Michigan 2026 NFL Draft prospects: Wolverines fans answer questions

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The Michigan Wolverines haven’t played football since December, but with the Super Bowl over, the NFL is gearing up for the 2026 offseason, including the 2026 NFL Draft. With several former Michigan players

expected to be drafted this year, we are hosting a Q&A with the NFL fans around SB Nation’s extensive network.

Here are a few sentences on each Wolverine heading to the NFL, but I encourage you to drop your questions into the comments below.

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What Michigan players are going to be selected in the 2026 NFL Draft?

Here is a list of the players that have a shot of being drafted in 2026, including some players that could end up as undrafted free agents at the next level.

Edge Derrick Moore

If Michigan handed out a defensive MVP award for the 2025 season, there’s no question Moore would have taken home the hardware. The 6-foot-3, 260-pounder totaled a team-high 10 sacks and was the Wolverines’ highest-graded defender on Pro Football Focus (PFF) with an 89.9 overall grade and an elite 92.4 pass rush grade. He’s been a consistent contributor since his true freshman year in 2022 and has more than 1,500 career snaps. He should be the first Wolverine off the board.

LB/Edge Jaishawn Barham

Barham transferred to Michigan ahead of the 2024 season and started at inside linebacker that entire year. However, the coaching staff utilized his versatile skillset more in 2025 and lined him up more along the defensive line (304 snaps) than at linebacker (56 snaps). That equated to him being second on the team in sacks (four), tackles for loss (10) pressures (21) and overall defensive PFF grade (79.3), behind Moore in all those categories. A heat-seeking missile, Barham’s athleticism pops off the screen at 6-foot-3 and 243 pounds, but inconsistent play (missed tackles, penalties, etc.) held him back more than anything.

DL Rayshaun Benny

Another long-tenured Michigan defensive lineman, Benny actually didn’t start consistently in his career up until his fifth-year senior season in 2025. His stats aren’t flashy — just 35 tackles, three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks — but he was as solid as fans could have asked for following the departures of Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. He was Michigan’s second-best run defender (84.5 grade) and third-best overall defender (78.2 grade) on PFF. And at 6-foot-3 and 304 pounds, he already possesses the frame necessary to find success at the next level.

TE Marlin Klein

If your team needs a high ceiling tight end that hasn’t tapped into his full potential yet, Klein may be your guy. He was included on Bruce Feldman’s annual Freaks List ahead of the 2025 season due to several athletic feats such as hitting 21.75 miles per hour, broad jumping 9-7, running a 6.89 in the three-cone drill, and running a shuttle time of 4.25, which would have been the fastest at the Combine last year. His athleticism is undeniable, but his play on the field leaves a bit to be desired. He only had 24 catches for 248 yards and one touchdown in 2025, with six catches, 93 yards and his lone score all coming in Week 1 vs New Mexico. He’s also battled the injury bug and needs to improve as a blocker in order to succeed in the NFL.

WR Donaven McCulley

McCulley began his career as a quarterback for the Indiana Hoosiers before switching to wide receiver and taking his talents to Ann Arbor for his final season of college eligibility. He has great size at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, but due to limited reps at the position and having a disappointing year — 39 catches, 588 yards, three touchdowns — it’s hard to imagine him being picked before the sixth round. But if he can run a good enough 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine, he could be selected a tad sooner than anticipated.

LB Jimmy Rolder

Rolder is coming off his best season in college with 73 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks and one interception. However, he only had 45 tackles in his three other seasons at Michigan and missed extensive time as a sophomore due to injury. He also missed some time in 2025 due to injury. His overall level of production is not good enough to take away the questions that teams will assuredly have about his durability and athleticism at the position. But he’s a team guy all the way and could be valuable late in the draft as a special teams ace.

K Dominic Zvada

Zvada was nearly perfect his first year in Ann Arbor, as he was named a first-team All-American in 2024 after converting 21-of-22 field goals (his lone miss was blocked), including a program-record seven field goals coming from 50 or more yards away. But everything was completely off in 2025, as Zvada went 17-of-25 on field goals, including a miss from between 20-29 yards and three misses from between 30-39 yards. If your team is desperate for a kicker and is hoping for a high upside guy, Zvada wouldn’t be a bad one to take a swing on.

IOL Giovanni El-Hadi

El-Hadi is a fifth-year senior and a team captain that has 51 games of experience to his name. He is an absolute mauler in the run game and doesn’t give up easily on his blocks, but he needs serious work in pass pro. He exclusively played at guard — left and right — so he doesn’t offer much position flexibility. He is also not the most athletic, nor the most durable offensive lineman, as he only played in nine games this season due to injury.