Michigan Ties Second-Highest Total With 10 Selections in 2020 NFL Draft
4/25/2020 7:53:00 PM | Football
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NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The University of Michigan football program tied for the second-most players ever selected during an NFL Draft with 10 players chosen during the 2020 selection meetings, including eight Wolverines during rounds four through seven on Saturday (April 25). That group joins first-round pick Cesar Ruiz (New Orleans Saints) and second-round selection Josh Uche (New England Patriots), who were chosen during the first two days.
The school record of 11 draftees came during the 2017 NFL Draft, with eight defensive players and three offensive performers chosen. In addition to this season, U-M had 10 players drafted during the 1972 and 1974 seasons.
This season, Michigan had five players selected on both sides of the ball, including four offensive linemen and three linebackers. A total of 31 Wolverines have been chosen in the NFL draft during the five drafts with Jim Harbaugh as head coach.
Three Wolverines were chosen during the fourth and fifth rounds. Ben Bredeson started things Saturday with his selection by the Baltimore Ravens with the 143rd overall pick, and the 37th choice in the fourth round. One of Bredeson's fellow captains, senior viper Khaleke Hudson was taken 19 picks later as the Washington Redskins took the versatile performer with the 17th pick of the fifth round (162nd overall). At the end of the fifth round, the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs made graduate-student defensive end Michael Danna the 32nd selection in the round (177th overall).
A group of five Michigan players were chosen during the sixth round, with three offensive players and two defenders earning selection. The New England Patriots struck early in the round and grabbed their second Michigan player of the draft -- this time on the offensive side of the ball -- choosing senior offensive guard Michael Onwenu with the 182nd overall pick of the draft. Junior receiver/returner Donovan Peoples-Jones went five picks later to the Cleveland Browns, earning the eighth slot in the sixth round, the 187th overall selection.
Five selections after Peoples-Jones, senior left tackle Jon Runyan became the team's fourth offensive linemen selected in this year's draft when the Green Bay Packers made him the 192nd overall pick. He joined his father, Jon Runyan Sr., as an NFL Draft pick for the Wolverines. They became the second father-son duo in Michigan history to be drafted, joining Stan and Braylon Edwards. Stan was a third-round pick of the Houston Oilers and Braylon was a first-round selection by the Cleveland Browns.
Safety Josh Metellus brought the attention back to Michigan's defenders with his selection by the Minnesota Vikings with the 26th choice in the sixth round (205th overall). Metellus joined his former high school and Wolverine teammate, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Devin Bush, as an NFL Draft pick. Bush was the 10th player chosen in last year's draft following three seasons at Michigan.
Linebacker Jordan Glasgow joined the Indianapolis Colts organization eight picks after Metellus, earning the 34th pick of the sixth round (213th overall). Glasgow joins his older brothers, Graham and Ryan, as the only trio of brothers in Michigan history to be selected in the NFL Draft. Graham was a third-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 2015 and Ryan was a fourth-round selection of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017. All three Glasgow brothers began their careers as walk-ons but earned scholarships during their careers at Michigan.
Remaining members of the Michigan football senior class are eligible to sign free agent contracts with NFL teams.
Following are bio sketches on the eight Wolverine draft picks during rounds four through seven:
Ben Bredeson
Bredeson was a mainstay on Michigan's offensive line throughout his four-year career and was listed among the top guards in the draft by several draft-ranking services. He started a team-high 46 games at left guard during his career, including the final 26 after missing the 2018 Outback Bowl due to injury. A three-time All-Big Ten performer, Bredeson earned first-team all-conference accolades in 2019 after collecting second-team honors during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He is one of 12 players in school history to be elected captain twice in their career.
Bredeson anchored the 2019 line as he started all 13 games at left guard. An Outland Trophy candidate, he earned second-team All-America honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation and third-team accolades from the Associated Press. Bredeson shared the Hugh H. Rader Award as the team's top offensive lineman with Runyan.
Khaleke Hudson
A 2019 captain, Hudson earned second-team All-Big Ten honors and was voted by his teammates as the Special Teams Player of the Year. He finished his senior season ranked seventh in the Big Ten and 72nd nationally in tackles per game (7.8 avg.). Hudson started all 13 games and recorded a team- and career-best 102 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 2.0 sacks and three passes defended. He led the team in tackles five times and amassed double-digit stops on three occasions.
Hudson played in 52 career games for the Wolverines and made 37 starts at linebacker (viper). He recorded 237 career tackles, including 25.5 tackles for loss, 12.0 sacks, one fumble recovery, two interceptions and 16 pass breakups. Hudson tied an NCAA record with 8 TFLs among 15 tackles, three sacks and one forced fumble vs. Minnesota in 2017. On special teams, he set a Michigan career record with five blocked punts.
Michael Danna
A graduate transfer in 2019, Danna played in all 13 games and started one contest at defensive end. He contributed 38 tackles, three sacks and one forced fumble. Danna set his Michigan career high with six tackles and one sack against Michigan State. In his only start at Illinois, he registered four stops with one sack and forced one fumble. Danna also registered a five-tackle effort with one sack in the victory over Iowa.
Danna accumulated 151 career tackles in four seasons at Central Michigan, including 28 TFLs and 15 sacks. He also contributed four fumble recoveries and forced four fumbles. Danna played in 38 career contests at CMU with 16 starts along the defensive line. He earned first-team All-MAC and earned CMU's Herb Deromedi Most Valuable Player Award in 2018.
