some hot takes from seeing these guys up close and personal, my seats were 5 rows away from the Michigan sideline...
- JJ McCarthy is far from a finished product- he had missed opportunities where his 2nd and 3rd reads were wide open. He locks on his 1st read too much and he holds the ball too long. Having said that- the passing scheme and play calling isn't helping him. Having said that- he's RIDICULOUSLY talented. Seeing that kid live in person....that arm talent is elite and he is FAST for a QB. Not trying to knock Cade- but....he's A LOT better than Cade. That's no disrespect to Cade, it's just the reality of the situation.
- Blake Corum is really good at football. Donovan Edwards just might be better. That's crazy to say, but Corum is pretty much a finished product and Edwards isn't even scratching the surface of what he can be. This is a SPECIAL 1-2 punch that Michigan has at RB. These are both future NFL backs with serious explosive and play making ability. Michigan hasn't had one of these type of guys at RB let alone two of them together in a long long long time.
- Ronnie Bell is an AWESOME #2 WR. He's the most polished WR they have, but he's not a legit #1 who can take over a game or scare a defense. Starting to be afraid that Roman Wilson isn't much more than a go route WR- he's faster than sh&t but his route running leaves a lot to be desired. I think WR coaching is a major issue at Michigan and has been for years. Wilson running go routes all day long would be fine if Michigan actually threw the ball deep often- but- they don't. Cornelius Johnson is their most physically imposing WR. He's much bigger and more physical than Bell and just as fast if not faster- and while he's not as fast as Roman Wilson he looks like a grown ass man standing next to his kid brother when they stand next to each other. Andrel Anthony is the one WR that looked to my eye to just play at a higher level athletically than those other 3....and he barely plays at all. It's just effortless and easy with him in and out of breaks, he eats up cushion faster and just looks more athletic than those other 3 guys....and he doesn't even play. Go figure.
- the OL is better than last year. Hayes, Keegan, and Zinter all returned and the addition of Olu Oluwatimi has taken that OL up a notch. No disrespect to Andrew Vastardis- he was a solid college player- but he had zero NFL future. Oluwatimi is a future NFL center. That guy is a DUDE. Seriously impressive seeing him in person. Dancing bear I believe is the term. Dude is a beast.
- the DL is better than last year. How? They are rounding out into form on the interior and appear to be much stronger there. DT's Mazi Smith and Kenneth Grant look like NFL players in person. Grant is a true freshman. Both of them are like...holy sh&t that's a monster. Back-up EDGE Braiden McGregor does as well. So does starting EDGE Mike Morris. So does back-up EDGE and true frosh Derrick Moore. Those 5 dudes physically look like NFL players right now...seeing them up close in person- they are straight up scary looking. Just massive human beings. Mason Graham- another true frosh at DT might just be their best defensive tackle. Which is insane because Mazi Smith is playing out of his mind right now. Mason Graham has no business being as good as he has been as a true freshman. They rotate A LOT of guys on that DL- a lot more than last year and maybe that is why they are keeping fresh and wear teams down in 2nd half of games. Mazi Smith, Mason Graham, Kris Jenkins, and Kenneth Grant all got a lot of snaps on the interior vs PSU and at EDGE they rotate Mike Morris, Jaylen Harrell, Eyabi Okie, Derrick Moore, Braiden McGregor, and Taylor Upshaw. Okie, Moore, and McGregor were very highly rated recruits- you expect a lot of guys like that- but Morris and Harrell are the starters and they were just "nooooo 3 starz ewwww" - and Morris is their best EDGE player. They are also BETTER this year at setting the edge vs the run with their edge defenders. Why? Well David Ojabo was kind of a huge liability at run defense and setting the edge and while Hutchinson was really good at that- Mike Morris may be even better at setting the edge vs the run. Morris does have about 30 pounds of muscle on Hutch though....so yeah.
- Mike Sainistril might be one of the top 3 players on that defense. And that is insane considering he played WR last season. His football IQ and instincts appear to be off the charts. He just always seems to be in perfect position and always just seems to know what offenses are trying to do before they do it. He's their best DB and it's not really close. The CBs really have yet to be tested. DJ Turner has been inconsistent this year- he's maybe the fastest guy on their entire team and he flashes great play and then has some not so great play. He's just not consistent. He'll gamble and get beat too much imo. Gemon Green has been a pleasant surprise and has been their best, most consistent CB. The safeties appear to be pretty good with RJ Moten, Rod Moore, and Makari Paige- but again- they haven't really been tested. True frosh CB Will Johnson looks like an NFL CB- he's a VERY impressive looking physical specimen seeing him up close in person. Every bit of 6'1/6'2, really long arms, really big hands, broad shoulders, really well built. He's a true frosh and he looks more impressive physically than either of the starting CB's- DJ Turner or Gemon Green. Secondary is largely untested, really don't know what exactly what to think of it yet. But I DO think Sainistril is a legit All-Conference caliber player and that Will Johnson will take over a starting CB job by end of the year- he just flat out physically looks different than the two other CBs- not sure you keep that on the bench for much longer.
