Recapping Michigan football's under-the-radar draft prospects

Michigan football players are less than two weeks away from learning their 2022 NFL Draft fates. However, there could be a handful of Wolverines that have to wait a little bit longer.

This week at The Wolverine, we profiled a trio of Michigan prospects that most draft analysts see as late round picks or undrafted free agents. That list included safety Brad Hawkins, cornerback Vincent Gray and wide receiver Daylen Baldwin.

Below is a recap of what we said with links to our full profiles ahead of the April 28-30 draft weekend.

Safety Brad Hawkins (Projected: 7th round/UDFA)

What we’re saying:

Hawkins’ presence on Michigan’s defense was massively underrated during the 2021 season. His pro day numbers at Michigan were solid, so it has been a bit surprising to see draft analysts low on him. For example, The Draft Network has Hawkins as the draft’s No. 305 overall prospect. Hawkins did not receive an NFL Combine invite, so he had limited opportunities in the pre-draft process to showcase himself. He was a participant in the East-West Shrine Bowl week and met with teams at Michigan’s pro day.

Hawkins is a traditional strong safety prospect that is a functional athlete and fits the run well. He plays with the size and physicality demanded of the box safety role that he was thrown into. However, there might have been a more substantial role for him 10 years ago. His limitations (on paper) athletically and lack of playmaking ability seem to affect how teams ultimately view him. Hawkins should be able to stick as a special teamer, depth piece and potential subpackage defender at the next level. He is worth a late-round look, but will almost certainly wind up in a training camp somewhere.

Cornerback Vincent Gray (Projected: UDFA/camp invite)

What we’re saying:

Gray was steady for Michigan, but an all-time pass rush took pressure off of the guys on the backend. He wound up developing into a solid college corner, but there is plenty of work to do for him to hold up at the next level. What Gray does have going for him is strong footwork and technical prowess that is hard to teach. He is just going to have a tough time keeping up with some of the explosive athletes that will be thrown at him in the NFL.

Gray is fringe prospect, but still looks like someone that can crack a training camp roster and go from there. His ceiling at the next level probably comes down to filling out depth at the bottom of the roster. There is value in that, but he is not a corner that teams will want to park in zone coverage. His best fit will be somewhere that asks its corner to mix it up right at the line of scrimmage.

Wide receiver Daylen Baldwin (Projected: UDFA/camp invite)

What we’re saying:

Baldwin was a true “lunch pail guy” and great teammate at Michigan. Opportunities to showcase his talent were slim, but he has been putting in work behind the scenes. Playing for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan likely helped develop some NFL contacts and there have been teams keeping an eye on him. If a team falls in love during the pre-draft process and has him as its little secret, one might jump the line to grab him late in the draft. It feels more likely that he gets an undrafted look or rookie camp invite and has to go from there. Baldwin has had to scratch and claw for his opportunity every step of the way. Maybe he still has it in him to do so with the NFL.

Should Baldwin find his way to the NFL, he likely rounds out the bottom of a roster spot or is stashed on the practice squad. With the USFL and XFL as options, he could also find a role there.

When will Michigan players learn their NFL Draft fate?

The 2022 NFL Draft will be held from April 28-30 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The first round is set for Thursday night with second and third rounds taking place Friday. The event concludes on Saturday with rounds four through seven. The event will be broadcast via ESPN and NFL Network.