Mel Kiper Jr. praises Justice Haynes as draft prospect, makes Bryce Underwood prediction

The Michigan Wolverines are 3-1 on the field with a lot of football still to play, but it is never too early to talk NFL Draft prospects for next spring. Among them for the Wolverines is running back Justice Haynes, who has turned heads early in his time in Ann Arbor.

Haynes is the first Wolverine with four-straight 100-plus yard rushing outings, and is third in the country in rushing entering Week 5 with 537 yards and 6 touchdowns.

“Michigan running back Justice Haynes is making a case to be a third- or fourth-round pick next April,” Kipper wrote for ESPN. “He’s the son of Verron Haynes, a former Georgia running back who I scouted before he went in the fifth round of the 2002 draft to the Steelers. The younger Haynes was great Saturday against Nebraska, carrying the ball 17 times for 149 yards and a score.

“At 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds, he plays with a low center of gravity and generates powerful leg drive. This isn’t a running back who is going to dance around behind the line of scrimmage and take a tackle for loss; he’s a one-cut-and-go runner with good body lean. But once he gets through the hole, he can be hard to catch. Haynes has four carries for 50-plus yards this season, helping him to 537 yards and six TDs through four games. The Alabama transfer also stands out as a pass catcher and blocker. He high-pointed a catch [against Nebraska], and his ability to pass protect is evident on the tape.”

In a podcast segment this week, Kiper broke into his discussion about Haynes to make a prediction about Bryce Underwood, and a comparison to what he said about Matthew Stafford coming out of high school.

“Underwood, I’ll say it now,” Mel Kiper said. “I said it about Stafford. If Underwood’s not the No. 1 pick in the draft somewhere down the road, something is wrong. This kid looks like he could be the real deal…Bryce Underwood at Michigan.”

The hype around Underwood has been notable throughout the early part of the season. This week, former Ohio State Buckeyes-turned analysts Kirk Herbstreit and Joey Galloway said that Underwood has shown more this year than Arch Manning, who many thought would be a Heisman candidate at Texas.

“Now they have Bryce Underwood, who — let me say this. When I watch him play, he is better than Arch Manning right now. We’ve had a thousand conversations… His timing. Now, that doesn’t mean, because I know people are going to look at that and say, ‘Well, he only threw for 105 yards.’ I’m looking at talent. I’m looking at skill,” Galloway said.

“More importantly, I’m looking at timing when he throws the ball. Which when you talk about a kid’s ability to go from college to the NFL, timing is the biggest issue for all of them. How quickly I have to get the ball out of my hands because my receiver was open and now he’s not. Or he’s going to be open. He’s not going to throw it, trusting he’s going to be there. That’s the difference. This kid here, when I watch him play, and then you add in the swagger he has. It’s not too big for him. It’s like, ‘Hey, we’re in Lincoln, Nebraska. Don’t worry about nothing. We got this.’ It’s helpful to have a run game like that, but he’s been fun to watch. I think he’s been really good.”