The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1212135
MARCH 2020 THE WOLVERINE 77 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL place. I like what I've seen from him, and I had him more as a linebacker than a defensive back because of his speed. He'd either be a fast line- backer or a defensive back with aver- age speed. They moved him all over the place during Senior Bowl week." • Tight end Sean McKeon "There were a lot of guys getting hurt as the week went on because practices got more physical. [Senior Bowl executive director Jim] Nagy is big on protecting the players, and it was supposed to rain pretty bad for Thursday's practice — it sprinkled during the time practice would've been, but he didn't want to risk any- thing for these guys. They're sup- posed to come down here and look their best, so I think it was a precau- tionary thing for McKeon [when he didn't play in the game]. Some of the players also just come down for the practices and then don't even play in the game." • Safety Josh Metellus "He flashed at times. In the defen- sive back drills, he held his own for a guy who didn't get a lot of hoopla coming into the week. Metellus didn't separate himself in a defen- sive back group that was looking for someone to shine, but he did make things interesting for everyone else. He's actually someone who's on my watch list to go back and watch a couple of game tapes." • Quarterback Shea Patterson "One of my tweets about him from the first day of practices got men- tioned in an article, when I tabbed him as one of the winners from day one. He was a winner in the sense that I didn't have high expectations for him coming in. "One of my co-hosts on my pod- cast is a Michigan fan, and he's very hot and cold on Shea Patterson. I watched him in a couple games, and thought that getting out of [Michi- gan head coach Jim] Harbaugh's sys- tem and opening him up in Mobile could help him. "Patterson looked sharp on the first day, and made me think he could be a [Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback] Gardner Minshew, sixth-round type of guy who could spot start in a time of need, so to speak. As the week went on, it was almost like he got too comfortable, but the accuracy wasn't there. "The arm strength was there at times, but the deep balls just weren't accurate. Patterson wasn't even able to throw an end-zone fade at one point to [former Notre Dame wide- out] Chase Claypool, and that was on the last day of practice and served as the icing on the cake for his whole week. His week started out nice, but trickled down into simple throws and plays that he should've been making, but just wasn't. "I like Shea Patterson as a player, but I just don't know where he would fit and what team would want to take a flyer on him. I'm not compar- ing him personally to [Indianapolis Colts quarterback] Chad Kelly, but he reminds me of him in the sense that Kelly had to have someone take a chance on him. "Patterson doesn't have the off- the-field issues that Kelly had, so I could see him being a sixth- or seventh-round type of guy. He has a good arm, but it just needs a little more tweaking. Maybe he'll wind up somewhere like Green Bay, where he could sit behind [Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron] Rodgers for a few years and eventually develop into something." • Linebacker Josh Uche "I was excited to see [Alabama redshirt junior defensive end/out- side linebacker] Terrell Lewis and [Michigan State fifth-year senior defensive end] Kenny Willekes on the edges coming into the week, but Uche also showed good bend and was quick off the line. The bend he possesses is what's going to impress most people, and he blew me away in person with how quick he was. "If we were to tab winners from the week as a whole, Uche would definitely be on that list. He could possibly even sneak into the end of the first round now, because a team may be looking for a spot starter or an occasional [rusher] type of guy. Uche could fill that role very well while he develops more at the next level. "He could potentially handle a role like the one [Kansas City Chiefs and former Michigan defensive end] Frank Clark had in Seattle's defense, especially with [Seahawks defensive end Jadeveon] Clowney leaving. Uche going to Seattle would be a fun fit." — Austin Fox Linebacker Josh Uche was dubbed a winner from the week of the Senior Bowl. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN