Four Wolverines Drafted in Final Rounds of 2021 NFL Draft

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The University of Michigan football program had four players drafted during the third and final day of the 2021 NFL Draft held Saturday (May 1). Linebacker Cam McGrone and fullback/tight end Ben Mason were selected in the fifth round, while tailback Chris Evans and long snapper Camaron Cheeseman went in the sixth round.

The Wolverines had eight players selected during the seven rounds of the draft, led by first-round pick Kwity Paye (Indianapolis Colts) and third-round selections Jalen Mayfield (Atlanta Falcons), Nico Collins (Houston Texans) and Ambry Thomas (San Francisco 49ers).

During this year's draft, Michigan had four players selected on offense, three on defense and Cheeseman on special teams. A total of 39 Wolverines have been chosen in the NFL draft during Jim Harbaugh's five drafts as head coach.

McGrone was the first Wolverine off the board on the third day of the draft. He was selected with the 177th overall pick by the New England Patriots, the 33rd selection of the fifth round. McGrone joins three former Wolverines with the Patriots, linebackers Chase Winovich and Josh Uche and offensive lineman Mike Onwenu. McGrone is the 23rd player in school history to be drafted by the Patriots and the fourth player in the past three drafts.

McGrone elected to enter the NFL Draft after his junior season. He played in 19 career games and started 15 contests at middle linebacker, amassing 92 career tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, one pass breakup and one forced fumble. McGrone posted 26 stops, two TFLs and a shared sack in five starts during the 2020 season. He started 10 of the 13 games in 2019, tallying a career-best 66 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, four sacks and one PBU.

Seven selections after McGrone and with the final pick of the fifth round, the Baltimore Ravens drafted Mason. The 40th pick of the round and the 184th overall in the draft, Mason joins his former teammate and offensive lineman Ben Bredeson as a member of John Harbaugh's team in Baltimore. Mason became the first U-M fullback drafted since 2003 when the New York Jets chose B.J. Askew in the third round.

Mason was a four-year letterman and a two-time winner of the Toughest Player of the Year Award (2017, 2019) as voted by his teammates. A fullback and tight end, Mason appeared in 45 career games with four starts. He carried the ball 37 times for 87 yards and scored nine touchdowns and caught three passes for 32 yards and one touchdown. Mason played on the majority of Michigan's special-teams units, recording 14 tackles during his career. In the classroom, he earned Academic All-Big Ten honors three times.

In the middle of the sixth round, the Cincinnati Bengals selected tailback Evans with the 202nd overall pick of the draft. He was the 18th choice in the sixth round and became the 14th Wolverine to be drafted by the Bengals organization.

Evans appeared in 42 games during his career and started six contests. An all-around back, Evans carried the ball 320 times for 1,795 yards (5.6 avg.) and scored 15 rushing touchdowns while hauling in 49 receptions for 479 yards (9.8 avg.) and two touchdowns. He had three career 100-yard rushing efforts, including a career-high 191 yards and two TDs against Minnesota in 2017.

With the 225th overall pick, the Washington Football Team drafted long snapper Cheeseman. He was the 41st selection of the sixth round and joined former linebacker Khaleke Hudson with the organization. Cheeseman was a three-year starter at long snapper for the Wolverines. The draft's top-rated long snapper, he started 39 consecutive games before having to opt out of his fifth-year senior season. Cheeseman was a three-year letterman and two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.

Remaining members of the Michigan football senior class are eligible to sign free agent contracts with NFL teams.

Michigan Players Selected in the 2021 NFL Draft

Name	Pos.	Rd.	Pick	Team
Kwity Paye	DL	1st	21st	Indianapolis Colts
Jalen Mayfield	OL	3rd	68th	Atlanta Falcons
Nico Collins	WR	3rd	89th	Houston Texans
Ambry Thomas	DB	3rd	102nd	San Francisco 49ers
Cameron McGrone	LB	5th	177th	New England Patriots
Ben Mason	FB/TE	5th	184th	Baltimore Ravens
Chris Evans	RB	6th	202nd	Cincinnati Bengals
Camaron Cheeseman	LS	6th	225th	Washington Football Team