The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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28 THE WOLVERINE MAY 2019 BY AUSTIN FOX A fter Michigan set a school record with 11 players se- lected in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Maize and Blue took a step back last year when only two Wolverines heard their names called: center Mason Cole and defensive tackle Maurice Hurst Jr. U-M more than doubled that total in this sea- son's edition, however, with five Wol- verines coming off the board. Linebacker Devin Bush Jr. (No. 10 overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers) and defensive end Rashan Gary (No. 12 to the Green Bay Packers) each heard their names called in the first round to give U-M multiple first-round picks for the ninth time in program history. Defensive end Chase Winovich (No. 77 to the New England Patriots) and cornerback David Long (No. 79 to the Los Angeles Rams) both came off the board in the third round. Tight end Zach Gentry was the final U-M athlete selected when he was chosen in the fifth round (No. 141 by the Steelers), putting a bow on what was yet another successful showing for the program. The school's five players taken tied for the 12th most of any team in the nation, and ranked third in the Big Ten behind only Ohio State (nine) and Penn State (six). As a result, Michigan has now had at least one player selected in a re- cord 81 consecutive drafts (1939-pres- ent), and has increased its total to 369 athletes taken all time. According to ESPN, only four programs have pro- duced at least one pick in every year of the common draft era (since 1967) — Michigan, Michigan State, Florida and USC. A noth er Strong ClASS Michigan Sees Five Of Its Player Drafted, More Than Doubling Last Year's Total