Michigan Wolverines football linebacker Josh Uche stole the headlines at last Saturday's Senior Bowl among U-M's five participants (it would have been six, but tight end Sean McKeon reportedly missed the game with injury), with outlets around the nation in unanimous agreement afterward that he helped his draft stock significantly.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) also took a closer look at every player's performance in the annual event with their self-made grading system, and Uche's results were once again off the charts.
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The outlet tabbed him with a 90.5 overall grade (64 is considered average), which was the best of any player who participated in the Senior Bowl; that mark includes 47 total defensive players who played and 48 offensive athletes.
Perhaps what's even more impressive, though, is how much better Uche was than any of his defensive brethren.
The second best North defensive player was Ohio State linebacker Malik Harrison, who clocked in with a 77.2 overall grade — 13.3 points behind Uche's 90.5 mark.
Other than Uche and Harrison, only four other North defenders finished with a grade higher than 69.2.
The Miami native's 90.5 mark at last Saturday's Senior Bowl was his best grade of the entire season, beating out the previous high of 88.7 he posted in the Nov. 23 blowout win at Indiana.
NFL scouts were surveyed at the event in Mobile, Ala., and asked to pick the most underrated prospects in attendance, and Uche was the scouts' No. 2 pick, behind Florida Atlantic tight end Harrison Bryant.
"Players like Uche are tough to gauge because they don't have a specific projected position at the next level," ESPN wrote. "Uche showcased his versatility in Mobile, standing out when he got opportunities to rush the passer.
"His heavy, strong hands seemed to shock blockers at the contact point. Uche was also able to run with some of the running backs in coverage, which is good for his future in the NFL."
"He won me over during Wednesday's practice," an anonymous NFL scout added in the article. "He doesn't have the typical edge-rusher build but likely projects as an outside 'backer who can sustain pass-rushing downs in certain defenses.
"Loved how explosive his lower-body movement showed up in individuals. Great bend. They'll call him a tweener in every draft profile you read, but he's so versatile that every NFL team could find a role for a guy like this."
The Miami native wasn't the only Wolverine who put on an impressive performance last weekend, though, with viper Khaleke Hudson checking in with a PFF grade of 68.2, which ranked eighth among the 26 North defenders who saw the field.
Safety Josh Metellus, meanwhile, slotted in significantly below Uche and Hudson, finishing with a below average mark of 61.4, which ranked 20th on the North defense.
The Maize and Blue's two offensive players who participated — left guard Ben Bredeson and quarterback Shea Patterson — had poor performances as well, according to PFF.
Bredeson's 60.1 grade ranked 18th out of the 24 North offensive players who saw the field, and eighth out of the nine offensive linemen who participated.
Patterson's showing was even worse, with the outlet declaring him as having had the worst performance of the North's 24 offensive athletes, finishing with a dreadful 40.3 overall grade.
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