Class Impact: Kwity Paye To Michigan

The Wolverines' 18th commitment was Warwick (R.I.) Bishop Hendricken weakside defensive end Kwity Paye. The 6-3, 225-pounder the No. 40 weakside defensive end in the country.

Paye is listed as a weakside defensive end, but he could play standing up as a hybrid-rush backer and, because of his muscular build, could eventually bulk up enough to play on the strong side. His build and skill set fits well as a weakside defensive end who sometimes can play standing up.

Paye has a great blend of size, speed, strength, and raw athleticism. This blend allows him to terrorize quarterbacks off the edge and even renders him very effective as a running back. He carries the ball as much as anyone on his team and has a 90-plus yard touchdown on his resume. He's the real deal when it comes to natural abilities.

Like many high school prospects, Paye still needs to work on his hand placement, angle, bend, and overall technique as a pass rusher. He also will have to adjust to playing against offensive linemen much bigger than him as opposed to sometimes smaller than him. He has all of the abilities to be a good pass rusher in college but he's not ready for that stage just yet.

The Michigan staff would like to land seven or eight bodies along the defensive line and Paye was No. 5 at the time of his commitment. He is listed at the same position as fellow commit Alexandria (Va.) Episcopal four-star Luiji Vilain, but the two of them have quite different builds and go about their jobs in very different ways. Vilain is long and lean and uses those limbs to keep offensive linemen at bay. Paye is strong, powerful, and quick side to side when rushing off the edge.

Beaver Falls (Pa.) four-star defensive tackle Donovan Jeter committed to Michigan the day after Paye leaving room for one to two more defensive players, likely on the interior.

Remaining needs in the class are at wide receiver, linebacker, and offensive line, with the option to continue building depth at other positions, specifically running back and defensive back. An elite fullback (such as LSU pledge Tory Carter) would be a huge boost, as well.

Michigan loses a lot from the defensive line after the 2016 season including defensive ends Taco Charlton and Chris Wormley. Despite those two huge losses, Rashan Gary and Chase Winovich return and should anchor the end spots. Ron Johnson, Carlo Kemp, and Shelton Johnson are the only players providing depth on the ends so while Paye probably won't be called upon, he could surprise some and earn a look. At the end of the day Paye seems to be in line for a redshirt season.

As a redshirt freshman, Paye could be called upon to factor into the rotation. When he hits the field in 2018 a more prominent role (though again, with plenty of rotation) is likely for his third year on campus and beyond.