2024 NFL draft predictions for Michigan football

It could be a historic NFL draft for Michigan football as the Wolverines aim to set the draft record for the most players selected.

Georgia set the record a couple of years back with 15 players picked. Michigan football has 18 players who have a good shot of getting drafted. There are some that we know will get drafted such as J.J. McCarthy, Mike Sainristil, Blake Corum, Roman Wilson, Junior Colson, Zak Zinter, Trevor Keegan, and more.

There are some questions too. However, Michigan football players come into the league ready, and with guys like Michael Barrett, they can contribute in multiple ways, such as on special teams.

So on the morning of the NFL draft, it seems like a good time for some Michigan NFL draft predictions, so we are going to lay out how many players will get drafted and what round they will be selected.

Michigan football mock draft day one picks

There are a couple of Michigan players who could sneak into the end of the first round. Roman Wilson and Mike Sainristil are both names to watch.

But this is J.J. McCarthy’s night. He’s about to become the highest Michigan quarterback ever selected in the NFL draft and I’d be surprised if he lasted past the top five. Minnesota, New York, and Denver seem like three teams angling for him but watch out for New England and Washington too.

Day two Michigan selections

The second day is when Michigan football will start making its presence felt. Sainristil and Wilson will come off the board early in round two. I also think Junior Colson and Blake Corum end up as second-round picks.

If Corum lasts until round three, he’ll come off early to the Chargers. Kris Jenkins will also be a second-round pick, so you could have as many as five Michigan football players going in round two.

Zak Zinter is another guy to watch on day three. If he didn’t get hurt against Ohio State, he would probably be a day-two pick without question. Instead, some team likely gets a steal early in round four.

Since we have six players projected to go on the first two days, Michigan would need 10 players selected on day three of the NFL draft. The good news is that the Wolverines are incredibly deep and that’s very possible.

Will Michigan football break the record on day three?

Zinter is going to get picked. So will Trevor Keegan, Cornelius Johnson, AJ Barner, Jaylen Harrell, and Braiden McGregor. That’s 12. Then there are some toss-ups, at least according to mock drafts. I have a hard time seeing Michael Barrett not drafted. I also think there’s a strong chance that LaDarius Henderson, Trente Jones, and Karsen Barnhart are all picked by late in the seventh round.

NFL teams want to run the ball more, so why not draft a guy like Jones? A mauler? Barnhart will be a solid guard in the NFL and Henderson has all the tools to be a swing tackle. Drake Nugent, a a true center, has a good chance to get picked too.

Quality linemen are becoming harder to find and Michgan football is known for developing them. Therefore, I think you may see six of them go on Saturday, plus Barrett, Johnson, Barner, Harrell and McGregor. I see Josh Wallace as a rookie free agent which would give Michigan 17 selections.

The final number might end up being 16, but it could be 18 too. Either way, a lot of Wolverines are coming off the board at the NFL draft in the next three days, starting tonight with J.J. McCarthy.