One Michigan player labeled potential 'surprise first-rounder' ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
The Michigan Wolverines are gearing up for the 2024 NFL Draft and the potential of setting an event record set by Georgia in 2022, where it had 15 players selected. Michigan could have more, and its first-round output is likely defined by wherever quarterback J.J. McCarthy winds up.
McCarthy seems a safe bet to wind up a first-round selection come Thursday night, but there has been inconsistent buzz on whether a second Michigan star could join him. At one point, wide receiver Roman Wilson, defensive tackle Kris Jenkins and defensive back Mike Sainristil have all been labeled potential options.
But could there be a surprise that sneaks up the board?
NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero says that could be the case with linebacker Junior Colson in a year where off-ball linebackers might be in short supply. Colson might be a name worth watching heading into Thursday night’s event kickoff in Detroit.
“As my colleague Daniel Jeremiah noted recently, this isn’t a good year to need off-ball linebackers,” Siciliano wrote. “But if one player at that position sneaks into Round 1, it might be the 21-year-old Colson, who led the national champion Wolverines in tackles for the second straight season in 2023 with 95. He also won the Lott IMPACT (Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, Tenacity) Trophy last season — an honor that went to a pair of top-three picks (Aidan Hutchinson and Will Anderson Jr.) in the previous two years. Colson has good size at 6-2 1/4, 238 pounds. He’s also a PFF favorite, as one of just six FBS linebackers to boast 80-plus grades in run defense and coverage in 2023 (min. 600 snaps).
“Colson didn’t participate in drills and testing at the combine because of a hamstring injury suffered in training, and a busy string of visits — including to the Cowboys, who served as his medical recheck — made it impractical to ramp up training again in time to work out at Michigan’s pro day. But he played in all 43 games (36 starts) over three seasons at Michigan, despite battling a foot injury in 2022 and breaking his left hand in 2023, forcing him to play in a cast. (He also wore a splint on his right hand down the stretch of last season.) Value will be the question, but Colson profiles as the definition of a safe pick.”
Most analysts have Colson as a round two/three prospect, but there could always be a team that falls in love and decides to grab its guy before the night is over. Given that he played through a ton of pain at Michigan, it is easy to see why teams would consider him early in the event.
“Unless I can’t physically move, unless I’m in a wheelchair or something, I’m gonna be out there playing the game if I can help my team,” he said at the NFL Combine. “At the end of day, it’s more about what are you willing to sacrifice to for the bigger goals. You put in all that work. I’m gonna give it all I got until I can’t anymore.”
The 2024 NFL Draft is set for April 25-27 from Campus Martius in Downtown Detroit, which is 45 minutes down the road from the University of Michigan. The first round takes place Thursday night at 8 p.m., while the second and third rounds get going on Friday night at 7 p.m. before the event concludes Saturday with rounds four through seven starting at noon. ESPN and NFL Network will carry the entire event.
