The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/510942
MICHIGAN FOOTBALL ing time slipping away and is leav‑ ing the Irish after losing his starting job to Malik Zaire in the Music City Bowl. Michigan has already accepted a graduate transfer in former Iowa quarterback Jake Rudock, but head coach Jim Harbaugh has been up‑ front with his players, telling them that if Michigan can add pieces be‑ fore the 2015 season that can help this team win he will. U‑M has a bigger need at wide re‑ ceiver, and both Gallon and Showers are expected to take a look at Michi‑ gan. The 6‑4, 229‑pound Gallon, a cousin of former U‑M wide receiver Jeremy Gallon (2010‑13), has started 15 games among 20 appearances in his Bowling Green career, catching 78 balls for 952 yards and eight touch‑ downs. However, he missed the final five games of the 2013 season and all of the 2014 season with separate knee injuries. A Detroit native, the 5‑11, 188‑pound Showers has played in 21 games offen‑ sively for Florida, catching 20 passes for 133 yards and two scores. He has also rushed 13 times for 98 yards. BTN: OSU HAS BETTER NFL RECEIVERS THAN MICHIGAN In a recent BigTenNetwork.com poll, senior writer Tom Dienhart asked which school is Big Ten Wide Receiver U.?, presenting the cases for U‑M and OSU —‑ both schools have produced a Big Ten‑high seven NFL Draft picks in the 10‑year span from 2005‑14. Michigan's receivers have in‑ cluded Braylon Edwards, Jason Avant, Steve Breaston, Mario Man‑ ningham, Adrian Arrington, Junior NFL Draft: Three Wolverines Picked Michigan produced a pair of draft picks in the first two rounds for the first time since 2008 when wide receiver Devin Funchess (No. 41 overall) and defensive end Frank Clark (No. 63) both went in round two, to the Carolina Panthers and the Seattle Seahawks, respectively. Linebacker Jake Ryan was the next U‑M player chosen, going to the Green Bay Packers in round four, while quarterback‑turned‑wide receiver Devin Gardner signed an undrafted free‑agent contract with the New England Patriots. The Carolina Panthers traded their second‑, third‑ and sixth‑round picks to the St. Louis Rams so they could move up 16 slots and secure the 6‑4, 232‑pound Funchess, who made 126 receptions for 1,715 yards and 15 touchdowns in three seasons in Ann Arbor. "When you look at the draft board, here's a guy we have rated in the first round," Carolina head coach Ron Rivera said. "He's a guy that's going to bring something a little different to the table in terms of big‑catch radius, big size with a little bit more speed." With seven receivers taken before Funchess, the Panthers didn't want to wait