The 2023 Michigan football team just keeps etching its name in the history books. After it set a new nationwide record for players invited to the NFL Draft combine with 18, and a program record for players drafted in the first three rounds with seven, it broke one more program record on Saturday.
All in all, 13 Wolverines were selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, breaking the previous record of 11 set in 2017 by two draftees. Six of those Michigan players were selected on the third and final day of the draft on Saturday, starting late in the fourth round. Six more Wolverines were signed as undrafted free agents following the draft’s conclusion.
The Michigan Daily football beat breaks down the Michigan players that joined new teams on or after day three:
Round 4
The first Wolverine selected on the final day of the draft was tight end AJ Barner who was taken by the Seattle Seahawks with the No. 121 overall pick. Barner only played one year at Michigan after transferring from Indiana, but he made an instant impact. Barner hauled in 22 passes for 249 yards and one touchdown playing alongside then-sophomore tight end Colston Loveland. He also played a key role as a blocker in the run game.
In Seattle, Barner joins a tight end room led by Noah Fant, but the rookie will have opportunities behind him. He’ll also get to play for former Wolverines defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who was hired as Seahawks head coach this offseason.
Barner was the only Michigan player selected in the fourth round on Saturday.
Round 5
Late in the fifth round, with the No. 172 overall pick, the Philadelphia Eagles selected guard Trevor Keegan. Keegan was a three-year starter for the Wolverines and a part of the Joe Moore Award-winning offensive lines in 2021 and 2022. He primarily played left guard for Michigan where he started 37 games throughout his career. Keegan also earned a first team All-Big Ten selection in 2022.
With the Eagles, Keegan slots in as depth behind Pro Bowl left guard Landon Dickerson, who recently became the highest-paid guard in NFL history. Keegan was the last Michigan player selected before the seventh round.
Round 7
Four more Wolverines were selected in the seventh and final round of the draft on Saturday, bringing their total to 13.
With the No. 240 overall pick, the Carolina Panthers drafted linebacker Michael Barrett, the winningest player in Michigan football history. Barrett started all 15 games for the Wolverines last season and finished second on the team in tackles with 65. A key leader for Michigan in his six seasons, Barrett saw the program through highs and lows. Now, he’s taking his winning resume to Carolina.
On the other side of the ball, offensive lineman LaDarius Henderson was the next Wolverine off the board, selected No. 249 overall by the Houston Texans. A graduate transfer from Arizona State, Henderson provided experience and depth for Michigan’s offensive line, earning an All-Big Ten first team selection in 2023.
Three picks later, two more Wolverines went back-to-back yet again — the third time in the draft. First, edge rusher Jaylen Harrell went to the Tennessee Titans with the No. 252 overall pick. In his senior season at Michigan, Harrell recorded a team-high 10 tackles for loss and team-high seven-and-a-half sacks.
Following Harrell’s selection, wide receiver Cornelius Johnson became the second Michigan player to reunite with Jim Harbaugh at the Chargers, joining third-round selection Junior Colson. Johnson totalled 604 yards on 47 receptions last season, the Wolverines’ third leading receiver.
Michigan’s four seventh rounders rounded out its draft class and helped achieve the program record.
Undrafted free agents
In addition to the 13 Wolverines drafted, six more signed as undrafted free agents (UDFAs).
Center Drake Nugent, who started all 15 games for Michigan this past season, inked a deal with the San Francisco 49ers. As a graduate transfer, Nugent allowed only one sack in 375 pass block snaps. He was a captain at Stanford prior to becoming a Wolverine.
Two more offensive linemen signed UDFA deals: Karsen Barnhart with the Los Angeles Chargers and Trente Jones with the Green Bay Packers. Barnhart is joining Harrell and Colson in reuniting with their former head coach in Los Angeles. He moved around on the offensive line as a graduate student, starting every game and earning All-Big Ten honors.
Jones, another graduate student, played as Michigan’s sixth lineman before stepping up in the wake of Zak Zinter’s injury. He ended up making five starts on the offensive line in key matchups down the stretch, including the Rose Bowl and National Championship.
On the opposite line, edge rusher Braiden McGregor signed with the New York Jets. McGregor spent four years at Michigan, making his debut as a sophomore and steadily increasing his production each year. In his senior season, he started every game and made 26 tackles, including nine for loss — tied for most on the team.
Picking up another Michigan player after drafting Blake Corum in the third round, the Los Angeles Rams signed cornerback Josh Wallace. Wallace came to Ann Arbor from Massachusetts as a graduate transfer, appearing in all 15 games with 11 starts in the secondary. He made 33 tackles, including two for loss and four pass breakups.
Rounding out the group of Wolverines headed to the NFL, kicker James Turner is staying home in Michigan. A Saline native, Turner also joined the Wolverines as a graduate transfer after spending four years at Louisville, and he signed a UDFA deal with the Detroit Lions. Turner scored 119 points this past season, good for seventh-highest in single-season history at Michigan and second-most among kickers.