Michigan Has Jalen Mayfield Feeling More Than Prepared For The NFL

A projected first- or second-round draft pick, Michigan football offensive lineman Jalen Mayfield spent just two and a half years in Ann Arbor, but he feels more than prepared to play in the NFL.

The Grand Rapids, Mich., native impressed during the 2019 season, starting all 13 games and holding his own against big-time competition, including former Ohio State defensive end Chase Young, who's now a starter for the Washington Football Team. Mayfield then missed the remainder of the shortened 2020 season after suffering an injury in game two against Michigan State, and declared for the NFL Draft following the campaign.

While he's showed quite a bit of talent when on the field, those opportunities have been limited — considering he left Michigan after just three seasons — making this Friday's pro day all the more important.

"I’m really excited. I finally get to showcase my talents, and I feel like not a lot of people know about my athletic background, so I finally get to showcase what I do best, which is get out and run, change direction," Mayfield said when speaking with reporters Wednesday.

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"I feel like a lot of people are going to have an eye-opening experience when they see me. I’m able to run, I’m able to move really well for my size, and I feel like my stock’s going to go up tremendously."

Mayfield played at right tackle as a starter in 2019 and 2020, but he can play on the left side, which is where he saw snaps in two games as a reserve in 2018. A three-sport athlete in high school, Mayfield wants NFL teams to know he's got the skill set to play wherever they need him to.

"I’m able to play all five of the positions up front — I’m able to play center, guard, tackle," Mayfield revealed. "I’m pretty comfortable playing the left — my freshman year I played left tackle and then the last two years I played right tackle. So I’m really comfortable with both sides.

"I think the more versatile you are, the better chance you have of lasting longer in the NFL. I don’t see much of a big difference. Of course, there is somewhat of a difference footwork-wise, but I don’t see much difference."

Playing at Michigan, a school that produced four NFL offensive linemen in last year's draft, helps too. Mayfield was coached by Jim Harbaugh, who played 15 years in the NFL and had immense success coaching in the league.

"I developed really well under Coach Harbaugh," Mayfield said. "The coaching staff he had while I was here really helped me grow as a person, helped me mature much faster than I feel like I would’ve at any other place.

"They really make sure you’re on top of your stuff, and you gotta hold yourself more accountable. They’re going to push you, but I feel like you gotta really want it and really be dedicated if you want to make that next step to the NFL.

"Coach Harbaugh, he’s been amazing for me. He’s done a lot of things in the game of football, and coaching in the NFL, he has a lot of connections and a lot of memories about the game.

"One thing he told me is, it’s a business, so you always gotta be on top of your stuff, you always gotta hold yourself accountable. There’s not going to be somebody always on your back trying to push you, but you gotta stay motivated and stay engaged with everything, and I think that won’t be a problem for me."

Mayfield made it clear he would be happy to go to any NFL organization, but if one took a chance on him in the first round, it would be all the more special.

"It would be incredible for me," he said. "There’s a lot of things that have gone on in my life that have led to this moment, and I feel like if I hear my name called on the 29th, I’m just going to be so ecstatic and so grateful for the opportunity. But I’ll realize that it’s just another step in my path to becoming the player that I want to be. So no matter where I’m drafted, it’s going to be an honor to me."

This offseason, Harbaugh let go of former offensive line coach Ed Warinner, the man who coached Mayfield all three of his seasons in Ann Arbor, and promoted Sherrone Moore from tight ends coach, also slapping on a 'co-coordinator' tag to his title. Mayfield admitted he was a bit surprised by the move, but he's confident in Moore's abilities.

"They probably did what’s best for them and did what’s best for the team in here," Mayfield said. "But Coach Warinner helped me tremendously, develop more confidence and skill in my game, and I can’t thank him enough for that.

"Coach Moore — I feel like he’s definitely a guy that’s going to bring energy, definitely a guy who’s going to care about his players a lot, somebody who’s going to try to get the best out of you, so I feel like Coach Moore’s going to be a great guy. He played the position, so he knows a lot about the game. I know he has a lot to teach the young guys, and he can just bring so much to the table."

Some of those young guys have bright futures, Mayfield said, singling out freshman Zak Zinter, who appeared in all six games last season.

"He’s a very talented guy, he loves the game, he’s always looking for ways to get better," Mayfield said of Zinter. "I think he has such a high ceiling. He’s a very versatile, very strong kid, he’s very athletic as well. I think he’s gonna be a big part of what they have next year.

"But the other four guys that they bring back, just another year playing together as a unit is really going to help them. They got a lot of talent up front, a lot of different skill sets that they can all bring to the table, and I feel like there’s going to be breakout players for them upfront — [redshirt sophomore tackle] Ryan Hayes, [redshirt junior guard] Chuck Filiaga, I think those are two guys that are going to have breakout seasons."

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