Without question, the University of Michigan has one of the most storied football programs in U.S. college football.
The Michigan Wolverines football program has won 11 national championships, tied for the fourth-most all-time, and 141 players have earned first-team All-American honors since 1898.
It’s this winning culture, tradition and history that drives the program’s popularity — including the team’s popularity at Michigan sportsbooks. A passionate, loyal fan base fills the 107,601 Michigan Stadium, known as “The Big House”. Michigan, under coach Jim Harbaugh, went 13-1 this past season.
Impact NFL Players Who Starred in Ann Arbor
So a football program known for this level of excellence needs to be celebrated for that. BetMichigan.com used ProFootballReference.com to look at all the active NFL players that played for the Michigan Wolverines in college. Using their Weighted Career Approximate Value statistic on the website, we compiled a list of the 10 most impactful current NFL players from Michigan.
The Weighted Career Approximate Value statistic attempts to balance peak production against raw career totals, according to the website. Approximate Value attempts to put a seasonal value on a player at any position. For each player the weighted sum of seasonal AV scores is calculated by taking 100% of the player’s best season, 95% of the second-best season, 90% of the third, and so forth.
For the upcoming college football season, the Wolverines have +1000 odds at BetMGM Michigan Sportsbook to win the 2023-24 national title. They are fourth on the board behind Georgia (+225), Alabama (+500) and UM’s eternal rival, Ohio State (+600).
Most Impactful Active NFL Players From UM
Brandon Graham Tops Active UM Products
You can find a wide variety of college football and NFL futures bets at Michigan sports betting apps.
Tom Brady, of course, is the all-time leader among former Wolverines in ProFootballReference's Weighted Career AV at 184, a good distance ahead of second-place Charles Woodson, a Hall of Famer, at 115.
But Brady just retired (again) recently. So, according to the website's numbers, defensive end Brandon Graham of the Philadelphia Eagles tops former Wolverines in Weighted AV with a score of 57. The 6-foot-2, 265-pound Graham had 35 total tackles last season for the Eagles — who made the Super Bowl — including 19 that were solo. Graham had 11 sacks. He was chosen in the first round (13th overall) by the Eagles in the 2010 NFL draft after starring at UM from 2006-09.
Next is defensive end Frank Clark (2011-14), with 49 points, offensive tackle Taylor Lewan (2010-12) at 48 and offensive lineman Michael Schofield (2011-12) at 38. All three of those players are free agents.
Graham Glasgow, a guard with the Detroit Lions (2013-15), rounds out the top five with 34 points.
The Lions are the NFC North betting favorite at +145 odds with Caesars Michigan Sportsbook.
Sports Illustrated has reported that the Jacksonville Jaguars are a top landing spot possibility for the 29-year-old Clark. Lewan is a Pro Bowler whose career has been impacted by injuries. Still, he’s experienced, and would be a great add for any team looking for a starting caliber tackle. Schofield, 32, has nine years of experience in the league, including 11 games last season with the Chicago Bears.
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