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Michigan football has 18 players invited to NFL combine, on pace for draft record
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- Michigan football has 18 players invited to NFL combine, on pace for draft record
Former Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh made several bold proclamations prior to the 2023 college football season. Among them was one for April: That his roster would set a new NFL record for draft picks in a single season.
The 2021 Georgia team holds that distinction with 15 players selected in the 2022 NFL draft, but based on Tuesday's NFL combine invite list, U-M could well be on its way to topping that. In total, 18 of the 321 players invited to Indianapolis , the longtime home of the scouting event ahead of the NFL draft — in Detroit this year — are former Wolverines.
Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) hugs running back Blake Corum (2) during the national championship celebration at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024.
That's roughly one out of every 19 players in attendance at the combine, which is an invitation-only event that allows NFL scouts the opportunity to closely evaluate the top draft-eligible college players across a range of medical, mental and physical criteria.
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The list of former stars from Ann Arbor who will work out is highlighted by quarterback J.J. McCarthy , running back Blake Corum , wide receivers Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson and tight end AJ Barner . Also invited are six offensive linemen: Karsen Barnhart , LaDarius Henderson , Trevor Keegan , Trente Jones , Drake Nugent and Zak Zinter .
Seven players from the defensive side earned invites, including all three captains — defensive tackle Kris Jenkins , linebacker Michael Barrett and defensive back Mike Sainristil — as well as linebacker Junior Colson , edges Jaylen Harrell and Braiden McGregor and defensive back Josh Wallace .
Michigan offensive lineman Trevor Keegan, left, talks to defensive lineman Kris Jenkins during the national championship celebration at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024.
The event runs from Feb. 26-March 4 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Contact Tony Garcia at apgarcia@freepress.com . Follow him on Twitter at @realtonygarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football has 18 players invited to NFL combine
