Dallas Cowboys select Michigan TE Luke Schoonmaker in second round of 2023 NFL Draft

Michigan Wolverines football tight end Luke Schoonmaker was chosen by the Dallas Cowboys No. 58 overall in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He’s the second Wolverine off the board, joining defensive tackle Mazi Smith (first round, No. 26 overall to the Dallas Cowboys).

He’s the third Michigan tight end to be drafted during ninth-year head coach Jim Harbaugh‘s tenure, joining former teammate Zach Gentry (fifth round in 2019) and Jake Butt (fifth round in 2017). He’s the Wolverines’ highest-drafted tight end since Bennie Joppru in 2003 (second round, No. 41 overall).

Schoonmaker, a 6-foot-5, 251-pounder, was one of the draft’s biggest risers. He was impressive in interviews and workouts, after recovering from an AC joint injury early in the offseason that he suffered in the Dec. 31 Fiesta Bowl.

“Needs to get a little stronger, he doesn’t have top run-after-catch ability, but I love his release, the ability to get open, really good hands,” ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said on the broadcast. “I think he shows enough promise as a blocker to lead you to believe he can help this football team in that area. He’s going to have to — that’s the one area that I think he can get it done. He showed significant improvement. Luke Schoonmaker will help the Dallas Cowboys offense.”

“When you watch the Michigan games, any time in a clutch situation when they needed a catch, they go to him,” analyst Booger McFarland added. “He’s a dependable player. When you’re the Dallas Cowboys and you lose a tight end, you need somebody for [quarterback] Dak Prescott in the middle of the field. They got a guy. He’s more than a willing blocker. However, when it comes to a receiving standpoint, he will get open and be dependable for the quarterback.”

Schoonmaker ran a 4.63-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, fifth among tight ends. His 10’7″ broad jump slotted second in his position group and his 4.27-second 20-yard shuttle checked in fourth.

“Schoonmaker is an in-line tight end,” NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said. “He’s a real mover and they can move him around. They throw him a lot on those tight end screens. Just get the ball in his hands and he makes things happen. You see what he does as a lead blocker to make that run game happen. Dallas loves to go to the Big Ten for tight ends. They’ve done it recently here. Look at Jake Ferguson from Wisconsin and Peyton Hendershot from Indiana.”

During his career at Michigan, the Hamden, Conn., native racked up 54 catches for 637 yards and 7 touchdowns, appearing in 43 games with 20 starts.

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Schoonmaker spent five seasons in Ann Arbor, and the 24-year-old’s breakout campaign came in 2022. He played in 12 games with 11 starts, ranking second on the team with 35 receptions and third with 418 receiving yards. He was also third with 3 touchdown grabs.

He began the year on the Mackey Award watch list (nation’s top tight end), so expectations weren’t low by any means. However, his role was bigger than expected, with Erick All going down with a season-ending injury in non-conference play. Schoonmaker thrived as a result, earning third-team All-Big Ten honors by the league’s coaches. He became a favorite target of quarterback J.J. McCarthy, with whom he had a great connection, hauling in 3 or more grabs in five different contests, including a career-best 9 receptions with a touchdown at Indiana Oct. 8. Schoonmaker saw 197 of his 418 receiving yards come after the catch in 2022.

The Michigan tight end missed two games in November due to an injury and finished the season at less than 100-percent health. He caught 1 pass for 32 yards in the Fiesta Bowl before being sidelined with the aforementioned ailment.

Schoonmaker was a key weapon for Michigan in 2021, as well, playing alongside All. He played in all 14 tilts, accumulating 17 catches for 165 yards and 3 touchdowns. He earned an All-Big Ten honorable mention nod from both the coaches and media.

Michigan, which used multiple tight ends on over 50 percent of its snaps last season, leaned on Schoonmaker’s run-blocking prowess over the last two seasons, too. He embraces that aspect of the game and prides himself on being a complete player.

“It’s honestly a fun thing to do,” the Michigan prospect said. “I had a lot of fun over the years, just being able to be a part of that part of the offense.”

He was used more sparingly his first three seasons on campus, redshirting in 2018, playing in 10 games in 2019 and appearing in all six contests during the shortened 2020 campaign. He had just 2 receptions — including a 29-yard touchdown grab at Illinois in 2019 — in his first three seasons.

Schoonmaker was a three-star recruit in the 2018 class, per the On3 Industry Ranking. Given where he was selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, it’s fair to say he out-played where the experts had him pegged out of high school.