Michigan Football: 3 storylines to follow this spring and beyond

Filling the void on defense

Recently, three Michigan football defenders were selected in the first round of our mock draft for the 2022 NFL draft and that gives you an idea of the kind of talent the Wolverines have to replace.

Not only is Heisman runner-up Aidan Hutchinson gone, but so are David Ojabo and Daxton Hil. However, five-star cornerback Will Johnson is coming on board and Jim Harbaugh has been singing the praise of Mike Morris, who he said could be the next Ojabo or Hutch.

Morris is 6-foot-6 and 270 pounds. Last season he got most of his work on the edge or as an interior pass rusher. He could take Hutchinson’s job and while we got a glimpse of what Morris could do last season, he seems poised for a huge jump.

Mazi Smith is another guy that’s going to take a leap, along with some talented underclassmen such as Junior Colson, Rod Moore and R.J. Moten. Rayshaun Benny and Braiden McGregor have all drawn praise this spring.

Michigan has plenty of talent but will any of that turn into elite production in 2022 — the kind that the Wolverines got from Ojabo and Hutchinson? That will be hard to match, but as a whole, the defense shouldn’t fall off a cliff as long as some of these youngsters develop.