The Michigan Wolverines have been one of the top teams to send players to the NFL for a very long time. Just this past season, Michigan sent the most players to the league with 13 players being selected during the 2024 NFL Draft. Like most things in life, the NFL Draft is a gamble for these franchises to bank on getting great value when it’s their turn to pick. Sometimes players don’t pan out as good pros, while other times NFL teams find out they have a hidden gem.
For this article, we went back to the 2015 NFL Draft and found five Michigan football players who have been steals. These Wolverines really outdid the value they were supposed to have when they were picked.
Collins was a third-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft after the Houston Texans selected him with the 89th pick. Collins just signed a mega extension — three-year $72.75 million — with the Texans after catching 80 passes for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023. Collins was one of the best in ’23 with Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud under center. Collins is considered one of the top 15 receivers in the game by many and well exceeded a third-round pick.
Danna only played a season in Ann Arbor, but he made the most of it after being selected in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 177th pick. After being a rotational piece for a couple of seasons, Danna is now one of Kansas City’s top pass rushers. He is coming off of a career-high of 50 tackles and 6.5 sacks. He had five sacks in 2022.
Continuing with the 2020 NFL Draft, the Vikings took the Michigan safety with the 205th pick in round six. Metellus has been a true Swiss-Army Knife for the Vikings being able to play just about any position and was a special team’s captain. Metellus was 26th in the NFL with 78 solo tackles this past season. He just signed an extension with Minnesota to keep him there for a while longer.
Sticking with the theme of the 2020 NFL Draft, Michael Onwenu way outlived his sixth-round stats. The New England Patriots selected the Michigan offensive lineman with the 182nd overall pick. He is one of the more versatile linemen out there being able to play both guard spots and at right tackle. After signing a three-year extension, the plans are to play Onwenu at RT this year. He’s had an average grade of 80.5 per PFF.
Graham Glasgow is one of the most consistent players since he’s been in the NFL. The Detroit Lions took Glasgow in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft with the 95th pick. He is now on his second stint with the Lions after going to the Denver Broncos after his rookie contract. He has played all over the line, but is currently holding down the right guard spot. He was one of the top linemen in ’23 with an 82.1 run-blocking grade on PFF.