Michigan football: 3 prospects that need a good pro day showing

Michigan football holds its pro day on March 17 and gives its standout players a chance to showcase their skills on their home turf in front of NFL front offices. The Wolverines have 13 players working out on Friday morning in one last push before April’s 2023 NFL Draft.

Michigan’s biggest storyline in this NFL Draft cycle is the number of players that could have declared for the pros, but elected to come back. That is setting up what could be a massive 2024 NFL Draft class out of Ann Arbor.

But the players entering this year were key cogs on another Big Ten title and College Football Playoff squad, too. Here are the three players with the most to gain on Friday and a few other lingering storylines.

Defensive tackle Mazi Smith

Mazi Smith only did the bench press at the combine, electing to rehab a hamstring injury and save his workouts for pro day. It was enough to show off his pure strength, as he tied for second among all participants with 34 reps of 225 pounds.

The Bruce Feldman Freaks List headliner could turn some heads in front of pro scouts and front office personnel on Friday. There is plenty of buzz linking Smith to the second round, but if the workout hype materializes into a big day, there could be a chance to slide into the back half of round one.

Smith did meet with teams at the combine and there should be a comfort level about his character after a gun incident this past fall. Any lingering questions could be answered via pro day and top-30 visits with NFL teams. But Friday is huge for him after punting on combine workouts. His stock could go either direction depending on how he shows out.

EDGE Mike Morris

The NFL Combine was rough on Mike Morris from a testing perspective. The former Michigan EDGE had an underwhelming Thursday on the field. He ran a 4.95-second 40-yard dash (20th out of 21 defensive ends), with a 1.72-second 10-yard split (19th of 21). His 28.50″ vertical jump was 28th of 31 players at his position, and his 9’2″ broad jump slotted 29th out of the same amount.

Most see him as a mid-to-late-round pick that has the potential to be a rotational defensive line piece. Michigan used Morris on both the edge and interior, so there is some versatility. If he can improve on a few of the metrics, perhaps a team will fall back in love with him. When healthy last fall, he was one of the best power rushers in the country. He will just need to be a little more agile to carve a role out in the NFL.

Defensive back Gemon Green

Gemon Green was not invited to the 2023 NFL Combine, so whatever he does on Friday will go a long way in determining if a team wants to use a roster spot on him. He is currently unranked by most draft analysts, but has the length (6-2, 186) that teams like at the position.

Green was a steady riser throughout his time at Michigan. He needs to get better at getting his head around and playing the ball, but improved in coverage the more time he saw on the field. Green had the option to return for a sixth season in Ann Arbor but elected to give the pros a try. He has the most to gain by a good pro day performance.

Michigan pro day things to watch

Michigan’s pass-catching duo of wide receiver Ronnie Bell and tight end Luke Schoonmaker are both considered mid-round sleepers at their positions. Schoonmaker feels like the prospect with the most upside to climb up the board of the two given his measurables. We think they will improve on their athletic testing from the combine.

On the offensive line, center Olu Oluwatimi has one last shot in front of multiple teams to prove himself as a plug-and-play starting option. He has not been mentioned much as a potential day two pick, but has that value as a smart and experienced center that could pick things up right away.

It will be interesting to see what cornerback DJ Turner elects to do at pro day given his 4.26 40-yard dash at the combine. After that number came in, he opted out of the rest of the workouts in Indianapolis. Might he rest on his game film and let everything else speak for itself? Michigan players watched EDGE defender David Ojabo injure himself last year at pro day, so it would never be a shock if someone limited themselves in workouts. Turner’s combine put him into the conversation as a potential first round pick, but day two seems more where the buzz has been.

Michigan’s pro day contingent will involve a few players who did not get NFL Combine invites – tight ends Joel Honigford and Carter Selzer, kicker/punter Rhett Andersen and Green. Smith, Morris, Bell, Schoonmaker, Oluwatimi, Turner, offensive tackle Ryan Hayes, kicker Jake Moody and punter Brad Robbins are all expected to be in attendance.