Where Michigan football players were drafted vs. their recruiting rankings

The Michigan Wolverines set a program record over the weekend with 13 players selected at the 2024 NFL Draft, officially closing out the Jim Harbaugh era of the program. The 9-year tenure was headlined by player development that squeezed every possible drop it could out of the roster en route to a national title win in 2023.

Using the On3 Industry Ranking, which takes all the major recruiting services into account, 12 of Michigan’s 13 draftees outperformed their recruiting rankings on their way to their respective NFL teams.

Here’s a recap of how that went down, and where each of the Michigan prospects ranked as high school players.

QB J.J. McCarthy – Minnesota Vikings (10th overall, first round)

J.J. McCarthy was a four-star recruit, the No. 47 player in the country and the ninth-best quarterback in the 2021 class. Once draft night came around, he was a first-round selection and the fifth quarterback off the board. ESPN had the rosiest projection with the No. 25 overall ranking.

DT Kris Jenkins – Cincinnati Bengals (49th overall, second round)

One of the biggest overperformers from Michigan’s draft class, Kris Jenkins was a three-star recruit and the No. 487 player in the country out of the 2020 recruiting class.

DB Mike Sainristil – Washington Commanders (50th overall, second round)

A former wide receiver, Mike Sainristil entered the program in the 2019 class as a three-star prospect and the No. 590 player in the country and the top-ranked player in the state of Massachusetts.

LB Junior Colson – Los Angeles Chargers (69th overall, third round)

Junior Colson was the fourth Wolverine taken, and the fourth in a row to outperform his recruiting ranking. Coming out of the 2021 class, he was a four-star prospect and the No. 91 player in the country.

RB Blake Corum – Los Angeles Rams (83rd overall, third round)

Make it five for five in the player development department. Blake Corum was a four-star recruit and the No. 118 player in the country coming out of the 2020 recruiting class.

WR Roman Wilson – Pittsburgh Steelers (84th overall, third round)

Roman Wilson, who donned the No. 1 jersey for Michigan this year and left his imprint on his legacy, was a four-star recruit and the No. 269 overall player in the 2020 recruiting class, coming in as the 48th-ranked wide receiver.

G Zak Zinter – Cleveland Browns (85th overall, third round)

Zak Zinter was a four-star recruit and the nation’s 294th-ranked prospect, the No. 29 offensive tackle and the third-ranked player in the state of Massachusetts in the 2020 recruiting class.

TE AJ Barner – Seattle Seahawks (121st overall, fourth round)

Indiana transfer AJ Barner went over 1,000 spots higher than his high school ranking, coming out of the 2020 class as a three-star recruit and the No. 1173 player in the country.

G Trevor Keegan – Philadelphia Eagles (172nd overall, fifth round)

Trevor Keegan‘s ranking more or less fell in line with where he was ranked coming out of high school. He was a four-star in 2019 and the No. 177 overall prospect, 17th-ranked offensive tackle and top-ranked player in the state of Illinois.

LB Michael Barrett – Carolina Panthers (240th overall, seventh round

Michael Barrett, who was a high school quarterback and recruited as an athlete, was a three-star recruit and the No. 748 player in the 2018 class. He would go on to be the winningest player in Michigan history.

OL Ladarius Henderson – Houston Texans (249th overall, seventh round)

LaDarius Henderson, who spent the first four seasons of his career at Arizona State and started at left tackle as a 17-year-old, was a three-star recruit and the No. 749 overall player in the 2019 class.

EDGE Jaylen Harrell – Tennessee Titans (252nd overall, seventh round)

Jaylen Harrell was a four-star recruit and the No. 319 overall prospect in the 2020 class, also coming in as the No. 19 EDGE defender in the cycle.

WR Cornelius Johnson – Los Angeles Chargers (253rd overall, seventh round)

Cornelius Johnson was a four-star recruit and the No. 182 overall player in the 2019 class, coming in as the 30th-ranked wide receiver and top player in the state of Connecticut.