Michigan Football: Wolverines' Top 2016 NFL Draft Prospects

Right now, Michigan has more potential collegiate backups and fringe starters than potential 2016 NFL draft picks. But that doesn’t mean that the Wolverines won’t send at least a couple of prospects to the league next spring.

Barring an incredible letdown this fall, Joe Bolden could end up hearing his name called on draft day.

As far as the pro game goes, the 6’3”, 232-pound senior linebacker is far from a sure thing. However, leadership and coachability go a long way. He possesses each of those traits and could contribute to an NFL franchise.

Jourdan Lewis is only a junior, but a breakout fall could set him up for a phone call come draft day. The 5’10”, 176-pound cornerback has demonstrated professional-level skills during the past two seasons with the Wolverines.

As always, there will likely be a few undrafted free agents and guys who land on practice squads. Eventually, head coach Jim Harbaugh’s staff—which has been upgraded across the board—will probably produce a few high-rounders in Ann Arbor.

Just don’t expect a whole lot of them in 2016.

According to a recent mock published by SI.com, Michigan doesn’t have a projected first- or second-round 2016 draft pick.

In addition, Walter Football cast predictions for the first round without any Wolverines in sight. Guesses for Rounds 4 through 7 have yet to be posted, leaving plenty of room for speculation.

Gauging potential versus reality and using the aforementioned mocks as a guide, this slideshow will examine Michigan’s potential 2016 draft selections.

Defensive Backs: Jourdan Lewis and Blake Countess

NFL Draft Scout doesn’t project Jourdan Lewis as a 2016 draft pick—it tabs him as a 2017 candidate. And as mentioned earlier, Michigan doesn’t have a projected first- or second-rounder for the upcoming draft, so it may seem a bit strange to discuss an early exit for Lewis.

However, he has All-Big Ten potential.

He has watch-list potential, too.

At 5’10” and 176 pounds, he’s about an inch short and 15 pounds shy of attaining average NFL corner stature. Nevertheless, he has tremendous ball skills, agility and drive. Secondary coaches Michael Zordich and Greg Jackson, both NFL vets, said Lewis is by far the best cover corner on the team.

With their help and luck on his side, Lewis could be a mid- to late-round selection next spring. If not, expect at least that for 2017. In fact, expect to see a wave of Michigan defensive backs in upcoming NFL drafts—well, for as long as Zordich and Jackson are around, anyway.

Blake Countess’ junior year wasn’t what it could have been. Let’s get that out the way right now.

Appearing on several watch lists, including the one for the Jim Thorpe Award (best DB), the 5’10”, 185-pounder entered 2014 riding high and feeling good.

During 2014 media day, he expressed a great deal of optimism when asked about the potential of the secondary. Echoing Lewis, he said that the corners and safeties could serve as the backbone of the defense.

He was right. They could have. If they do so this year, Countess may end up fielding a few phone calls and emails inviting him to try out for a spot on a 53-man roster. It’s difficult to project Countess. He was All Big-Ten as a sophomore and All-Disappointment in 2014.

His track record is a plus, though.

At least he has that going for him.

Prior to this past fall, he was regarded as one of the better cover men in the land. Yeah, he fell off in 2014, but he knows what it takes to be mentioned among the best. He certainly has pro-level ability in his game. Refocusing on that could be his key to a job in the NFL.

Linebackers: Joe Bolden, Desmond Morgan and Royce Jenkins-Stone

Other than Jake Ryan, a fourth-round selection of the Green Bay Packers, the Wolverines haven’t had many recent stars in the linebacking corps.

Part of that has been due to the lack of development, and the other part of that is due to Ryan’s command of the spotlight. It’s not like he was the only good linebacker on the team—he was just the most noticeable.

Now that he’s gone, Joe Bolden should step into a leadership role. Extremely open and passionate, Bolden used spring availability to tout the offseason accomplishments of teammates and praise the new coaching staff. He has a lot of respect for defensive line coach Greg Mattison and D.J. Durkin, Mattison’s replacement as defensive coordinator.

Both of those men could mold Bolden into a late-round selection.

By the time the 2016 draft rolls around, Desmond Morgan will have had five years of experience at Michigan, an NCAA blue blood. That has to count for something, right? At 6’1” and 236 pounds, Morgan could find a home on special teams or on a practice squad.

Royce Jenkins-Stone, another senior linebacker, could meet a similar fate. The 6’2”, 240-pounder has been in the Wolverines’ rotational mix for three years under Mattison, who served as a defensive coach for the Baltimore Ravens prior to joining Michigan.

Linebackers are the running backs of the defense. Typically, there are droves of them available through free agency and in the later rounds of the draft.

Projecting Bolden as a late-rounder and Morgan and Jenkins-Stone as potential free agents makes sense. They’ve each had years of high-level instruction from one of the best defensive minds in football and played against some of the best collegiate talents during their careers.

Defensive Line: Chris Wormley

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

Chris Wormley has pro size.

