As we inch closer to the 2018 college football season, more and more outlets and publications are releasing their own personalized rankings/lists of who they think the best players in the country are.
Several Wolverines have made appearances on these lists, and we've attempted to gather them up into one place for you:
Three Wolverines Land on PFF's "top 5 at Every Position" List
Pro Football Focus recently rated the top 5 2019 NFL draft prospects at every position in college football in 2018, and three Wolverines made the cut.
The site slated junior defensive end Rashan Gary as the second-best edge defender, trailing only Ohio State junior Nick Bosa.
His "strength" is that he is "a physical tour de force whose capable of playing through or around offensive linemen," while the following was written for his "room to improve" category: "Gary has gotten by on pure physical tools for most of his career up to this point and his hand usage needs refining."
Junior linebacker Devin Bush, meanwhile, checked in as the second-best linebacker, behind Texas Tech's Dakota Allen.
This is what the outlet said when discussing Bush's "strengths" — "A player that has flashed immense ability from Day 1 at Michigan, Bush has been a versatile linebacker whose greatest strength may be his unstoppable attack on the blitz. A season ago, he had seven sacks and 26 total pressures when rushing the passer."
As for his room for improvement: "At his best, he is one of the best linebackers in the game, but needs to work on doing it consistently every week in all facets of the game."
Finally, junior cornerback Lavert Hill was tabbed as the third-best cornerback, trailing Georgia's DeAndre Baker and LSU's Andraez Williams, respectively.
PFF opined that Hill "stays in phases with receivers and has a good feel for playing zone coverage, and showed good ball skills at the catch point when he finds the ball," but "was often late to react to the ball at the catch point, so can be targeted on back-shoulder throws, and can get grabby at the top of routes."
Our take: All three of these rankings are spot on.
Gary and Bosa are widely viewed as the top two defensive ends who could wind up in the 2019 NFL draft, while Bush is also considered one of the top linebackers (if he decides to leave).
As for the cornerbacks, slotting Hill at No. 3 is completely fine, but where in the world is junior David Long?
PFF tabbed him as the best returning corner in the county in 2018 after the season ended, and many people think he is actually better than Hill.
Leaving him off the list seems like an odd decision.
PFF Ranks the top 50 Players in College Football Heading Into 2018
Unsurprisingly, several Wolverines were ranked among the top 50 nationally on PFF's list of the best players in the country in 2018, starting with...
27. Fifth-year senior defensive end Chase Winovich — "Winovich has two outstanding years of production under his belt, picking up 16 sacks, 22 QB hits and 46 hurries on only 559 rushes."
28. Hill — "Hill is comfotable in both man coverage and in zone as his 90.0 overall grade from last season is the best among returning Power-5 cornerbacks."
30. Bush — "Bush makes impact, flash plays in every game he is a part of. What he needs to do is iron out the inconsistencies and do it on a more regular basis down-to-down to become a superstar."
Our take: Slotting Winovich, Hill and Bush in their respective spots seems pretty accurate, but there is one enormous omission from the list — Gary!
Most publications have the junior as one of the 10 best players in the nation heading into 2018, yet PFF doesn't even list him in the top 50?
Long is another player who should have been included, while junior viper Khaleke Hudson (18 tackles for loss, eight sacks in 2017) could make a strong argument as well.
The Big Lead Also Gives its Take on the Nation's 50 Best Players
Like PFF, The Big Lead also took a shot at ranking the 50 best players in the country in 2018. Here's where the Wolverines landed on their list:
5. Gary — "He’s 6-foot-5, 280 pounds. He’s agile and mobile and nubile. The Wolverines’ athletic freak. When he’s done starring in Ann Arbor this year, he’ll absolutely dominate the NFL Combine, especially in the drills measuring quickness and speed. Jim Harbaugh wouldn’t mind if Gary helped him win a few big games before that, though."
16. Bush — "Especially adept in pass coverage, Bush made 95 tackles, including 10 for a loss, last year. He’s overshadowed a bit by Gary, but may be the Big Ten’s best linebacker. He’s especially important to Don Brown’s defense and his quickness in the open field is a sight to behold."
41. Winovich — "Doesn’t get quite the clippings of Rashan Gary, but every bit as fearsome. Racked up 18 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Great head of hair that deserves a moment of appreciation."
Our take: Gary and Bush are slotted pretty accurately, but there shouldn't be such a big discrepancy between the former and Winovich.
The fifth-year senior posted arguably the best statistics of any defensive player in the conference last year (18.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks), and should wreak similar havoc in 2018.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with thinking Gary is the better player, but the two are at least neck-and-neck.
Finally, excluding Hill was a bit of an odd choice, while Long and Hudson (again) also could have been included.
Todd McShay has High Praise for Gary
ESPN's Todd McShay recently ranked the top 32 players for next year's NFL draft, and placed Gary No. 3 on his list, behind only Bosa and Houston junior defensive tackle Ed Oliver.
Giving him an overall grade of 95, here's what McShay said about the Wolverine:
"Two years after he arrived in Ann Arbor as the most celebrated recruit in the country, Gary has somehow matched the hype. A powerful run defender and edge-setter, he has an outstanding combination of size and athleticism and will fit any scheme.
"Explosive, sudden and a nightmare to block. Key stat: played in all 26 games since he arrived, and has piled up 17.0 tackles for loss."
Our take: McShay is spot on. Gary will probably be a top 10 pick in next year's NFL draft if he chooses to come out, and could go as high as No. 3.
Teams absolutely love his physical potential moving forward, which will likely allow him to remain an incredibly high pick, regardless of what he does on the field in 2018.
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