Woodson, Gary Among Wolverines That Had Draft Potential As Sophomores

Looking at former Wolverines, including Charles Woodson and Rashan Gary, that might have gone pro after Year 2 if allowed during their era.

Jim Harbaugh made national news April 7 when he sent an open letter to the media with big-picture ideas to address some of the rising issues confronting college football. Chief among his opinion is advocating for football players to be able to leave school whenever they desire for a shot at the NFL. Presently, any player wishing to declare for the NFL Draft must be three years out of high school before he can do so. 

While we can't see many current college football players taking advantage of such a rule if it existed, Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence is the most cited example of a player that could, perhaps even leaving school following his freshman season of 2018. 

In the annals of Michigan football history, there are not a lot of great candidates that could have taken advantage of such an opportunity. Most offensive linemen, even the great ones like Jumbo Elliott, Jon Runyan Sr., Steve Hutchinson, Jake Long and Taylor Lewan were barely accomplished after two seasons (all five redshirted as a true freshman before starting as a redshirt freshman). 

Likewise, there are few defensive linemen physically capable and accomplished after their second year. One of those, Mark Messner, laughed at the idea he could have left for the NFL after a redshirt freshman campaign when he set the Michigan single-season record for sacks with 11. 

The 6-3, 235-pound defensive tackle told WolverineDigest when contacted today, "there is a big difference physically between a 19-20 year-old and a 22+ year old."

Still, there are a small handful of former Wolverines we think could have tried for the NFL after their sophomore season (we couldn't think of one that could have done it after their first year). 

RB Tyrone Wheatley, 1992: An elite track athlete that won Michigan state championships in long jump, 100-meter dash and 110-meter hurdles in both his junior and senior years at Robichaud High School, Wheatley still owns the third-best 100-meter dash time (10.59 seconds) in his state's history. 

Wheatley was fast and powerful right from the get-go, weighing in at 6-1, 225 pounds as a sophomore at Michigan (he was officially 6-0, 232 at the 1995 NFL Combine and ran a 4.53 40-yard dash, which ranks about 10th for running backs in any given year). 

That sophomore season with the Wolverines, Wheatley was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 1,357 yards and 13 touchdowns, including an astounding 7.3 yards per carry (numbers he would never reach again, largely because of injuries he sustained as a junior and senior). 

He was a first-round pick after his senior season, but with his combination of size, speed and production, he would have been a legitimate candidate to leave after a second year at Michigan. 

CB Ty Law, 1993: A recent addition to the NFL Hall of Fame after a 15-year career  with the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos, Law was 6-0, 184 pounds as a sophomore at Michigan in 1993 and not much bigger a year later when he did go pro (189 pounds). 

As a sophomore, Law was a consensus first-team All-Big Ten performer following a season in which he had seven pass breakups and six interceptions. He was regarded as the best cover corner in the conference and one of the best nationally (a year later, in 1994, he was named a first-team All-American).  

A first-round pick in 1995, Law likely would have been drafted after his sophomore season, though probably not in Round 1. 

CB Charles Woodson, 1996: Woodson arrived in Ann Arbor on the heels of Law's departure and, incredibly, would surpass Law as a cornerback, winning the 1997 Jim Thorpe Award as the top defensive back in college football (as well as, obviously, the Heisman Trophy). 

For as dominant as Woodson was in 1997, he was damn impressive as a sophomore too, recording 12 pass breakups and five interceptions en route to Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors and first-team All-American distinction. 

At 6-1, 192 pounds as a sophomore, Woodson was physically ready for the NFL. He was the No. 4 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft and likely would have been a first-round selection had he left Michigan a year earlier. 

WR David Terrell, 1999: Like Law and Woodson, Terrell would leave Michigan after his junior season, and the idea to exit after his sophomore season might have been a consideration (though Terrell did put on an extra 10 pounds, to 208, by sticking around Ann Arbor for another year). 

A top-10 recruit nationally coming out of high school, Terrell was physically ready the day he stepped foot on campus, and he exploded onto the scene as a sophomore, catching 71 balls for 1,038 yards and seven touchdowns. He was the most dominant player in the 2000 Orange Bowl with 10 catches for 150 yards and three TDs in a thrilling OT win over Alabama. 

It was the type of performance that could have sparked an early decision to go pro. A year later, after another 1,000-yard campaign, Terrell was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft. Would he have been a first-rounder in 2000? Maybe, maybe not, but he would have been drafted. 

CB Marlin Jackson, 2002: In 2002, Jackson became just the second Wolverine cornerback in school history to earn first-team All-American honors as a sophomore, doing so after setting a Michigan single-season record with 18 pass breakups (a mark that sits in second place today). 

Jackson was 6-1, 182 pounds as a sophomore, a little lanky - he would add 17 pounds to his frame by his senior year. His 4.52 speed ranked 25th for cornerbacks that season at the 2005 NFL Combine and he might have run a little faster with less weight after his sophomore season. 

Jackson was a first-rounder in 2005 following first-team All-American honors as a senior at Michigan, and he probably would have been a second-, third- or fourth-round choice after just two years. 

DT Alan Branch, 2005: Branch was a 6-6, 324-pound defensive tackle at Michigan then went in Round 2 of the 2007 NFL Draft following his junior season. He had elite speed for a tackle (5.07 40-yard dash that ranked seventh among defensive tackles at the 2007 NFL Combine). 

While he was certainly the best version of himself as a junior on Michigan's 2006 team that began the year 11-0, Branch started eight of 12 games in 2005, recording seven tackles for loss as a 6-6, 323-pounder. 

Branch certainly benefited from one more year at U-M, but he was physically ready after two seasons in college and likely would have been drafted.  

DE Rashan Gary, 2017: If there is any player on this list that might have been able to leave after their freshman year, it was Gary. To call him a physical freak is an understatement. Gary was a chiseled rock at 6-5, 287 pounds as a freshman at Michigan, with a sub 4.6 40-yard dash (he would run an official 4.58 at the 2019 NFL Combine - the fourth-fastest time of any defensive lineman that year, but the fastest by any player over 270 pounds). 

Gary wasn't overly productive during his Michigan career, finishing with just 10.5 career sacks, but that didn't stop him from going in Round 1, No. 12 overall, in the 2019 Draft. His sophomore season was actually his best, with 5.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss (and he was completely healthy) so there's a good chance had he gone pro, Gary would have gone in the first round. 

Who did we miss? Let us know in the comments. 


Published