Michigan’s accomplished the unprecedented feat of placing first-round picks in every draft this season

For the first time ever, a school had players selected in the first round of every draft. Of course, that school was Michigan:

A viral tweet during Monday’s MLB Draft confirmed what all fans of the Michigan Wolverines have known for years: we have it good. When Mitch Voit was selected by the New York Mets with their (competitive balance tax spending-adjusted first-round pick), the Wolverines officially became the first ever athletic department to have a player selected in the first round of all five major drafts in a single season.

There is probably not much else that needs to be said – the tweet tells the story, and it sure is a fun one. But since it is the middle of July with not a ton going on in the world of college athletics, how about a quick, three-pronged, minimal-analysis breakdown of this feat??

Michigan recruits well, develops better

Take a look at where the players who made up this group were before coming to Ann Arbor. Mason Graham, Colston Loveland, and Kenneth Grant were all outside the top 200 of their recruiting class, yet were taken within the top 15 picks of the draft. Danny Wolf was an unranked prospect who did get some love in the transfer portal, but was far from a guaranteed first-rounder.

Will Horcoff was a solid member of the USNTDP, but he was not widely expected to sneak into the first round. His surprise arrival mid-season likely played a role, as he logged 10 points across the back half of the 2024-25 season. Though the formally two-way Voit was a high-school standout, no Michigan baseball player is ever a given to go high in the MLB Draft. Meanwhile, Jason Bucknor was a late riser who became just the fourth ever Wolverine to go in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft.

Michigan makes good pros

No need to spend too much time going over Michigan alumni tearing up the NFL; Aidan Hutchinson was on his way to hardware before his injury, Nico Collins is turning into a star, and Rashan Gary continues to perform, just to name a few. The NBA is full of Wolverines as well, including recent new contracts for Caris LeVert, Duncan Robnsinon, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Isaiah Livers, with Jordan Poole on the move, too.

The NHL boasts plenty of maize-and-blue talent like Quinn Hughes, Zach Werenski, and Kyle Connor, who all made this season’s All-Star Teams. And while baseball and soccer do not have a huge Michigan presences, at least Jake Cronenworth keeps on sticking around San Diego, owning a 121 wRC+ through 71 games with the Padres thus far.

Michigan has multiple eggs in multiple baskets

Michigan will always be a “football school,” though is arguably one of only three schools to be a blue blood in two of the four big sports (with Texas and USC ranking among baseball’s best in addition to football). Add in Michigan’s basketball resume — which includes eight Sweet Sixteens, four Elite Eights, and two NCAA Championship Game appearances in just the past 15 years — and 2019 College World Series Runner-Up performance and there really is no weak spot.

So while this unique achievement is pretty cool on its own, maybe it should not be all that surprising that Michigan was the first to do it. The Wolverines are great at getting talent and making it better, and are highly successful in multiple sports. Who knows what the House Settlement and ever-changing NIL landscape might bring, but whatever the circumstances may be, Michigan is sure to be a major factor through them all.