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ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit appeared on a conference call Tuesday morning, and gave his take on two Michigan-related topics — the eligibility of junior quarterback Shea Patterson and the draft status of defensive tackle Maurice Hurst.
Patterson’s ongoing fight with the NCAA to gain immediate playing time at Michigan has become a topic of controversy around the college football world, and unfortunately continues to drag on.
Hurst, meanwhile, was forced to sit out the NFL combine earlier this year after being diagnosed with a heart condition, but has since been cleared by cardiologists at both Michigan and Harvard. However, whether or not an NFL team wants to “risk” a first-round pick on him remains to be seen.
Herbstreit first touched on the Patterson ordeal.
Herbstreit's take on Patterson:
“I think he should have an opportunity to play. I haven’t followed it, but it seems like it’s become a big drama and a big story. Let the guy play — I don’t know what the issue is or what we’re waiting on.
"We’re talking about a difference maker if he’s eligible. He is a unique player that can throw and run. Everyone talks about [Michigan head coach] Jim Harbaugh and why they’re not winning, but once he gets his quarterbacks, receivers and skill guys — it’s going to happen, and they might even already be there — Michigan will be fine.
"He has to get a quarterback to be able to go to the next level, and Patterson would give him that. Hopefully it works out for him.
"Guys should be able to leave a program in disarray and transfer out and join another school and hit the ground running right away. I feel bad that he’s still dealing with some of that stuff.”
Our take:
Herbstreit is spot on with his assessment. It looked like a decision was coming back in March, but now that we're in mid April, we don't appear to be that much closer to a conclusion. The whole thing has turned into a bit of a circus, especially after Ole Miss rejected Patterson's appeal for immediate playing time on April 9.
Even his attorney, Thomas Mars, has become fed up with the whole situation:
“If I didn’t know better, I would have thought Ole Miss hired Pinocchio to write its response to Michigan’s waiver request," Mars told the Detroit News.
“After dealing with Ole Miss for over a year, I’ve learned to expect their leadership to do and say things that the leadership at other Division I schools would never consider doing, and to justify their actions by reminding themselves that ‘We’re Ole Miss.’”
While the junior quarterback is expected to (at some point) gain eligibility for 2018, one still has to hold their breath any time the NCAA is involved.
IF for some reason he is denied playing time, it's safe to expect either redshirt sophomore Brandon Peters or redshirt freshman Dylan McCaffrey to earn Michigan's starting quarterback job.
Peters started four games last season for the Wolverines, and led them to a 2-2 record. He also threw for 672 yards and four touchdowns, while tossing two interceptions.
McCaffrey, meanwhile, has never played a snap in college, but was a highly-touted four-star out of Highlands Ranch, Colo.
On the flip side, if Patterson is eligible this year, he will be the overwhelming favorite to win the starting quarterback job.
The junior threw for 3,139 yards and 23 touchdowns during his two seasons in Oxford, and could potentially be exactly what U-M needs to return to the game's elite.
Herbstreit's take on Hurst:
“I have a list of guys who are sneaky and have fallen through the cracks. The draft will find anything and everything wrong with a guy — Hurst had the issue with his heart at the combine — and it’s almost as if they get forgotten.
"I’ve heard he’s passed all his tests since then, and that he’s been cleared. Just turn the film on — he’s a little undersized, but makes up for it with his quickness. He’s a playmaker too.
"We have [Washington's] Vita Vea and [Alabama's] Da’Ron Payne and other inside guys who are big names in this draft, but Mo Hurst will be one of those guys who will be making plays in opposing backfield next year, and people will be like, ‘Who’s this guy?’
"I would think he’ll go somewhere in the first round, but he’s slipping through the cracks and whoever gets him will be getting a steal, in my opinion."
Our take
Hurst proved he was perfectly fine at Michigan's March 23 Pro Day, going through all the drills that players at the NFL combine went through. He was outstanding in several of them too.
His 29 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press would have been tied for ninth-best among defensive linemen at the combine, and his 4.91 40-yard dash would have been 11th-best.
Still, some NFL teams will be reluctant to draft him.
“I think teams should view me the exact same way,” he said at his Pro Day. “If you’re cleared, you’re cleared. I'm still hopeful I'll go in the first round.
"Teams ask what type of player you think you are, and my answer is a ‘playmaker and someone who’s going to be productive and disruptive.’ I try to impact the game, and that’s something that will translate well to the next level."
ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper was asked specifically about Hurst's draft status five days after his workout, and this is what he said:
“If you take the medical aspect out of it, he played like a late first/early to mid-second round pick — at least that’s how he projects to the NFL," Kiper said. "It just depends on your teams’ system — if you want an explosive three-technique, then you’d look at him. It also depends on the scheme, and he doesn’t fit everybody’s.
“I’d say he’s a borderline first-round pick, depending on how teams view him.”
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