Former Michigan Wolverines football linebacker Josh Uche is projected to be U-M's second prospect to come off the board in the NFL draft later this month, behind only center Cesar Ruiz (who is being pegged as a late first/early second round selection).
Uche, on the other hand, is widely being tabbed as a second to fourth round pick, after the pass rushing specialist led the Maize and Blue in sacks each of the past two years (seven in 2018 and 8.5 in 2019).
He recently spoke with NFL.com's Brooke Cersosimo about his football life in a segment the website does called "Why I Play," giving fans a bit of an inside look at the Miami native.
"My biggest motivation is to fulfill my destiny and purpose in life and go wherever God takes me," Uche explained, when asked why he plays the game. "One of my biggest goals outside of football is to create a foundation on mental health.
"However much you want to downplay it, everyone has had some sort of mental health battle. It may not be extreme, but it's still there. There's the perception that, as you get older, your feelings become less important -- and I think that includes a lot of football players.
"We are emotional, too, and should be able to express it. I was injured my sophomore year in college, and I felt extremely lonely. It was a terrible feeling and I felt like I had no one to talk to.
"But when I really thought about it, there are people who are a lot worse off. There are so many kids who have very little, don't have outlets to express themselves and go down the wrong path.
"I want to start a foundation for inner-city minorities that teaches them how to deal with issues and provide healthy coping methods."
Uche seldom saw the field during his freshman and sophomore seasons of 2016 and 2017, respectively, playing a combined 49 defensive snaps between the two years. In this day and age of players oftentimes transferring when their playing time isn't at the level they'd like it to be, Uche decided to embrace the adversity and fight through it.
"The most recent challenge was during my time at Michigan when I wasn't playing as much as I imagined," he recalled. "But with a lot of prayer and faith, I stayed with it, didn't transfer and got to where I wanted with the help of some people.
"I don't think I could've gotten through that time without my teammates, [linebacker] Khaleke Hudson and [running back] Chris Evans. I did everything with them, and they'd always tell me to be patient and talked me up to everyone when I was a nobody.
"My strength coach at Michigan, Ben Herbert, is also someone I hold in high regard. My career didn't start out the way I had envisioned it. I didn't play a lot, I didn't weigh a lot, but when he got there, he pushed me to another level that I didn't know I had.
"In everything -- on the football field and in my personal life. He always gives me a clear, concise opinion, and I trust that opinion very much. He helped me turn the corner when he saw me not living up to my potential."
Uche's defensive coordinator — Don Brown — has built a reputation for applying relentless pressure on opposing quarterbacks throughout his career, with the Wolverines ranking in the top-21 nationally in total sacks three of his four years on the job.
Of U-M's 70 sacks over the last two seasons, Uche has been responsible for nearly a quarter of them (15.5, which equates out to 22.1 percent).
"I don't think Don Brown, defensive coordinator at Michigan, knows how much he's changed my life," the former Wolverine said. "I was predominantly a defensive end, and he converted me into a versatile linebacker.
"He was really hard on me and constantly making sure I was doing the most, but he turned me into the player I am. I don't think there are enough thank-yous in the world that could convey how thankful I am for what he did for me."
Latest NFL Draft Projections for Josh Uche
• Second round, No. 52 overall to the Los Angeles Rams (CBS Sports' Josh Edwards on March 27)
"Los Angeles overpaid for [outside linebacker] Leonard Floyd -- Atlanta overpaid for [defensive end Dante] Fowler, too -- and has still not solved its pass rush issue. Uche is a player just scratching the surface."
• Third round, No. 70 overall to the Miami Dolphins (Pro Football Focus' Michael Renner on April 8)
"Uche has the highest pass-rush win rate of any player in the country over the past two seasons. The problem is, he’s a shade over 240 pounds and rushed the passer only 303 times over that span."
• Fourth round, No. 109 overall to the Detroit Lions (WalterFootball.com on April 7)
"The Lions lost [linebacker] Devon Kennard [to the Arizona Cardinals] this offseason, so they could select two edge rushers this April. Josh Uche is an undersized player, but he's fast and talented."
• Fourth round, No. 124 overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers (SportingNews' Vinnie Iyer on April 10)
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