Coaching helps guys get to the next level. Take a look at Brennen Beyer, who, after going undrafted, struck a free-agent deal with the Baltimore Ravens. Something similar could happen this year for Chris Wormley.

The redshirt junior possesses a great wingspan and ability to quickly cover ground. There aren’t a lot of 6’4”, 300-pounders who can move with such grace and power.

Without a long resume, it’s difficult to project Wormley as a draft pick. However, his potential combined with a new coaching staff could land him in the late, late rounds or steer him toward a free-agent deal.

Offensive Line: Graham Glasgow

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Graham Glasgow is Michigan's best lineman, per former center Jack Miller.

In 2013, Michigan’s offensive line hit an all-time low. Despite the sad state of affairs, that position group somehow produced a pair of early-round NFL picks—left tackle Taylor Lewan went in the first to the Tennessee Titans and right tackle Michael Schofield went in the third to the Denver Broncos.

Due to recruiting, the Wolverines have a lot of ideal-size linemen, but they don’t have any proven commodities with an obvious NFL-level skill set.

Graham Glasgow, a fifth-year senior, is probably the closest to a pro out of any of them. NFL Draft Scout projects the 6’6”, 303-pounder as a center, but he could fill in at guard if needed. He’s done a bit of everything at Michigan.

Again, given the nature of the draft, speculation and team needs, casting anything but a wild guess in regard to Glasgow’s draft status is nearly impossible. He’s 6’6” and 303 pounds, which NFL teams like. He’s versatile, which helps too.

More importantly, he’ll be eligible. Consider him a late-rounder or free agent in waiting.

Tight End: Jake Butt and A.J. Williams

There is a limited sample size on which to base Jake Butt’s potential, but the 6’6”, 248-pounder has demonstrated next-level athletic ability through two partial seasons in Ann Arbor.

With that said, he’s also not listed as a 2016 prospect. NFL Draft Scout has him as a 2017 prospect.

You know the deal by now: potential. Think back to the 2014 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, where he caught three passes for 33 yards. Prior to that, he caught five passes for 85 yards and a touchdown versus Ohio State.

During his sophomore year, Butt never had more than four catches or 59 receiving yards in a game. He wasn’t fully healthy, either. Keep that in mind. A down season after recovering from an ACL injury certainly dulled his shine, but there is more to his game, and he'll likely show it this fall.

Unafraid to absorb contact, Butt is a prototypical seam threat, possession option and sideline weapon. Corners of end zones are also fair game.

With improved blocking, he could be taken into consideration by general managers this spring. He runs a 4.7-second 40-yard dash, which is on par with that of Walter Football’s top 10 draft-eligible tight ends for 2016.

So why couldn't he be picked?

If coach Jay Harbaugh’s planned tight end resurgence comes to fruition this fall, Butt could hear his name called during the mid-to-late rounds next spring.

At 6’6” and 285 pounds, A.J. Williams is too big to ignore. Right now, he’s serviceable but needs the Harbaugh touch. He’s not as athletic as Butt, but he’s a developing blocker. He could be a project player for a team looking to roll the dice on a free agent.

UDFA/Stretches

Tony Ding/Associated Press

Joe Kerridge's stock could get a boost this fall.

There are 35 seniors/redshirt juniors and four fifth-year seniors on Michigan’s roster. It’d be safe to assume that many of them would like to play in the NFL, but odds are that most of them won’t.

However, the following players could be fortunate enough to receive an invitation to an NFL camp:

• Senior punter Kenny Allen has tons of leg but hasn’t had the chance to showcase it very often. His older brother, Jimmy Allen, kicks in the CFL. Kicking runs in the family, and now, so does getting paid for it. Allen could land somewhere.
• Fullback Joe Kerridge should see an increase in duties this season due to Harbaugh’s love of powerful backfields. But like Allen, the 6’0”, 249-pound fifth-year senior hasn’t had many opportunities to strut his stuff. He looked great during the spring game—plus there was that 52-yard run versus Maryland in 2014—but that’s it. There is an upside: The pro game values blockers and pass-catchers. Kerridge’s ability to do both could slide him into a camp somewhere down the line.
• At 6’3” and 317 pounds, Ondre Pipkins was supposed to transform into a dominant defensive lineman for the Wolverines, but due to bad-luck injuries (neck/ACL), “Pee Wee” has yet to hit the big top. An exemplary senior year could fashion him into an NFL-worthy specimen.

Michigan is the only school to have a player selected in each of the 76 NFL drafts, and that won't change next year. The only question is one of amount of players who will hear their names called on draft day or sign free-agent deals in the aftermath of the three-day event.

Follow Bleacher Report’s Michigan Wolverines football writer Adam Biggers on Twitter @AdamBiggers81.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes and references were obtained firsthand by the writer via press conference, press release or other media availability. All recruiting information comes from 247Sports. Michigan player bio info comes via MGoBlue.com.