Two Michigan Wolverines projected to be 'breakout players' in NFL this season
Former Michigan Wolverines football defensive end Aidan Hutchinson led all first-year players with 9.5 sacks and finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting with the Detroit Lions last fall. He was one of three top-100 NFL Draft picks for U-M in 2022, and while the other two — defensive back Dax Hill (Cincinnati Bengals) and edge rusher David Ojabo (Baltimore Ravens) — made minimal impacts, for different reasons, they’re both expected to have big seasons this year.
Both Hill and Ojabo were named to PFF’s ‘All-Breakout’ Team, two of 22 players that appeared on the list.
Ojabo tore his Achilles during Michigan’s pro day last March, forcing him to miss most of his rookie campaign, but was healthy at the end of the season and has the opportunity to make an impact this year.
“Due to an injury suffered during pre-draft workouts, Ojabo slid to the second round of the 2022 draft and missed nearly his entire rookie season, only appearing in three games and getting notable playing time in just one, a Week 18 loss,” PFF’s Jim Wyman wrote. “Ojabo did register his first career sack and forced a fumble in that game, though, putting up an 83.2 overall grade with a 77.2 pass-rush grade. With a clean bill of health in 2023, look for Ojabo to be one of the breakout stars along what is currently a thin Ravens pass rush.”
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Hill, meanwhile, logged 15 games with two started and notched 16 tackles and 1 quarterback hit in the regular season. The door is now wide open for the former Michigan first-round pick to earn more playing time this fall.
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“Hill played very sparingly as a rookie in 2022, as the Bengals had one of the best safety duos in football with Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell already in tow,” Wyman wrote. “However, both departed in free agency, thrusting the former first-rounder out of Michigan into the spotlight. Going up against quarterbacks like [Baltimore’s] Lamar Jackson, [Cleveland’s] Deshaun Watson and [Pittsburgh’s] Kenny Pickett in the AFC North, Hill will likely be tested early and often, giving him plenty of opportunities to show why he was the 31st pick in last year’s draft.”
The Bengals are the favorite to win the AFC North for a third straight season (+140), according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The Ravens have the second-best odds (+240), ahead of the Cleveland Browns (+425) and Pittsburgh Steelers (+450).
