22 IN '22: Wolverines to Watch: #15 - DE Taylor Upshaw

Every Tuesday until the season begins TMBR will be counting down the "22 in '22 Wolverines to Watch". These are the twenty-two players with the best chance to make an impact ranked by their potential impact.

THE LIST: #22 DB Will Johnson | #21 OL Zak Zinter | #20 DL Kris Jenkins | #19 DB/WR Mike Sainristil | #18 WR Darrius Clemons | #17 EDGE Jaylen Harrell | #16 WR AJ Henning | #15 DE Taylor Upshaw

Taylor Upshaw was what has become a common theme for recruits at Michigan. A 3-star recruit who many schools faded away from because of his potential tweener status, something Michigan saw as a strength. Another strength was Jim Harbaugh's love for players with NFL bloodlines. Upshaw's father Regan played in the league for nine seasons. Upshaw originally committed to Florida, but after an October offer less than a month later he had flipped to the Wolverines.

Upshaw has ridden the old school development train in Ann Arbor, much like last week's 22 in '22 Wolverine to watch, Mike Sainristil. Upshaw did not see action in his freshman season, working on his game in the weight room and with the scout team. By his sophomore season, he was a limited contributor with most of his work coming on special teams.

In his third season for the Wolverines, Upshaw began to make an impact. In the 6-game shortened season he made two starts and notched 17 tackles. More impressive was his ability to get behind the line where he had 3 TFL and 2 sacks.

Coming into the 2021 season Upshaw was considered a potential starter at EDGE in the Wolverine's new scheme. He ultimately lost a camp battle to future NFL second-round pick, David Ojabo. Upshaw still saw a role in the defensive line rotation appearing in 12 games, once again making noise behind the line of scrimmage with 4.5 TFL and 2.5 sacks. He played more snaps than usual in the Big Ten Championship Game and was a force with three QB hurries.

Gone are the EDGE duo of David Ojabo and Aidan Hutchinson. Enter Taylor Upshaw? Upshaw has reached his physical peak and now weighs about 20lbs more than when he arrived in Ann Arbor. Upshaw's tweener status has him perfectly built for the EDGE/SAM role in this defense. More so, Upshaw showed the ability last year to not only put his hand in the dirt as a 4-3 DE but he also slid inside in NASCAR packages alongside Mike Morris. Versatility has been a buzz word all offseason and Upshaw is loaded with it.

While Ojabo seemingly broke out of nowhere last season, Upshaw has already shown in limited action that he can get to the quarterback and impact the run game behind the line of scrimmage. This gives Upshaw and advantage over fellow EDGE Jaylen Harrell. While both players will play heavily in rotations, Michigan needs to replace a lot of pass rush, and Upshaw has already shown he has the potential.

At this point in the list I am questioning whether I will regret not having a player higher, and Upshaw is a guy who could become THE GUY on Michigan's defensive line. He has serious breakout potential and could end up one of the top 5-10 players on the team.

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