Examining the six Michigan players selected in Rounds 4-7 and who landed the best spot.
The Michigan Wolverines were well represented at the 2024 NFL Draft . 13 Wolverines — a program record — heard their names called across the three-day extravaganza in Detroit and even more were signed after the fact. Of the 13 players selected, six of them were announced on the final day of the proceedings.
Ask anyone affiliated with an NFL team, Day One is where you find your stars, but the latter two days of the NFL Draft are where you build your team. As a refresher, here is how the Day Three Wolverines were selected:
- Round 4 (121) TE AJ Barner – Seattle Seahawks
- Round 5 (172) LG Trevor Keegan – Philadelphia Eagles
- Round 7 (240) LB Michael Barrett – Carolina Panthers
- Round 7 (249) LG LaDarius Henderson – Houston Texans
- Round 7 (252) Edge Jaylen Harrell – Tennessee Titans
- Round 7 (253) WR Cornelius Johnson – Los Angeles Chargers
Let’s examine which of these Wolverines are the most likely to find success at the next level. based on schematic fits, individual skill sets, organizational stability, and a myriad of other factors. In order of most likely to succeed to least, here are the Day Three Wolverines ranked in their new situations.
LG Trevor Keegan – Philadelphia Eagles
Welcome to ‘Stout U!’ Under the guidance of the best offensive line coach in the NFL, Jeff Stoutland, Trevor Keegan’s learning and development have only just begun. Despite being a Day Three pick, Stoutland has shown the ability to develop anyone into an All-Pro level. Most notably, the best center of all time and recently retired Jason Kelce was a sixth-round selection in 2011, and Jordan Mailata — the fourth-highest-paid tackle in the NFL — was a seventh-round selection in 2017. The Eagles would not have drafted Keegan unless Stout saw something in his game that could potentially be developed into an All-Pro caliber player.
TE A.J. Barner – Seattle Seahawks
Tell me a team wants to run the ball without telling me a team wants to run the ball. New Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald will undoubtedly want to implement the physical running style of football that he was exposed to with the Baltimore Ravens and the Wolverines. Although Barner and Macdonald never overlapped in Ann Arbor, Barner’s ability to pick up Michigan’s blocking scheme virtually overnight and dominate as a blocker was enticing for a team looking to establish a culture of physicality.
WR Cornelius Johnson – Los Angeles Chargers
Hello, old friend. With one of the final five picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, new head coach Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers continued to address a position of need. After already selecting Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey in the second round and USC’s Brendan Rice earlier in the seventh, the Chargers dipped once more into the wide receiver (and Michigan) well for Cornelius Johnson. Although he slipped to be one of the final few picks, Johnson brings an understanding of a wide receiver’s expectations within Harbaugh’s scheme where he contributed for the last five years. Johnson will start low on the depth chart, but his familiarity with the offense and willingness to mix it up in the run game will give him an invaluable head start.
Edge Jaylen Harrell – Tennessee Titans
The Titans are looking to rebuild through the trenches and strengthen both their offensive and defensive fronts – hence why the Titans selected two maulers in OT J.C. Latham and DT T’Vondre Sweat with their first two picks of the NFL Draft. After addressing other areas of concern in the middle rounds, Tennessee took a late flyer on Harrell who will have a solid opportunity to make the team. New defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson comes to the Titans after a year with the Ravens and is installing a 3-4 scheme that fits Harrell’s skillset like a glove. It will still be an uphill battle for the seventh-rounder, but landing on a team that has a clear vision for his talents is a great place to start.
LB Michael Barrett – Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a — how to put this delicately — complete and utter embarrassment of an NFL franchise in large part due to owner David Tepper’s leadership and temperament . But despite Tepper’s best efforts to sabotage his own team, new general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales are attempting to salvage the team from the depths of the NFC South. The Panthers had to address a myriad of holes in the NFL Draft and took swings at six different positions, including doubling down on linebacker with Michael Barrett in the seventh round. Carolina is incredibly thin at the linebacker position, and although Barrett has less-than-ideal length, he has a great shot to become a rotational piece for the Panthers who are in desperate need of bodies. At the very least, expect Barrett to become a vital special teams player who has shown a knack for the occasional trick play when called upon. Even if Barrett never becomes a regular for the Panthers, his presence in the locker room alone is a win for a franchise in dire need of a culture change.
LG LaDarius Henderson – Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are quickly becoming Super Bowl contenders and used the 2024 NFL Draft to sure up a few areas of concern — one being the offensive line. The Texans didn’t necessarily need a starter (although we’ll see about right tackle), but did need to bolster depth in case of an injury. In the second round, Houston selected RT Blake Frazier from Notre Dame and used its final pick on LaDarius Henderson with plans of moving him inside to his more natural position of guard. Henderson will enter camp in a dog fight for a special teams role but might have to accept a practice squad designation in his first season as a pro.