Oregon Ducks vs. Michigan Wolverines: Tons of NFL Scouts in Attendance
The No. 1 Oregon Ducks and Michigan Wolverines are facing off for the first time as Big Ten foes on Saturday in Ann Arbor. "The Big House" will also be hosting some big-time NFL scouts.
Per reports from James Crepea of The Oregonian, scouts from 15 different NFL teams will be in attendance for the game. These teams include the Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings.
Crepea reports that the Lions will have five total scouts, the Chargers will have five while the Raiders and Bills will both have two. Also in attendance will be general managers like Adam Peters of the Commanders, Chris Grier of the Dolphins, Joe Hortiz of the Chargers and Brad Holmes of the Lions.
Some of the top draft prospects for Michigan include defensive lineman Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham along with cornerback Will Johnson. However, Johnson has officially been ruled out for the game. Wolverines tight end Colston Loveland is also a name to watch.
For the Ducks, Dillon Gabriel has a chance to show why he's an NFL-worthy quarterback despite being considered the old guy in the room. Receiver Tez Johnson and Evan Stewart along with running back Jordan James could also boost their draft stock with big performances against Michigan.
As of now, no Oregon player is receiving widespread first-round draft hype. Meanwhile, Graham (No. 4, New York Jets), Johnson (No. 5 Jacksonville Jaguars), Loveland (No. 16, Seattle Seahawks) and Grant (No. 25, Minnesota Vikings) are all projected as first-round picks in a recent mock draft from CBS Sports.
Despite all eyes on the top-ranked Ducks and the defending national champions, Oregon doesn't appeared to be fazed by the spotlight.
“Surprisingly, it’s not that loud,” Ducks defensive lineman Derrick Harmon said of The Big House.
Harmon, a Detroit native, played three seasons for the Michigan State Spartans and has a familiar hatred for the Wolverines.
“Don't like ‘em,” Harmon said. “I’m going to leave it there. Don’t like ‘em.”
No. 1 Oregon and Michigan will kick off from Ann Arbor at 12:30 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on CBS and streamed live on Paramount+.
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