Michigan in the NFL Playoffs, wild-card weekend: 23 former Wolverines on NFL rosters, including 10 starters

While the Michigan football team finished its College Football Playoff victory Monday night, the NFL playoffs begin this weekend. And as is typically the case, the Wolverines have no shortage of former players represented across both leagues competing for the Super Bowl.

In all, 23 former Michigan players are on 11 of the league’s 14 playoff rosters, including 15 active players and 10 starters. Below, we break down the whole list, looking at who is playing in each game, their seasons so far, and what to expect from the former Michigan starters this weekend.

Just like his team, Nico Collins has enjoyed an exceptional breakout season. The former Michigan started a healthy 927 receiving yards and three touchdowns in his first two seasons, but burst onto the national scene with 80 catches, 1,287 yards (eighth in the NFL) and eight touchdowns (also eighth). He is coming off an exceptional week 18 performance, in which he recorded nine catches for 195 yards and a touchdown. He and the Texans (10-7) have won three of four to clinch their first playoff berth since 2019.

Though no Michigan products will suit up for Cleveland on Saturday, two Michigan players are a member of the franchise. Former All-American tackle Mo Hurst is on the injured reserve (pectoral) after appearing in 13 games this season, recording 22 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one interception, three passes defensed and one fumble recovery.

Vincent Gray, a second-year NFL player, made his NFL debut last week, recording five tackles and two pass breakups in 61 snaps for the Browns. He is not on the active roster for this weekend’s playoff game.

Though Chad Henne and Frank Clark are no longer with the Chiefs, Michael Danna remains as a Wolverine representative. The graduate transfer standout in 2019 continues to shine for Kansas City, recording 50 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, three pass breakups and 21 quarterback pressures in 16 games, all starts. Every one of those figures is a career-high for the fourth-year contributor. He and the Chiefs went 11-6 this fall, but have been up-and-down since beginning the season 6-1. They are slated to take on the Miami Dolphins in one of the coldest games in NFL history.

On the other side of the matchup is Ryan Hayes, who is on the Dolphins’ practice squad. The three-year Michigan starter and seventh-round NFL Draft pick last spring did not appear in a game during his rookie season.

A four-year starter for the Wolverines, Mason Cole continues to roll on to a productive NFL career. In his sixth NFL season, Cole started all 17 games for the Steelers, playing all 1,071 offensive snaps. It’s his third season starting every regular-season game at the NFL level. He snaps the ball for a Steelers team that won three straight games to finish 10-7 and make it into the playoffs. Pittsburgh will take on Buffalo in a game that will be heavily impacted by snow in the Buffalo area.

The game featuring far and away the most Michigan involvement this weekend, the Green Bay Packers will have a starter on each side of the ball that had productive Wolverine careers. On defense, Rashan Gary helps lead Green Bay at the edge position, where he has recorded 44 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 9.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, two pass breakups and 44 quarterback pressures.

On offense, Jon Runyan Jr. is enjoying a third straight season as the Packers’ starting guard. He has played 85 percent of Green Bay’s offensive snaps this season, and started all 17 games for the Packers.

Lining up against the Packers will be the Cowboys, who are flush with former Michigan players, including two rookies. The most notable Cowboy who once donned the maize and blue is Jourdan Lewis. The former All-American cornerback played in 16 games with eight starts coming off injury this season. He finished the regular season with 52 tackles, two tackles for loss, five pass breakups, three forced fumbles and an interception this season, and figured to play a significant role in Sunday’s game.

Also on defense is Mazi Smith, who was a first-round draft pick last spring. Smith has had a tough rookie season, recording 13 tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack in 17 games and three starts. He has played in 28 percent of the Cowboys’ defensive snaps.

On offense, the Cowboys have two tight ends from Connecticut, though only one will be active Sunday. Luke Schoonmaker, a second-round rookie, has eight receptions for 65 yards and two touchdowns. He has played 31 percent of Dallas’ offensive snaps and 50 percent of the Cowboys’ special teams snaps. Joining him in the tight end room is McKeon, who has been on the injured since December with an ankle injury.

Led by NFL Pro-Bowler Aidan Hutchinson, the Lions have a host of Michigan players suiting up for Sunday night’s game. Hutchinson has been arguably the face of the Lions as a second-year standout edge, and has recorded 51 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, seven pass breakups, an interception and 62 quarterback pressures. He and the Lions’ pass-rush will try to get to Matthew Stafford in his return to Detroit.

Three former Wolverines will play on offense, though their roles in Sunday’s game will vary. Wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones was traded to Detroit midseason from Cleveland, and has recorded 13 receptions and 145 receiving yards, including five receptions for 58 yards in Detroit. Graham Glasgow has started 15 of 17 games for Detroit this season across the offensive line, playing 80 percent of the Lions’ offensive snaps. He is listed as the Lions’ starting right guard, and backup center behind Pro Bowler Frank Ragnow. Michael Schofield, in his ninth NFL season, has yet to play in a game this season, but is on the Lions’ practice squad for the game.

Playing in his staggering 14th NFL season, Brandon Graham continues a long, illustrious career with the Eagles. Graham has played in all 17 games, but his numbers are definitively in decline. Coming off the bench in every game, Graham has recorded 16 tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, one pass breakup and 11 quarterback pressures. He has now played in 205 career NFL games, and will try to lead the Eagles (11-6) to the Super Bowl for the third time in seven years.

The Ravens have three former Michigan players on their roster, but none are expected to play in the playoffs. Ojabo played in three games this season, recording six tackles, one sack and one forced fumble before missing the rest of the season with season-ending ACL injury.

Mason and Ross are on the practice squad and not expected to play in the playoffs. Mason has played one game this season, making his NFL debut with 20 snaps (19 on special teams) in last week’s loss to Pittsburgh. Ross played in three games for the Ravens this fall, playing 69 special teams snaps.

The NFC’s top team in the regular season sports three recent Michigan players on its active roster, as they will enjoy a bye week this weekend. Starting at kicker for the 49ers will be Jake Moody, who was an All-American and Lou Groza Award winner at Michigan. Moody, a third-round pick last spring, has made 21 of 25 field-goal attempts this season, including 6 of 9 attempts from at least 40 yards and 2 of 3 attempts of 50 or more yards. He is also 60 for 61 on extra points.

On offense, Ronnie Bell is a rookie reserve, and has caught six of 13 targets for 68 yards and three touchdowns. He has played in all 17 games for San Francisco, and has also returned 10 punts for 70 yards. Bell has played 17 percent of San Francisco’s offensive snaps and 26 percent of special teams snaps.

On the other side of the ball, Ambry Thomas is in a career-year in his third NFL season. The cornerback has a career-high 43 tackles, seven pass breakups, one forced fumble and one interception in 15 games, including six starts. He has played 49 percent of defensive snaps, and 30 percent of special teams snaps.

The former three-star quarterback recruit, with streamers and confetti draped around his neck, was all smiles at NRG Stadium following the Michigan football team’s 34-13 win over Washington in Monday’s national championship. It’s been a long grind for the Wolverine captain, and one that had no shortage of ups and downs both for Michigan and for Barrett individually.

After the game, Barrett opened up on that journey, speaking to reporters about his ascent up Michigan’s depth chart, the Wolverines’ defensive dominance all season, other players stepping up in the national title game and more. See what he had to say below.