The Michigan Wolverines had a good problem at the end of the 2016 college football season — they lost almost all of their starting lineup following the season, but 11 players were drafted into the NFL. That says a lot about the way the program develops NFL talent.
But it also left a bunch of holes in the roster and at key positions. Only one Michigan starter returns on defense and only a few more on offense.
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We'll start to see just how good Jim Harbaugh's first couple of recruiting classes are this fall when many of those players will need to step into major roles.
Here's a look at the players who will need to be replaced this season:
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S: Jabrill Peppers, Delano Hill
Drafted: Peppers (Round 1, No. 25 by Cleveland); Hill (Round 3, No. 95 by Seattle)
Michigan had two starting safeties drafted in 2017. Peppers will be one of the most difficult players to replace in all of college football, simply because he did so many different things. He had 66 tackles, 13.0 tackles for a loss, three sacks and an interception on defense last year, and also had 12 carries for 27 yards and three scores, caught two passes, returned 21 punts or an average of 14.8 yards with one score, and returned 10 kicks ith a 26.0 yard per return average. Last year alone.
Hill was pretty good too in his fourth season, with 50 tackles and three interceptions, including a defensive touchdown. He had 117 tackles in his career.
Who Steps Up?
- Tyree Kinnel, JR
- Josh Metellus, SO
- Khaleke Hudson, SO
- Jordan Glasgow, JR
For the sake of brevity, we'll only talk about replacing the safeties in this portion. How to replace Jabrill Peppers will be littered in bits and pieces throughout this article as he was involved in the play of so many position groups.
Kinnel is pretty much locked in as the No. 1 safety this fall after playing in all 13 games last year and in 21 over the past two seasons. He has 19 career tackles, a tackle for a loss and a forced fumble in his career. He's expected to be a leader on the defense.
Behind him, some combination of Metellus, Hudson, and Glasgow will step in. Hudson and Glasgow played all 13 games last year and Metellus played in 9. The trio don't have much experience, but that's a recurring theme across a defense that lost 10 starters. Metellus is likely to fill in more of Peppers linebacker-style roles, while the other two could be more traditional safeties.
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DE: Taco Charlton, Chris Wormley
Drafted: Charlton (Round 1, No. 28 by Dallas); Wormley (Round 3, No. 74 by Baltimore)
Michigan's defensive ends were both gone by the end of the third round of the draft. Charlton was a first rounder after a 40-tackle, 13.5-tackle for loss, 10.0-sack season. Wormley had 36 tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss and 5.5 sacks last season.
Who Steps Up?
- Rashan Gary, SO
- Chase Winovich, SR
MIchigan has more depth at defensive end, but Gary and Winovich ill be the immediate starters at defensive end. Rashan Gary is expected to be in the contention for the Big Ten Defensive PLayer of the Year Award. His own defensive coordinator said he's the "best [he's] ever seen." As a freshman last season playing behind two eventual NFL Draft picks, Gary totaled 27 tackles 5.0 tackles for a loss and a sack.
Winovich is one of the more experienced defenders for the Wolverines, having played in 19 games over the past two seasons. He has 37 career tackles, 9.5 tackles for a loss and 5.0 sacks. Most of that production came last fall.
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CB: Jourdan Lewis, Jeremy Clark
Drafted: Lewis (Round 3, No. 92 by Dallas); Clark (Round 6, No. 197 by N.Y. Jets)
Yet another position that Michigan had multiple players drafted was at cornerback. Lewis had a pair of interceptions and nine passes defended last season and totaled six picks in his career. Clark only played in four games because of an injury last year but was still drafted in the sixth round.
Who Steps Up?
- David Long, SO
- Lavert Hill, SO
- Drake Harris, SR
- Brandon Watson, JR
- Benjamin St.-Juste, FR
- Keith Washington, JR
It's anyone's guess who comes out ahead in the Wolverine's cornerback battle. Brandon Watson has 25 games of experience under his belt with 20 tackles but no pass breakups. Lavert Hill played in 9 games as a freshman and has two tackles, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery. David Long played in three games but recorded no stats.
Harris is a former wide receiver and Washington is a former dual-threat QB. St.-Juste is a true freshman. It's really anyone's guess who comes out ahead at the end of camp, but Michigan has a lot of bodies they can try.
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WR: Amara Darboh, Jehu Chesson
Drafted: Darboh (Round 3, No. 106 by Seattle); Chesson (Round 4, No. 139 by Kansas City)
Look, another position the Wolverines lost multiple players. Darboh caught 57 passes for 867 yards and 7 scores last year, leading Michigan in all categories. Chesson was third on the team with 35 grabs for 500 yards and two scores.
Who Steps Up?
- Donovan Peoples-Jones, FR
- Tarik Black, FR
- Grant Perry, JR
- Eddie McDoom, SO
- Maurice Ways, JR
The wide receivers are led by a pair of intriguing freshmen, the No. 1 incoming WR prospect Peoples-Jones and the No. 17 WR Black. Both are expected to play early and often.
Perry had 13 catches for 183 yards and 1 touchdown last season and is the the leading receiver statistically. McDoom is a slot receiver who is used in the run game as well, and Ways is the oldest receiver on the roster, but has just five catches in his career. There's more options behind thee five in another position group that will have a lot of competition.
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LB: Ben Gedeon
Drafted: Round 4, No. 120 by Minnesota
Gedeon was Michigan's leading tackler last fall, totaling 94 stops (39 solo) and adding 15.0 tackles for a loss and 4.5 sacks, along with 2 passes defended.
Who Steps Up?
- Mike McCray, SR
- Devin Bush, SO
Remember all that talk about 10 departing starters? The one returner is linebacker Mike McCray, who had 73 tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss last year. He's a preseason Butkus Award watch list member this fall. Bush, a sophomore, played in all 13 games last year and recorded 12 tackles.
As noted above, safety Khaleke Hudson is expected to fill some of Peppers' former role as a linebacker, too.
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DL: Ryan Glasgow
Drafted: Round 4, No. 138 by Cincinnati
Glasgow totaled 39 tackles last year (19 solo) and showed an ability to get in the backfield with 8.5 tackles for a loss and 3.0 sacks. He also had a batted ball and a forced fumble. Chris Wormley (listed above with the defensive ends) played on the interior on occasion last all, too.
Who Steps Up?
- Maurice Hurst, SR
- Bryan Mone, JR
Hurst returned to the Wolverines this fall though some thought he might test the NFL Draft waters. Last year he had 34 tackles 11.5 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks and 7 QB hurries. Mone has struggled to stay on the field, missing all of 2015 and part of last season, but shoud be slotted in if healthy this fall.
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TE: Jake Butt
Drafted: Round 5, No. 145 by Denver
Second only to Darboh last year, Butt caught 46 passes for 546 yards and four touchdowns, and finished his Michigan career with 138 catches for 1,646 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Who Steps Up?
- Ian Bunting, JR
- Tyrone Wheatley Jr., SO
- Sean McKeon, SO
Not only did Jake Butt get drafted, tight end Devin Asiasi transferred to UCLA. That opens up a couple of spots for the Wolverines. Bunting expects to be the bell-cow at tight end. He's the most experiences, with 23 games and 7 starts under his belt. He has just 10 catches for 118 yards in his career.
Others figuring into the mix are preseason Mackey Award listee Tyrone Wheatley Jr. and Sean McKeon, who have a combined 17 games of experience.
