{"id":674962,"date":"2026-05-16T15:36:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T15:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/674962\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T15:36:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T15:36:12","slug":"ranking-michigans-2026-nfl-draft-picks-by-opportunity-to-make-immediate-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/674962\/","title":{"rendered":"Ranking Michigan\u2019s 2026 NFL Draft picks by opportunity to make immediate impact"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2026 NFL Draft saw six Michigan Wolverines<\/a> make a lifelong dream come true and be selected. Now that the fun part is out of the way, it\u2019s time for each player (plus some undrafted free agents) to get to work.<\/p>\n

Getting drafted is one thing, but making a meaningful contribution in the NFL is another. Today, we\u2019ll rank each Wolverine drafted by how likely they are to make an instant impact.<\/p>\n

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Honorable Mention: K Dominic Zvada, New York Giants<\/a><\/p>\n

While Zvada wasn\u2019t drafted, he has as good a shot as anyone to start right away. The Giants are having an open competition between Jason Sanders<\/a>, Ben Sauls<\/a> and Zvada. Sanders is a former All-Pro but is coming off a significant injury. While Sauls performed admirably last year, the door is certainly open for Zvada to take the reigns immediately.<\/p>\n

6. DT Rayshaun Benny, Baltimore Ravens<\/a><\/p>\n

Benny will have some familiarity with the defensive system since he will be coached by former Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. However, Benny is joining a loaded Baltimore defensive group. He was also a late round pick that will need to be more concerned with just making the roster rather than getting on the field as a rookie.<\/p>\n

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If you want to see a heartwarming moment between several former Wolverines, check out Benny\u2019s reaction when talking on the phone with his new (and old) coaches:<\/p>\n

5. FB Max Bredeson, Minnesota Vikings<\/a><\/p>\n

Bredeson is a unique case. Minnesota is a fantastic landing spot for him, as he is the only fullback on the roster and has virtually no competition for his role. However, the fullback role just isn\u2019t used that often at the NFL level anymore. He seems assured to get nearly every fullback snap the Vikings have to provide, but how many that is is a great unknown. He will also likely be used substantially on special teams and goal-line packages. Don\u2019t expect to see Bredeson with his hands on the ball ever, but don\u2019t be surprised if you see him sporadically as a rookie.<\/p>\n

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4. TE Marlin Klein, Houston Texans<\/a><\/p>\n

The Texans shocked most draft prognosticators by taking Klein as early as they did. Injuries hampered Klein\u2019s collegiate career but he still appears NFL ready, specifically as a blocker. Houston tends to use lots of multiple tight end sets, so he may see the field a decent amount as a rookie.<\/p>\n

Klein is fighting to be TE2 at best. Dalton Schultz<\/a> is the clear TE1 in Houston, but Klein will battle with Foster Moreau<\/a>, Cade Stover<\/a> and others for snaps. He will need to improve his receiving ability and find a way to stay healthy to get meaningful snaps but neither are out of the picture.<\/p>\n

3. LB Jimmy Rolder, Detroit Lions<\/a><\/p>\n

Like Klein, Rolder won\u2019t be a starter barring injury but could certainly factor into the rotation. The Lions lost Alex Anzalone<\/a> to free agency this offseason but still return Jack Campbell<\/a>, Derrick Barnes<\/a> and Malcolm Rodriguez<\/a>. Campbell is the unquestioned leader while Barnes and Rodriguez are solidly ahead of Rolder as of today. However, there isn\u2019t much depth beyond Rolder, so he should be the first backup to see the field. Given how much Detroit likes to rotate their players on defense, don\u2019t be surprised to see quite a few meaningful Rolder snaps early on.<\/p>\n

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Rolder also figures to play a significant role on special teams. The Lions have historically used linebackers heavily in all facets of special teams.<\/p>\n

2. DE Jaishawn Barham<\/a>, Dallas Cowboys<\/a><\/p>\n

Barham is an interesting linebacker\/edge hybrid who thrives when rushing the passer. Interestingly, Dallas just traded for former Wolverine Rashan Gary<\/a> to do exactly that. Barham and Gary are not the same type of player, but they could play a similar role in the Cowboy defense.<\/p>\n

The rest of the Dallas linebacker room is a bit of a jumbled mess, as no one has assigned roles just yet. It\u2019s doubtful Barham is an immediate starter, but there\u2019s nothing stopping him from becoming a starter in time.<\/p>\n

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1. DE Derrick Moore, Detroit Lions<\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, the highest drafted former Wolverine sits at No. 1 on our list. Moore plays a premium position that Lions fans have been begging for Brad Holmes to address. Holmes did so this year by drafting Moore in the second round. Fellow former Wolverine Aidan Hutchinson<\/a> obviously has one edge spot locked down for the foreseeable future, but free agent signing DJ Wonnum is all that stands between Moore and a starting role.<\/p>\n

Whether Moore starts or not is somewhat irrelevant, as Detroit rotates heavily along the defensive line. Moore is the third option at worst, so he will factor heavily into Detroit\u2019s plans. The pressure will be on Moore to produce quickly as a pro.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2026 NFL Draft saw six Michigan Wolverines make a lifelong dream come true and be selected. Now…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":674963,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[17076,28783,263109,64,63,631,154629,165386,1234,19992,74879,244177,3055,325464,120285,1255,92997,253166,196391,225721,311641,325466,150078,308353,297788,325465,713,1239,1242,593,38953,238081,85,296125,104936],"class_list":["post-674962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-2026-nfl-draft","tag-aidan-hutchinson","tag-alex-anzalone","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-baltimore-ravens","tag-ben-sauls","tag-cade-stover","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-dalton-schultz","tag-derrick-barnes","tag-derrick-moore","tag-detroit-lions","tag-dominic-zvada","tag-foster-moreau","tag-houston-texans","tag-jack-campbell","tag-jaishawn-barham","tag-jason-sanders","tag-jesse-minter","tag-jimmy-rolder","tag-lou-esposito","tag-malcolm-rodriguez","tag-marlin-klein","tag-max-bredeson","tag-meaningful-contribution","tag-michigan-wolverines","tag-minnesota-vikings","tag-new-york-giants","tag-nfl","tag-rashan-gary","tag-rayshaun-benny","tag-sports","tag-undrafted-free-agents","tag-wolverine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=674962"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674962\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/674963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=674962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=674962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=674962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}