Through it all, the NFL’s top known draft pick at Michigan Football has been halted.
On Wednesday, quarterback Tom Brady, a famous draft no. 199th overall in 2000, coming in sixth against the New England Patriots, retired for the time being (and last, he insists) time.
Brady, the 308th Wolverine, was decided by all time in the draft; that overall increases to 412, a streak that stretches from receiver Matt Patanelli, No. 85 overall in 1937 (the year of the time of the draft) until offensive lineman Andrew Stueber, No. 245th overall in 2022, and includes 3 No. 1 picks overall – and is expected to expand to Kansas City, Missouri, in April. There are also 118 Wolverines to make the NFL after being drafted (including six who made the impression in a game in 2022).
23 AND I? The biggest No. 23 in Lions history still plays. . . in the Super Bowl
In total, 414 Wolverines have played in the NFL (at least according to Pro Football Reference data); In honor of Brady, affectionately known as GOAT (the greatest of all time), as well as a pair of Wolverines who will face off at Super Bowl 57 next Sunday, here’s a look at Michigan’s most sensible NFL player in each and every fashion style. position:
Brady is the decision you know, however, the offensive line picks are ridiculous, with Jeff Backus, Jumbo Elliott, Reggie McKenzie and Jon Runyan all of whom for over a decade in the NFL, without the cut narrowly.
Well, duh. Brady finished with the most completion, attempts, yards, touchdowns and wins in NFL history. But who is No. 2 among the Wolverines?It can happen with Elvis Grbac or Jim Harbaugh (who made it to the Pro Bowl), Brian Griese (whose numbers are arguably Brady’s most productive moment), or even say hello to the only U-M quarterback still betting this season: Chad Henne, who will back up Patrick Mahomes for the Chiefs.
MITCH ALBOM: Retirement doesn’t hit twice, unless it’s Tom Brady batting
It was hard to pass Al Wistert, who, uh, the 6-foot-1-inch, 214-pound frame earned him the nickname “Big Ox” his nine seasons with the Eagles and a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. All-1940s Team, but we’re moving on to pass with Kenn, the 6-7 slugger who missed only thirteen games in 17 seasons (1978-94) with the Atlanta Falcons and made two All-Pro groups and five Pro Bowls.
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020, Hutchinson paved the way for harsh rash attacks in Seattle and Minnesota, as well as paving the way for inside linemen to get big paychecks. At 6-5, 313, he made seven Pro Bowls, five professional All-groups and the All-2000 Hall team.
The Port Huron venue was in the middle of the Rams and Browns for 10 seasons, reaching the Pro Bowl in 1961 and 1963; Still lively enough to participate in alumni flag football matches at age 79 in 2012.
The Rams gained something by driving Mack to No. 2 overall in 1966; he never missed a game in thirteen seasons and made 11 Pro Bowls en route to induction into the Hall of Fame in 1999, the final year of his eligibility.
The long-term announcer made it to the Pro Bowl in six of his thirteen seasons with the Cardinals (then located in St. Louis) and earned three All-Pro nominations for the Hall All-1970 team. A local from Canton, Ohio, he was inducted into the Salon in 1996.
He grew up in Detroit and finished his career with the Lions, in between he played a key role in the Green Bay Packers’ air attack, with 4 consecutive seasons of at least 500 yards in reception from 1961 to 1964 and a Pro Bowl and All-Eye Pro in 1962.
An instant star with the USFL’s Michigan Panthers in 1983–84, Carter finished his professional career with nearly 11,000 receiving yards and 82 touchdowns, though only 7,733 yards and 55 touchdowns made it to his 11 NFL seasons, which included 3 Pro Bowl appearances. .
The Wisconsin local already had an epic nickname, “Crazylegs” for his particular taste for running, when his time in the World War II Marines took him to Ann Arbor for two years. After the war, he became one of the most prolific players in the NFL. deep reception threats; his 3-place Pro Bowl spots and two All-Pro nominations come with his crazy 1951 season with the Rams, in which he caught 66 passes for 1,495 yards (nearly tying the combined No. 2-3 league) and 17 touchdowns in 12 calendar games. His 124. 2 yards consistent with the game that season remain the third in NFL history.
After a false start with the Browns in 1969, Johnson traded to the New York Giants and became an instant star. His 263 runs led the NFL and he became the first 1,000-yard running back in Giants franchise history en route to All Honors Pro and Pro Bowl, as well as a ninth-place finish in MVP voting. Two years later, the Detroit host did it again, with 298 runs for 1,182 yards and a spot in the Pro Bowl.
Hoard’s most productive season in his nine-year career came with the Browns’ 11–5 run in 1994 under Bill Belichick; Turned back, the former second-round pick rushed for 890 yards and hit forty-five passes for 4forty-five yards to earn a spot in the Pro Bowl.
The Heisman Trophy winner never identified himself as a wide receiver — however, his ability to back up — evidenced through an NFL record of 875 landing yards and 3 landings in 1996, and 8 landings in 244 career setbacks (3. 3%) — earned him a sixth place in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting in 1992 and a Pro Bowl spot in 2000 with the Lions.
HALL CALL: Meet the 22 Lions in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Despite the difficult decision among a couple of active Wolverines (we’ll get to that in a few), the maximum stacked position was that of linebacker, with longtime starters like John Anderson, Larry Foote, David Harris and Dhani Jones. .