Michael Onwenu
Onwenu's 46 career games played (41 on the offensive line) matched Bredeson for the most among Michigan's four draft-eligible offensive linemen. Onwenu started 35 contests at offensive guard over the past three seasons, with 27 consecutive starts dating back to the Outback Bowl at the end of the 2017 season. As a true freshman in 2016, Onwenu played on both the offensive and defensive lines in two contests (Hawaii and Rutgers).
A two-time All-Big Ten third team selection (2018-19), Onwenu started all 13 games at right guard the past two seasons. He was a candidate for the Outland Trophy in 2019 and earned midseason first-team All-American honors from ESPN and Pro Football Focus College.
Donovan Peoples-Jones
Peoples-Jones was a threat to score at any time in the receiving or return game during his three seasons at Michigan. He scored 16 career touchdowns, reaching the end zone 14 times through the air and twice on punt returns. Peoples-Jones caught 103 passes for 1,327 yards and finished second all-time at Michigan with 89 punt returns for 743 yards. He accumulated 28 plays of 20 yards or more (17 receiving, nine punt returns and two rushing) including seven receiving TDs and two punt returns.
He appeared in 11 games as junior in 2019, starting nine contests at wide receiver. Peoples-Jones earned third team All-Big Ten honors as a returner and honorable mention at receiver. He caught 34 passes for 438 yards and six TDs while returning 24 punts for 173 yards.
Peoples-Jones led the U-M receiving effort in 2018, and earned the team's Offensive Skill Player of the Year award, after a 47-catch, 612-yard season where he caught eight TDs. He was 17th in the NCAA in punt-return average (10.0), with 25 punt returns for 250 yards and one TD. Peoples-Jones was a third team All-Big Ten performer at receiver and returner. As a freshman in 2017, Peoples-Jones was named a freshman All-American returner and was Michigan's Rookie of the Year on offense.
Jon Runyan
A two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection (2018-19), Runyan played in 32 career games along the offensive line with 25 starting assignments at offensive tackle. He is a two-time recipient of the Hugh H. Rader Award, given to the team's top offensive lineman and became half of the first father-son duo to both receive the award as his father, Jon Runyan Sr., won the honor in 1994.
Runyan started 11 games at left tackle in 2019 and all 13 games at the position in 2018. He played in eight contests during the 2017 season, earning his first career start at right tackle against South Carolina in the Outback Bowl.
Jon Sr. played 14 seasons in the NFL, earning trips to the Super Bowl with the Tennessee Titans (XXIV) and Philadelphia Eagles (XXXIX). He was a fourth-round draft pick of the Houston Oilers in 1996, playing four seasons with the franchise during its move to Tennessee (1996-99). Runyan played for nine seasons for the Eagles (2000-08) and finished his career with the San Diego Chargers in 2009.
Josh Metellus
A three-year starter and four-year letterman, Metellus appeared in 47 career games with 38 starts at safety/viper. He registered 187 career tackles, including 9.0 tackles for loss, one sack, five interceptions and 21 pass breakups. He earned All-Big Ten second team honors at safety in 2018 and honorable mention in both 2017 and 2019.
Metellus was voted an alternate captain in 2019. He started all 13 games at safety, finishing third on the team with a career-best 74 tackles, 4.0 TFLs, two interceptions and seven PBUs. Metellus earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2018 after posting 48 stops, 3.5 TFLs, three picks and nine PBUs in 12 starts at safety. His only career touchdown came on a 73-yard interception return against SMU during the 2018 season.
The youngest Glasgow was the best tackler in the nation last season according to PFF College. A semifinalist for the Butkus Award, Glasgow was the Roger Zatkoff Award winner as the team's top linebacker and won the Blue Collar Award as the team's hardest worker as voted by his teammates. He started all 13 games at will linebacker, posting a career-best 89 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, one fumble recovery and two pass breakups.
Glasgow also achieved at a high level in the classroom, earning three CoSIDA Academic All-District honors (2017-19) and four Academic All-Big Ten distinctions (2016-19). He played in every game during his career, 52 contests, racking up 140 tackles, 10.0 TFLs, 7.0 sacks, three fumble recoveries and three PBUs. He was one of the squad's top special teams performers all four years and led the team in special-teams tackles twice.
| Name | Pos. | Rd. | Pick | Team |
| THURSDAY, APRIL 23 (Round 1) | ||||
| Cesar Ruiz | C | 1st | 24th |  New Orleans Saints |
| FRIDAY, APRIL 24 (Rounds 2 & 3) | ||||
| Josh Uche | LB | 2nd | 60th |  New England Patriots |
| SATURDAY, APRIL 25 (Rounds 4-7) | ||||
| Ben Bredeson | OL | 4th | 143rd |  Baltimore Ravens |
| Khaleke Hudson | LB | 5th | 162nd |  Washington Redskins |
| Michael Danna | DL | 5th | 177th |  Kansas City Chiefs |
| Michael Onwenu | OL | 6th | 182nd |  New England Patriots |
| Donovan Peoples-Jones | WR | 6th | 187th |  Cleveland Browns |
| Jon Runyan | OL | 6th | 192nd |  Green Bay Packers |
| Josh Metellus | S | 6th | 205th |  Minnesota Vikings |
| Jordan Glasgow | LB | 6th | 213th |  Indianapolis Colts |
