Michigan's NFL draft decisions all seem to be in. Cornelius Johnson, Michael Barrett, and Kris Jenkins confirmed they're returning. So did Jim Harbaugh. Seems like a good day to check in on the state of the football roster. What is this? Folks who cover the USMNT drop lists like this projecting the 23 guys who end up on the next World Cup team. Brian appropriated it, dropped it for a few years, and then I stole it from him. Regarding the number of tickets: typically its’ 22 starters on offense and defense + 2 kickers + a Flex TE/Slot + nickel + extra DL. This year we have a K/P so I used the extra spot on a 6th OL. Previously: Spring 2022, Post-Bowl 2022. DEPARTURES IN ORDER OF SIGNIFICANCE 1. C Olu Oluwatimi (out of eligibility). Won Outland and Rimington Awards, centered Joe Moore-winning OL. 2. DE Mike Morris (NFL). Only DL who could get solid pass-rush. Great run defender. Badly hampered/missed after rolled ankle late vs Nebraska. 3. NT Mazi Smith (NFL). Stalwart nose, freakish athlete, ate doubles so his teammates could eat, had some contain issues. 4. WR Ronnie Bell (NFL). Leading WR, team leader, only so far down the list because M had lots behind him. 5. K Jake Moody (out of eligibility). One half of Pax Specialistica (2018-2022). Won Groza and came back for Year 5. 69/84 FGs, 148/148 on XPs. Kicked a 59-yarder in Fiesta that also broke the school record for career scoring. 6. P Brad Robbins (out of eligibility). Other half. Old-timey strongman mustache, perfect holder. Ludicrous hangtime until injury nerfed him. 7. CB DJ Turner (NFL) and 8. CB Gemon Green (NFL). Very good CBs. WRs they covered were rarely open, but caught more contesteds than they should have. 9. LT Ryan Hayes (NFL). Solid pass pro except against elites, great downfield agility, awesome down-blocker. 10. TE Luke Schoonmaker (NFL) and 11. TE Erick All (Iowa). Excellent blocky-catchies, would have been nice to keep one. 12. DE Eyabi Okie (Portal to ?) Vagabond former 5-star who leaves as he lived: lots of potential, doesn't know when it's time to stay in one place. 13. DE Taylor Upshaw (Colorado). Polar opposite of Okie: low-ranked build-a-DE/DT with a low ceiling. Responsible on edge, passing downs DT, no bend. 14. QB Cade McNamara (Iowa). B10-winning game manager who hated being called that. Fall practice hype said he'd taken next step, was tied with JJ. Tryout for his old job failed spectacularly, ankle injury shut him down. 15. WR Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma). Just 7 catches for 80 yards in 2022. We'll always have the 2021 MSU game. 16. TE Joel Honigford (out of eligibility). Blocking-only TE who specialized in scrum-pushing. 17-21. DT George Rooks (Boston College), TE Louis Hansen (UConn), DE Julius Welschof (?), LB Deuce Spurlock (Florida), QB Alan Bowman (OKSt). Playing time transfers. PACK YOUR BAGS You will see them on the field a lot, whether or not they’re technically getting the start. 1. RB Blake Corum (Jr/Sr) [Last time: 2] As foretold by Fred Jackson, the one true Mike Hart But Fast has come, is coached by Mike Hart. Heisman candidate until an injury against Illinois basically ended his season. Gave up some top-end speed to become a complete back, still very fast. Sees everything, sets up everything, breaks everything. 2. QB JJ McCarthy (Jr/Jr) [Last time: 12-tie] Zen-master 5-star emphatically defeated legacy starter Cade McNamara and had a sophomore year that bordered on stardom and frustrated only because his legs were not a big enough part of the offense. Now advances to the Henson 2000/Henne 2006 phase of 5-star quarterbackdom. 3. RB Donovan Edwards (Jr/Jr) [Last time: 9] Assumed 1B role, then became primary for OSU/B10 CG/Playoff despite having a broken hand for that portion of the season. Cut 75- and 85-yard swathes through the souls of OSU. Fixed vision/decision issues that previously annoyed in comparison to Corum. Receiving hampered by hand issue last year but is good enough to be a full-time WR, create McCaffreyian mismatches. 4. RG Zak Zinter (Jr/Sr) [Last time: 6] Mauler has been starting since he was a true freshman, arguably 2nd best player on last two Joe Moore Award-winning OLs. Great puller, great zone blocker, extremely good in pass pro, freakishly athletic for size (once reach-blocked a Georgia DT), good candidate to succeed Oluwatimi as Outland winner. 5. Nickel/CB Mike Sainristil (Sr/5th) [Last time: 19] Pictured: Play of the decade. Team captain who gave the in-game speech of the decade. Also a better nickel (to our grading) than Dax Hill was, though the role's a bit different. Could also play CB. Used to play slot receiver, then played like an All-American. More to go? Hard to say since he's limited by size. [After THE JUMP: Good players making jumps,  very few unsettled spots.]

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