NFL Combine: 9 Michigan players land invites

Michigan will be among the better represented college football programs at the NFL combine starting on Feb. 28. Nine players from the 2022 College Football Playoff team are headed to Indianapolis.

The Wolverines won’t be as well represented as Alabama or Georgia — who had 13 and 12 invitees, tops among college football programs — but the nine players going to Indianapolis is the highest total for any Big Ten team. They’re tied with Florida and LSU with nine players going to the NFL combine.

And Michigan fans will certainly love to know that Ohio State had just eight players invited to the combine.

Michigan players invited to the NFL combine

• Ronnie Bell, WR
• Ryan Hayes, OL
• Jake Moody, K
• Mike Morris, DL
• Olu Oluwatimi, OL
• Brad Robbins, P
• Luke Schoonmaker, TE
• Mazi Smith, DL
• DJ Turner, DB

All told, it’s a pretty solid representation for Michigan and the names one would expect.

Of the offensive players, Bell is a sure-handed, experienced receiver who doesn’t have the elite physical upside but could easily stick on an NFL roster. Hayes and Oluwatimi were two key pieces on one of the best offensive lines in America in 2022, with Oluwatimi winning the Outland and Rimington Trophies, awarded for the top lineman and best center in college football. And tight end Luke Schoonmaker, despite being injured in the Fiesta Bowl, is one of the more intriguing tight end prospects in the draft and one NFL evaluators are reportedly high on.

Defensively, two stalwarts on the defensive front are represented in Mazi Smith and Mike Morris. Morris is an intriguing prospect given his edge rushing ability and movement at his size — 290(ish) pounds. Smith, a freaky athlete playing defensive tackle, will likely test extremely well but his draft status probably hinges on what he can tell teams about his gun charge from the fall during combine interviews. DJ Turner is another ridiculous athlete — reportedly running a 40-yard dash in the 4.3 second range — but needs some polish to his game.

And two of the best specialists in the country will surely be on the radar for NFL teams at the combine looking to solidify their kicking games, with punter Brad Robbins and former Lou Groza award winning kicker Jake Moody.