The 2025 NFL Draft gave Michigan fans something to cheer about, at least in some respect.
Three Wolverines heard their names called in the first round—Mason Graham went No. 5 overall to the Cleveland Browns, Colston Loveland was scooped up at No. 10 by the Chicago Bears, and Kenneth Grant followed shortly after at No. 13 to the Miami Dolphins. That’s two in the top-10 and three in the top-15. Not a bad haul, right?
Well, yes and no.
On paper, that’s exactly the kind of talent that should anchor a national title contender. And let’s not forget, these weren’t just highly touted guys who underwhelmed in college—these were legitimate difference-makers. Graham and Grant formed one of the most feared defensive interiors in the country, and Loveland was considered one of the best tight ends in all of college football. Yet despite having all that on the roster, Michigan only managed to go 8-5 in 2024.
That's where the concern kicks in.
There’s a natural tendency to look at NFL success as a reflection of a college program’s strength. And yes, it’s a great recruiting tool. “Come to Michigan, and you’ll be a first-rounder.” But if you’re a fan looking at the bigger picture, it’s kind of hard to ignore the disconnect between the level of talent Michigan had and the lackluster results they produced last fall. Especially considering this was a team fresh off winning the national championship the year before.
So what changed?
Some fans want to chalk it up to a transition year. Fair enough—2024 brought a coaching change, a new quarterback carousel, and maybe a hangover effect from winning the national championship in 2023. But if the team was loaded with players good enough to go top-15 in the draft, shouldn’t that have cushioned the blow a bit more?
Instead, it begs a different question: was the problem really the talent?
Because now, Michigan fans are putting their faith in another wave of blue-chip additions. They landed major pieces from the transfer portal and locked in one of the top recruits in the country in 5-star QB Bryce Underwood. On the surface, it looks like Michigan is ready to bounce right back. Reload, not rebuild. That’s the pitch.
But the 2024 season was a cold reminder that you can’t always buy your way to consistency. Even with a defensive line that had two top-15 NFL picks, Michigan struggled to stop the run against teams in the Big Ten. Even with Loveland—who was widely considered a mismatch nightmare—they had one of the most underwhelming red zone offenses in the Big Ten.
The uncomfortable truth? Maybe the drop-off wasn't about personnel. Maybe it was deeper than that.
Culture? Coaching? Chemistry? Whatever it is, it's something that new faces alone won't automatically fix. And Michigan fans hoping that bringing in Underwood and a few portal plug-ins will suddenly erase all the scars from 2024 might be setting themselves up for disappointment if some of those internal issues remain unresolved.
The draft proved that Michigan had elite talent. But elite talent with average results should always spark questions.
So yes, go ahead and celebrate having three first-rounders. That’s an incredible achievement, but also ask this—if you can have that kind of talent on the field and still fall short of expectations, what’s really going on? Michigan fans want to blame the quarterback — and that's low-hanging fruit — but a team with that much talent still shouldn't have lost five games last season.