 pounds, and is blazing fast in the open field. He will kind of lull you to sleep at times, because he’s really not much of a powerful back nor does he appear to be able to get extra yardage a lot of the time after initial contact, but he is an excellent speedster who can hit a hole and head for daylight if you give him even the slightest window.

I think he’s poised to break out in 2012. Not a lot of people are talking about Michigan as a serious title contender right now, but they could very well be the best team in the Big Ten, and they really return a lot of good, experienced, talented players from a roster that looked just awesome at the end of last season when they won four straight games and finished the season with a thrilling Sugar Bowl victory over Virginia Tech, not a bad team in their own right.

Toussaint will be a key piece of the Michigan offense, obviously. He battled two injury plagued seasons to start his career before finally showing out as a sophomore, and now he’s primed for a bigger role. I think with Denard Robinson’s growth in the new offense being installed at Michigan over the last couple of years, I think Toussaint will be more involved in the passing game as well as more of a focal point in the running game. There will still be games where Robinson leads the team in rushing, but for the most part, I think Toussaint is going to be the workhorse and will be one of the best backs in the Big Ten, certainly one of the most exciting to watch.

21 Roy Roundtree, Wide Receiver, Senior  6’0″ 178 pounds

Roy Roundtree will wear the legendary number 21 for Michigan this season, where he is expected to be the team’s top receiver. He doesn’t have great size and really fell off the map after a sophomore season in which he had 72 receptions (f0llowed up by 19 as a junior) but he has a chance to be one of the top playmakers on Michigan’s roster. He is going to need to show scouts that he still has that playmaking ability he displayed two years ago if he wants to get picked in the mid-late rounds, which I believe he can do. Michigan didn’t have a receiver with even 700 yards last year, but they only completed 142 passes with Denard Robinson under center. They still won’t have a traditional passing offense this season, but Roundtree needs to capitalize on his limited opportunities.

77 Taylor Lewan, Offensive Tackle, Junior  6’7″ 302 pounds

All year long, Taylor Lewan of Michigan is going to get Jake Long comparisons–tattoos and all.

Lewan is considered the number two overall offensive tackle prospect by ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr., and ESPN’s Big Ten crew put together a very nice piece on Lewan and how he has grown so much as a leader this last couple of years.

Here is ESPN Big Ten blogger Brian Bennett’s final word on Lewan in his article:

“A focused Lewan could stake a claim as the best lineman in the Big Ten in 2012. And that’s no joke.”

The best offensive lineman in the Big Ten is usually not just picked in the first round, but it’s common for that player to be picked within the first 15 selections every year. If Lewan winds up being one of the top two or three offensive tackles in college football this year, I see no reason why he won’t be a top 15 pick in the draft.

NFL Draft Scout has Lewan rated as the top overall tackle for the class of 2014, and at 6’7″ he still has some growing to do in his current 302 pound frame. Kiper cites Lewan’s length and athletic ability as reasons why he will be a top OT prospect, and if he can add about 15-20 more pounds of muscle to his frame, he could be an absolute beast and the comparisons to Jake Long certainly won’t stop.

Michigan has a lot of studs returning in 2012, so they are expected to be a very good team and potentially a national title contender with Denard Robinson as a potential Heisman candidate as well. They will be getting some major national exposure and Lewan could emerge not just as the top OT prospect but as one of the best players in the country overall.

88 Craig Roh, Defensive End, Senior  6’4″ 269 pounds

Roh returns for his senior seasons as one of the best defensive end prospects in the entire country. He has excellent size for a base defensive end and is consistently improving in his pass rush repertoire. He had 32 total tackles last year with eight tackles for loss, four sacks, and a forced fumble. Plays with decent leverage but doesn’t have elite quickness or power. Uses his arms well and is able to read direction of plays. Versatile player who has played outside linebacker and defensive end for the Wolverines, and he has started 38 consecutive games for Michigan. Academic All-Big Ten last season and a smart player off the field. Really turns his motor up in obvious passing situations, and can play both weak and strong-side end. Has the potential to also stand up and play in a 3-4 alignment as an outside linebacker.

73 William Campbell, DT, Senior  6’5″ 322 pounds

Campbell was charged with felony malicious damage of property when he slid across someone’s car. This is a relatively minor obstruction of justice, but it is one nonetheless. It’s ridiculous sometimes the amount of pressure on college athletes, and while some are seriously boneheads and do dumb things that get them kicked off teams, this seems relatively harmless, though a 322 pound man did serious damage to a truly unsuspecting vehicle. Michigan is hoping Campbell can emerge as the team’s starting nose tackle, which he is expected to do, and thrive in that role. He has a massive frame like some previous Michigan nose tackle prospects like Gabe Watson and Alan Branch, but there are virtually no expectations surrounding him in terms of the draft community at this point. He was a reserve last season and is relatively inexperienced overall, but he has high upside if he can break out this year.

25 Kenny Demens, ILB, RS Senior  6’1″ 248 pounds

Demens has great size for a linebacker, and is the returning leading tackler for the Wolverines. He has been very productive for Michigan, racking up 82 tackles as a sophomore and 94 tackles last year as a junior. Last season, he also had five tackles for loss, three sacks, two passes broken up, and a forced fumble. He is really growing into his role as the leader of the Michigan defense, and is making plays all over the field. Voted Honorable Mention All-Big Ten as a junior and should continue to improve as a thumper in the middle. His size allows him to be scheme versatile.

8 J.T. Floyd, CB, Senior  6’0″ 185 pounds

Floyd has solid size for a cornerback and had 48 tackles in 2011 with two interceptions and a team-leading eight passes broken up. Doesn’t always take great angles in the run game and plays a lot of off-man/zone coverage. Suffered an ankle injury two years ago but was an honorable mention All-Conference performer as a junior. One of the leaders of the Michigan secondary. Makes good plays on the ball but doesn’t have elite speed. Might transition to nickel defensive back in the NFL or play a hybrid safety/rover position.

32 Jordan Kovacs, Safety, Senior  5’11” 197 pounds

Kovacs is probably my favorite overall prospect on Michigan’s roster. He is a former walk-on who has done nothing but produce ever since he got to Michigan. Last season, he was second on the team with 75 tackles and he had an interception, eight tackles for loss, four sacks, and two forced fumbles. He is also an All-Conference performer in the classroom and a leader of the Michigan defense. Had 116 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss as a sophomore, and is one of the top overall safeties in his class. He might not be a high pick in the draft, but he is going to come in and produce in a variety of ways for an NFL team. He has good size for a safety, or at least average size, and good athletic ability. He will work harder than most people on the team, and coaches will love him.