The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MAY 2019 THE WOLVERINE 31 Perfect Fit: DE Chase Winovich, New England Patriots — This one al- most has more to do with his personal- ity than fit from a football standpoint. As soon as the pick was announced, several TV analysts proclaimed how well Winovich's charismatic and outgo- ing attitude will fit in with New Eng- land, with ESPN's Louis Riddick tabbing him as the "perfect Patriots player." "They know how to have a parade in New England," NFL Network's Rich Eisen said with a laugh. "He is going to be first-team All-Parade if they keep having them there. [For- mer Patriot tight end Rob Gronkowski] is out, Winovich is in." "I don't know if I can think of a more perfect place than New England for Winovich," ESPN's Rece Davis concurred. The Athletic's Chris Burke, meanwhile, pegged the Patriots' selection of the Pennsylvania native as the club's best non- first round value pick of the draft. "There are some out there who believe Winovich, not Rashan Gary [the No. 12 overall pick], is the Michigan edge- rushing prospect with the best career ahead of him," Burke wrote. "He's not the athlete Gary is, but Winovich is never going to be outworked. He gets off the ball quickly, then turns the corner like a natural. Over the last two seasons: 13 combined sacks and 35 tackles for loss." Winovich himself showed how well he should fit in with the tight-lipped franchise during his post-pick conference call with the media. When asked him how much contact he had with the team before the draft, he responded with a non-answer before explaining: "I'd rather just wait to dive into that further until I receive further information on how much information I can share." Biggest Steal: CB David Long, Los Angeles Rams — The fact that Long didn't come off the board until the middle of the third round wasn't all that surprising — he was projected by most to be a third-rounder heading into the NFL Draft. However, many felt the Rams still got a steal nonetheless. Pro Football Focus revealed he had the lowest reception rate (29 percent) in 2018 of any draft-eligible cornerback, and his performance at the NFL Combine only helped his stock — Long topped everybody else at his position in both the three-cone drill (6.45 seconds) and the 20-yard shuttle (3.97). "I like this player, and I think he has a chance to be a starter in the NFL," ESPN's Todd McShay said once Long was selected. "His pass defense efficiency numbers were elite and were as good as you're going to see at the college level. … If you're going to be a good press-man corner with 30-inch arms, you better have a great feel, and he has it. "Long isn't a huge ballhawk, but I think he's going to de- velop into a good No. 2 or No. 3 corner in the NFL, and is the kind of guy the Rams need." Drafted Higher Than Expected: TE Zach Gentry, Pitts- burgh Steelers — Mock drafts were not kind to Gentry head- ing into the annual event, with most outlets projecting him to go in the sixth or seventh round, if at all. Gentry's 6-8 stature was undoubtedly appealing to the Steelers, and it helped him reel in 32 catches for 514 yards and two touchdowns last year as a redshirt junior. NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah, however, made it clear at the combine that he felt Gentry should have returned to Michigan in 2019, and reiterated that notion — while also concluding it with positiv- ity — once again after he was picked in the fifth round. "He is enormous at 6-8, 265 pounds, and is a big ole' target running down the seam," Jeremiah noted. "When guys got into him though, he struggled to play out those blocks. I was a little surprised he came out because I thought he'd go back to school. It shocked me when he left early, seeing as how he's still very raw and will take a lot of time to develop. With his size at the position though, there is room for growth." Potential Position Change: DE Rashan Gary — He played defensive end his entire career at Michigan, but the Packers may actually have a different position in mind for him in the pros. They tabbed him as a linebacker on their official website when they selected him, and he was given the No. 52 jersey (typically suited for a linebacker) April 29. Green Bay scout Joe Hueber actually confirmed soon after Gary was drafted that the club had plans to experiment with him at a few different spots, including linebacker. "He'll start in the outside linebacker room," the scout re- vealed. "His size, speed and versatility should allow us to move him around the [defensive] front." "If you watch the tape and look at some of the different kinds of stats, he affected the passer," Packers general man- ager Brian Gutekunst added. "He affected the game, and at times wrecked it. We've been locked onto him since February, because I thought he could really do some different things and add to our group." Winovich could also make the same move, although the Patriots run one of the most multiple defensive schemes in the NFL, so he may also still see time at defensive end as well. Unexpected Undrafted: RB Karan Higdon — He was pro- jected to be a late-round pick heading into the NFL Draft, but wound up not being selected at all. "He'll probably go on day three in the fourth or fifth round, but it would not surprise me if he was able to backdoor into the second day," NationalFootballPost.com draft analyst Dion Caputi revealed heading into the NFL Combine. "You know what you're getting with him, so there isn't much guesswork in his evaluations." Higdon proved to be a workhorse this past season at U-M when he rushed for 1,178 yards and 10 touchdowns, becom- ing the Wolverines' first 1,000-yard back since Fitzgerald Tous- saint in 2011. Higdon faded a bit down the stretch this past year, however, averaging just 71.6 yards in Michigan's final three regular- season games, before choosing to sit out the Peach Bowl loss to Florida. Whether his decision not to participate against the Gators hurt his draft stock will never be known. After failing to hear his name called in the draft, Higdon inked a free agent deal with the Houston Texans and will now attempt to make the club's roster heading into the 2019 campaign. "Love this guy!" Michigan running backs coach Jay Har- baugh wrote on Twitter after it was revealed the Florida native had signed the deal. "No doubt that he will make the most of it, I would bet on him every time. Houston Texans stole one here!" — Austin Fox Michigan Draft Superlatives CHASE WINOVICH