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Post-NFL Combine mock draft has Michigan star staying local

Anthony Broomeby:Anthony Broome•about 10 hours•

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(Photo by Melanie Maxwell / USA TODAY NETWORK)

The NFL Combine has passed for the Michigan Wolverines and the rest of the college football prospects making the jumps to the pros. Now, mock draft season is fully upon us with nothing left but pro days and meetings with teams in the leadup to April’s NFL Draft in Green Bay.

Michigan’s four first round talents – defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, tight end Colston Loveland and cornerback Will Johnson – did not work out at the event, but their statuses have not appeared to change much. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has all four in the first round of his latest mock draft.

Graham headlines the group at No. 7 overall, coming off the board to the New York Jets.

“Graham isn’t going to blow anybody away with his length or testing (he sat out everything but the bench press at the combine), but teams are ready to trust his tape,” Brugler wrote on Tuesday morning. “His attitude and play style fit what Aaron Glenn wants to build in New York.”

Loveland, who had offseason shoulder surgery to be ready to roll for minicamps, was the next off the board at No. 14 overall to the Indianapolis Colts.

“Connecting the Colts with a tight end here is far from original, but it makes a lot of sense. Loveland has the pass-catching athleticism that will make him an immediate asset for whoever is playing quarterback in Indianapolis next season.”

Johnson sat out of combine workouts, but is set to go through drill’s at Michigan’s pro day. Some scouts are concerned about a lack of a recorded 40-time, but Brugler was still comfortable enough to send him to the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 17 overall. He would join former U-M defensive backs DJ Turner and Daxton Hill with the Bengals.

“I don’t know if we’ll ever see Johnson run a 40-yard dash (Michigan’s pro day is scheduled for March 21), which would be an issue for some teams,” Brugler said. “But with Johnson’s fluidity and footwork, his tape shows a corner who should start immediately as an NFL rookie.”

Last, and perhaps of most note to the local fans, was Brugler sending Grant to the Detroit Lions with the No. 28 overall selection. A hamstring injury found in medical testing kept him out of combine workouts, but might put him in range for the Lions, and a potential new teammate for Michigan legend Aidan Hutchinson.

“At 6-4, 331, Grant is a massive man with some unique traits,” Brugler said. “Do teams wish the tape was more consistent? No question. But the NFL is a big man’s league, and there aren’t many with Grant’s combination of size and ability in this class.”

Next up for the Michigan prospects is the team’s pro day on March 21 in Ann Arbor, three days after the 2025 squad begins spring practices. The 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin will take place from April 24-26.

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