Rashan Gary named one of top 25 players under 25 ahead of 2022 NFL season
Michigan football has no shortage of alumni playing at the pro level. The NFL player that leads the way could be surprising to some, though. Rashan Gary of the Green Bay Packers was named one of Pro Football Focus’ top 25 players under the age of 25. The former Michigan EDGE defender came in at No. 11 overall after experiencing a breakout in 2021.
“Gary hit multiple career-highs in 2021,” PFF’s Trevor Sikkema wrote. “With Za’Darius Smith out for most of the season, he recorded 9.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, 28 quarterback hits, eight tackles for loss and 47 combined tackles. His 81 total pressures ranked third in the league among edge rushers. Smith is now departed from Green Bay, which means that role is now Gary’s and his alone. His 21% pass-rush win percentage is the best rate of any edge rusher from the 2019 class, including Nick Bosa.
“He was drafted to be a star on that defensive line, and it appears he has fully arrived.”
Gary, who was a five-star prospect and the consensus No. 1 overall player in the 2016 class, was the No. 12 overall pick to Green Bay in 2019. He was a two-time All-Big Ten selection (2017-18) at Michigan and appeared in 34 career games with 21 starts at defensive end.
Gary was the only former Wolverine to crack the top 25, but another was an honorable mention. Offensive lineman Michael Onwenu of the New England Patriots garnered a mention in the story. He was a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and has started 24 of 32 games the last two seasons.
Familiar faces to Michigan also included
The Big Ten sends its fair share of talent to the NFL as a whole and had a few names at the front of PFF’s rankings. Former Ohio State Buckeye EDGE Nick Bosa (San Francisco 49ers) led the way at No. 1 overall.
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“Bosa racked up 47 tackles, nine sacks, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and an interception in 16 games and 14 starts across his rookie season,” PFF said. “The sky was the limit going into his sophomore campaign, but unfortunately, he tore his ACL in Week 2 and missed the remainder of the year. Then, in 2021, he recorded 15.5 sacks with an elite 90.0 pass-rush grade. When on the field, he’s been every bit of the player he was hyped to be coming out of Ohio State.”
Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor – now with the Indianapolis Colts – came in ranked third overall.
“After averaging more than 2,000 rushing yards per season in three years at Wisconsin, Taylor continued doing what he does best with 1,169 rushing yards as a rookie,” PFF wrote. “He followed that up by becoming the youngest player in NFL history with at least 2,000 yards from scrimmage and tying the record for most consecutive 100-yard rushing games while tallying 1,811 rushing yards and 366 receiving yards in 2021. He led the NFL in scrimmage yards, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns (18) at just 22 years old. He’s also averaged an impressive 5.0 and 5.5 yards per attempt in each of the past two seasons. If Taylor stays healthy, he’ll be one of the best backs in the league for a long, long time.”
