Michigan national championship team honored ahead of Day 2 of 2024 NFL Draft
Friday night marked the second day of the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit with another impressive crowd in attendance. For many in the crowd, it’s been quite a few months for their football teams, and the nearby national champions were honored ahead of the second round.
Michigan’s national championship team came out to kick off Day 2 of the draft, starting with a video message from J.J. McCarthy. The Wolverines’ signal-caller this past year, he is in Minnesota after going No. 10 overall to the Vikings after they traded up to select him.
But the rest of McCarthy’s teammates were in attendance and took the stage to a rousing ovation as Roger Goodell opened the second round.
Michigan has gone through plenty of changes since winning its first national championship since 1997. For starters, head coach Jim Harbaugh is now at the NFL level, leaving the Wolverines to take over as the Los Angeles Chargers’ coach. Sherrone Moore is now in as head coach and he was in attendance for the celebration ahead of the second round of the draft.
UM is also losing some big-time production from this past season, headlined by McCarthy as the No. 10 overall pick and leading rusher Blake Corum, who headed to the Los Angeles Rams as a third-round selection.
McCarthy was the first Michigan player to go off the board in the first round, and he’s set for quite a payday with the Vikings. His fully guaranteed rookie contract with Minnesota is for four years and $21.8 million, along with a $12.7 million signing bonus. He will also have a fifth-year option in 2028 with a value to be determined when that time comes.
As for Corum, he will sign a four-year rookie deal worth approximately $5.75 million without a fifth-year option since he wasn’t a first-round pick. That means unless the Rams extend or re-sign him, he’ll become a free agent after the 2027 season.
But Harbaugh is bringing at least one player from his national championship roster with him to the Chargers. Linebacker Junior Colson headed to Los Angeles as the No. 69 overall pick, and Harbaugh celebrated accordingly. He broke into “Hail to the Victors!” in the Chargers’ draft room and received an ovation from the staffers with him at the time.