When former Michigan cornerback Jeremy Clark heard his name called by the New York Jets during the sixth round of the NFL draft on Saturday, he became the 11th Wolverine to come off the board. Throughout their illustrious and storied history, the Maize and Blue had never seen that many players taken in a single draft – until this year.
When it comes to players being drafted, the 1970’s were a golden age for the Michigan program. In both 1972 and 1974, the Wolverines had 10 players drafted and in 1975, nine were selected. Before this year’s crew, those three draft classes stood as the three best in Michigan history.
Granted, the rules and procedures of the NFL draft have been changed and altered immensely over the years, with as many as 32 rounds occurring back in the 1940’s. With that being said, though, that just makes what the Wolverines accomplished this year all the more impressive.
To get a better sense of how extraordinary this year’s feat is, consider this statistic – as mentioned above, Michigan had seen 10 players drafted in a single year just twice (1972 and 1974), nine players just once (1975), and eight players also once (1948). Those four classes, along with this year’s, make up the five best classes in U-M NFL draft history.
More of The Wolverine's NFL Draft coverage
Michigan Football: Jabrill Peppers To The Browns In Round One
Michigan Football: Taco Charlton Goes No. 28 To The Cowboys
Michigan Football: Taco Charlton Says He’s Ready To Help Dallas Win
Peppers Thrilled To Go To Cleveland, Says 'My Character Speaks For Itself'
Baltimore Ravens Select Chris Wormley With The No. 74 Pick
Michigan Football: Jourdan Lewis Selected No. 92 By Dallas
Delano Hill Selected By The Seattle Seahawks At No. 95 Overall
Michigan Football: Amara Darboh Joins The Seattle Seahawks
Jourdan Lewis, Dallas Cowboys Both Confident In Lewis' Character
Michigan Football: Delano Hill Is Thrilled To Be A Seahawk
Michigan Football: Another Harbaugh In Chris Wormley's Future
Michigan Football: Seahawks Felt Fortunate To Get Amara Darboh
Michigan Football: Vikings Grab Ben Gedeon At No. 120
Michigan Football: Bengals Select Ryan Glasgow No. 138 Overall
Michigan Football: Chiefs Take Jehu Chesson In The Fourth Round
Michigan Football: Jake Butt Joins The Broncos
Michigan Football: Jets Take Jeremy Clark, Setting A New U-M Draft Record
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