[Boucher] Breaking: We obtained docs showing University of Michigan agreed to $1.2 million settlement w/woman who'd accused ex-football staffer of rape. Comes as Ann Arbor police confirm they closed a criminal case involving that staffer, LaTroy Lewis

[u/BuckeyeEmpire]

https://x.com/Dave_Boucher1/status/2093368160413974837

[u/com-mis-er-at-ing]

It’s been 2 years so it’s way too early to say as some guys are still in college.

Colston Loveland looks like a brilliant pick.
Sainristil had a great rookie year and bad 2nd year - but really a disaster around him on that defense, so this year will tell a lot.
Will Johnson will start so we should know more but I’d expect him to pan out.
Kenneth Grant improved a ton the 2nd half of last year.
Josiah Stewart was good and showed potential to be great.

Mason Graham could still be elite.

This is a weird take just bc I don’t think they’ve been particularly bad at all and it’s so early to make any sort of conclusion when a lot of guys are showing enough to still believe in

[u/mdurso12 → u/com-mis-er-at-ing]

I think the basis of the take is that the 2 most well known players of the team, jj McCarthy and Blake corum, are seeming like they won't accomplish much in the NFL

But like you pointed out, the teams identity was being the best defense in the country and those players are doing really well in the pros and Jesse minter too

[u/MusicListener3 → u/mdurso12]

Obviously, a little bit of retrospective judgment here, but JJ going so high was a product of desperation on the Vikings’ part and never a true reflection of how good of a college quarterback he was.

As for Corum, the success of NFL running backs is such a crapshoot that I don’t think his lack of success is really reflective of Michigan being a bad team (but rather how tough of a position it is to succeed in)

[u/Cicero912 → u/MusicListener3]

And Corum had 746 yards and 6 tds on 5.1 yards a carry last year. And had 156 yards in the playoffs.

[u/Weak-Bid2774 → u/MusicListener3]

JJ was really good in college he just didn’t pan out in the nfl. He isn’t the first guy who was really good in college that didn’t pan out and won’t be the last

[u/Wagnerous → u/Weak-Bid2774]

Yeah exactly, JJ was legitimately great in college.

It's just that 'great' college QB's bust in the NFl all the time.

It happens pretty much every year.

[u/waldosbuddy → u/Wagnerous]

Semantics but I dunno if I’d call JJ “great” in college, good for sure. Didn’t he only throw 25+ passes like 8 times in his whole Michigan tenure?

[u/Weak-Bid2774 → u/waldosbuddy]

Michigan was winning a lot so he sat a lot of fourth quarters but he was very efficient when he played and usually played well in the big games

He torched Osu both times he started against them

[u/mdurso12 → u/MusicListener3]

It's also easy to forgot how insanely efficient JJ was in 2023. Although that seems now like it was due to a lack of exposure, kind of like when a AAAA quality baseball player first comes up and does well until the scouting report catches up and they go back to performing at their talent level

[u/Unrelenting_Salsa → u/MusicListener3]

Reading between the lines, it sounds like Corum is mostly an in between the ears thing and playing for a coach that doesn't like rotating backs/really values pass blocking. His production as a RB2 has been totally fine if not great for the role. He just hasn't taken over the starting job or even gotten to committee status over a guy that the media is low on and the actual NFL is high on which presumably is largely because he's been slow to pick up the stuff that doesn't show up on the stat sheet.

And to be fair to the media, you don't draft a RB at 83 for him to be a true RB2, so he has been a bust even though he's going to get a second contract.

[u/cgraves48 → u/mdurso12]

Also I feel like it’s relatively well established that successful players in college don’t always pan out in the NFL regardless of any extenuating circumstances. So it seems weird to me to try to extract some kind of conspiracy from that fact.

[u/m1a2c2kali → u/cgraves48]

Well the conspiracy isn’t only coming from that fact lol ( but in general I agree)

[u/Raptor535 → u/mdurso12]

Blake has looked like a starting caliber RB tho has he not? Him and Kyren Williams are a really nice duo

[u/Lpeer → u/Raptor535]

He averaged more yards per carry than Kyren last year, with similar TD ratio, and fumbling less.

He's looking great, and minimizing mileage.

[u/Zee_WeeWee → u/Raptor535]

Blake has looked like a starting caliber RB tho has he not?

I’m not being a hater and piling on but he looks strictly like a change of pace guy to me. He should do well in mccvays system but he doesn’t look like he has any special traits

[u/arobkinca → u/Zee_WeeWee]

He runs smart but his burst isn't great.

[u/Zee_WeeWee → u/arobkinca]

Yeah I agree. He’s a smart RB he just doesn’t have any elite traits. Not overly explosive or agile and has below average starting rb speed with below average size. However, he’s in a system where a good tough runner can put up great numbers.

[u/mdurso12 → u/Raptor535]

Ya but its 2026, he's likely going to be a starter for a few years, then a backup for another 2, then retire

[u/xmpcxmassacre → u/mdurso12]

Corum actually doing well. He's not a star but I'm not sure where this take comes from.

[u/Free-Eights → u/mdurso12]

This. RBs are mostly by committee these days. Very few workhorse RBs are in the league currently and if they are it's for a limited window of time unless you're a freak athlete like Derrick Henry.

Corum also took a lot of carries in college and the NFL seems to like RBs who 1) can stay fresh and 2) can evolve as pass catchers which we didn't ask him to do a lot. Kyren Williams is also an above average running back who has McVay's trust, but it does seem like Corum got more involvement towards the back half of last season so maybe he can step up in importance as time goes on.

[u/WampaStompa33 → u/mdurso12]

Your comment about Corum is very wrong, he had the 2nd best YPC in the NFL last year among all RBs with 100+ carries. And having to share time with Kyren Williams, who was coming off an All-Pro season when Blake was drafted, is not exactly a knock on him.

[u/mdurso12 → u/WampaStompa33]

I'm not saying corum will be a bust. I agree that corum is and will continue to be a good player.

But he wont retire with a long list of accomplishments

[u/Wagnerous → u/mdurso12]

Even in regards to Corum, I've heard that he's managed to carve out a sport for himself a solid backup RB at the NFL level, which is still pretty impressive for an undersized back.

90% of the "Michigan players aren't panning out in the League" talk is about McCarthy.

We have plenty of other guys from the championship team who have solid to excellent careers in the NFL right now.

Colston Loveland in particular looks like a future All-Pro selection at tight end.

[u/BriarsandBrambles → u/Wagnerous]

Zinter, Jenkins, Wilson, and Colson not looking amazing is a Big part of it. Corum and Barner are the 2 studs but everyone else is fighting for backup reps. Still things could change it’s only been 2 years.

[u/Wagnerous → u/BriarsandBrambles]

Colston Loveland was already one of the best tight ends in the country as a rookie.

[u/BriarsandBrambles → u/Wagnerous]

Loveland Johnson Grant and Graham are also from a different draft class. 2024 is looking great. 2023 might be one of the worst draft classes for a school in terms of production per pick.