Three Michigan football alums crack PFF's top 101 players in NFL
Three former Michigan football players were among the very best in the NFL this year, according to Pro Football Focus. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, Green Bay Packers pass rusher Rashan Gary and New England Patriots guard Michael Onwenu were represented on PFF’s list of the top 101 players in the league.
Brady, who ranked ninth among all players, played 1,240 snaps in 2021 and graded out with a 92.6 this season. It was a bit of a slide for the former Michigan quarterback, who was fourth-best in 2020.
“The greatest of all time finished his NFL career still among the best in the NFL, earning a 92.0 PFF grade at 44 years old,” PFF writes. “Brady led the NFL in big-time throws (42) in the regular season and was one of just two passers who registered a turnover-worthy play rate of less than 2.0%. Brady even went out on the back of a spectacular comeback that fell short when Tampa Bay’s defense lost track of Kupp one time too many.”
Gary thrived in his role with an opportunity for an extended run with the Packers. Injuries helped him get on the field more and provided the chance for a breakout. Gary’s play earned him a season grade of 89.8 and made him the 34th-best player on PFF’s list. He was unranked last year.
“With Za’Darius Smith injured and missing almost the entire season, Gary was asked to take on more responsibility as the primary source of pass rush for the Packers, and he answered that call,” they said. “Gary’s overall PFF grade and pass-rush grade (90.1) were both career-highs and massive jumps from last season. He finished the year with 87 pressures when including the playoffs and had a dominant outing in the team’s playoff defeat to San Francisco, doing everything in his power to try and secure a win.”
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Onwenu, a sixth-round pick out of Michigan in 2020, finished inside the top 101 but did slip compared to last year, where he ranked No. 60 overall. His playing time decreased, but he was still able to walk out of the season with an 88.3 grade and No. 84 overall ranking.
“For some reason, Onwenu was the player forced to make his way to the bench when everybody got healthy on the New England offensive line,” PFF said. “His play certainly doesn’t justify that move, as Onwenu has been excellent at multiple positions so far in his NFL career. This past year, he played both left guard and right tackle for at least 200 snaps and allowed 11 pressures over 340 pass-blocking snaps.”
Michigan will look to add more talent to the NFL with the upcoming 2022 draft class. The Wolverines will send eight players to March’s NFL Combine in Indianapolis: Running back Hassan Haskins, offensive tackle Andrew Stueber, defensive tackle Chris Hinton, pass rushers Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo, linebacker Josh Ross, cornerback Vincent Gray and safety Brad Hawkins. They will learn their pro fates starting on April 28 with the draft set for Las Vegas. The event concludes on April 30.