NFL teams beat the two-way star of Michigan’s national championship teams in all 32 rounds of the 1947 NFL Draft because of his skin color, but the Los Angeles Dons of the rival All-American Football Conference did not. After two seasons as a receiver, surpassing 500 yards each, Ford landed with the Browns when the AAFC retired and Cleveland joined the NFL. Turned defensive end, he earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl nominations for 4 consecutive seasons (1951–54), becoming the All-Team Hall of 1950 and, in 1976, the Hall of Fame itself.
Clark’s apparent skill in the box, with 581/2 sacks and 14 forced fumbles in 120 games, with 3 Pro Bowl nominations for the Chiefs, is enough to overshadow the off-court issues that suspended him and then sent him back to Ann Arbor. , and then suspended in the NFL. Meanwhile, Graham has a spot in the Pro Bowl but leads with 70 sacks and 21 forced fumbles in 178 games with the Eagles, adding Brady’s key catch in Super Bowl 52. We will call this a tie, with the merit of whoever wins the Super Bowl on February 12 (because it will be the ring for the moment for anyone).
Four Pro Bowl berths, a nod to All-Pro in his third season, and two top-five finishes in Defensive Player of the Year voting are testament to his ability to disrupt opponents’ ground games; he also wreaked havoc on the air with 91 sacks in 187 games and won the Super Bowl in his first two NFL seasons in Denver.
After a few seasons as a backup in Buffalo, Keating established himself as the center of the Raiders’ lineage in the late 1960s; After two Pro Bowl seasons followed by a leg injury that imposed the 1968 season, Keating returned in 1969 with 12 (unofficial) sacks and a fourth-place finish in the AP AFL Player of the Year voting.
The Hamtramck venue played six seasons, but won three Pro Bowls (1954–56) before forcing a Green Bay industry on the Lions in 1957. Detroit dropped its top running back in 1955, Lew Carpenter, but it rose to the top, as the Lions earned the 1957 name with Zatkoff as a key contributor.
MORE: Why Roger Zatkoff’s Family Hopes Ancient Lion CTE Diagnosis Will Help Advance Study of the Disease
Woodley played 15 or more games 3 times in his nine seasons with the Steelers, however, the 3 years earned him 35 of his 58 career sacks in 110 games, adding a nod to the Pro Bowl in 2009 when Pittsburgh won the Super Bowl.
A deep All-Big Ten in Ann Arbor, June selected through the Colts in the 6th circular of 2003 (No. 198 overall) with the plan to move to LB. Se turned into a bullet hawk; from 2004 to 2006, he made 355 tackles and 10 interceptions, and went to the Pro Bowl in 2005.
Law settled into left-back in his current season with the Patriots after appearing in the first round in 1995 (No. 23 overall); The 53 interceptions of his career are the 24 in NFL history and he led the league twice. In 15 seasons (finishing with the Jets, Chiefs and Broncos), Law made five Pro Bowls, two All-Pro groups and finished third in the 1998 Defensive Player. of the year, before being chosen for the Hall All-2000 team and, in 2019, Hall himself.
A Michigan deep, Brown was drafted in the first round in 1975 by the Steelers, whose dominant defense would be offering a momentary consecutive championship. Brown played primarily as a returner in the main career, then was drafted by the Seahawks in the 1976 NHL. It was a smart choice for the fledgling franchise; He produced 50 interceptions in 11 seasons in Seattle and was the team’s third Ring of Honor nominee. Brown only has one Pro Bowl, but the 62 picks of his career are the 10 of all time.
Volk was a quick hit with the Colts, throwing six interceptions in 14 games in 1967 to reach the Pro Bowl and the final moment in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting (behind the Lions’ Lem Barney). He made two more Pro Bowls and won an All-Pro nod in 1971, finishing with 38 interceptions in 150 games.
It’s a bit misleading to put Woodson as deep given that the 1997 Heisman winner ruled the first 14 years of his career (at Oakland and Green Bay) as a cornerback. There, he made 8 Pro Bowls and 3 All-Pro teams, won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1998 and Defensive Player of the Year more than a decade later (2009). Still, he played the role of deep in his final 4 seasons, adding a last-place Pro Bowl at age 39 in 2015. A member of the Hall’s All-2000 team with 65 career interceptions (fifth all-time), Woodson was inducted into the Hall in 2021, his first year of eligibility.
FROM HEISMAN TO HALL: How Charles Woodson’s time in Michigan brought him to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Options are scarcer here, with nine Wolverines making the NFL in the kicking game: 3 kickers and six kickers, though Jake Moody and Brad Robbins are expected to rack up any of the totals in 2023.
Feely never made it to the Pro Bowl or an All-Pro team, however, we’ll give him the thumbs up on the former U-M kicker who did, Ali Haji-Sheikh (1983), thanks to Feely’s long career. In 14 seasons, the 2001 rookie team member finished in the top 10 in box purpose accuracy 3 times, totaling 1,451 points, the 30th all-time.
Bracken’s eight seasons with the Packers and Rams, in which he averaged 39. 9 yards per kickoff with 21. 3 percent of his kickoffs within 20, put him ahead of Zoltan Mesko and Matt Wile.