Where Michigan Football players rank ahead of the 2026 NFL Combine

Somehow, we’re in the final days of February and the calendar will turn to March by this time next week. Along with it comes the NFL Scouting Combine, which began on Monday (with medical evals) and runs until Tuesday, March 2. Michigan had eight players invited this year — H-Back/TE Max Bredeson, WR

Summarized by AI ⓘ

What is the story about?

Somehow, we’re in the final days of February and the calendar will turn to March by this time next week. Along with it comes the NFL Scouting Combine, which began on Monday (with medical evals) and runs until Tuesday, March 2.

Michigan had eight players invited this year — H-Back/TE Max Bredeson, WR Donaven McCulley, TE Marlin Klein, edge rusher Jaishawn Barham, edge rusher Derrick Moore, DL Rayshaun Benny, LB Jimmy Rolder and K Dominic Zvada. It will be one of the last times on the field these guys

can showcase their talents before they could hear their names called in April.

Before the action kicks off later this week, let’s look around the national media to see where the experts rank some of these Wolverines.

NFL.com’s Chad Reuter

No. 42 – New Orleans Saints – Edge Derrick Moore
No. 98 – Minnesota Vikings – DT Rayshaun Benny

ESPN’s Mel Kiper

Tight End, No. 5 – Marlin Klein
- Utah’s Dallen Bentley is at No. 3, which is exciting for future Michigan prospects with Whittingham at head coach.
Fullback/H-back, HM – Max Bredeson
- He’ll need a strong combine to have a shot on an NFL roster (but let’s be honest, Jim Harbaugh will probably give him a training camp invite at minimum).
Defensive Tackle, No. 8 – Rayshaun Benny
- It’s a deep interior defensive line class. Benny’s got some competition he’ll need to show out against.
Outside linebacker, No. 5 – Derrick Moore
- Based on where pass rushers get picked, this would be prime second-round real estate for Moore if he has a strong performance in Indy.
Outside linebacker, No. 8 – Jaishawn Barham
- Michigan did a disservice to Barham last season not committing him to a position in the offseason. The midseason shift put him in this awkward spot of no one knowing where he belongs. He’s an athletic freak, so a strong combine could shoot him up boards. He has the most to gain among Michigan players in the next week.
Kicker, No. 1 – Dominic Zvada
- Kiper ranks special teams together, and he has two punters ahead of Zvada, which might signal a bad class for kickers overall. A poor 2025 season could be forgotten if he can show off his big leg under the dome at Lucas Oil Stadium.

PFF’s Trevor Sikkema

No. 74 overall – Edge Derrick Moore

“Moore is an athletic, stand-up pass rusher who shows promise as an impact player in the league. He is conscious of the importance of leverage and consistently uses it, maximizing a good first step and effective speed-to-power. He seems to have below-average arm length and shorter strides in pursuit, but aside from some slight physical drawbacks, he looks like a rotational 3-4 outside linebacker.”

No. 100 overall – OLB Jaishawn Barham

“Barham is built like an NFL linebacker. He also has the combination of speed and strength of one. He’s a strong and reliable tackler with long arms and an explosive first step toward the ball carrier. He can also convert speed to power well as a blitzer. However, he doesn’t have much coverage production at all. More impact in that area could lead to a mid-to-early Day 2 selection.”

No. 225 overall – TE Marlin Klein

“Klein’s journey from Cologne, Germany, to the States where he picked up football as a high school sophomore has been a slow and steady developmental arc. He now shows NFL potential as a high-effort tight end with strong technical skills in pass protection and experience playing in-line. His high PFF pass-blocking grades contrast with lower run-blocking marks, reflecting good technique but limited power due to his leaner frame. As a receiver, Klein hasn’t produced much, but his long strides make him a sneaky vertical threat. He projects as a low-volume, in-line blocking tight end who could surprise defenses if left unchecked in the passing game.”

No. 241 overall – DL Rayshaun Benny

“Benny has been a solid rotational player in Michigan’s defensive front for the last three seasons with an outlook to be a starter in 2025. At 300 pounds, he would be on the lighter side for an NFL defensive tackle, but he has good overall mass and length for work as a 3-4 defensive end; he’s seen quite a bit there in the Wolverine’s front. He has a good understanding of pass-rush moves and hand usage, but his game seems to lack the violence and urgency to be a backfield difference maker. He projects as a versatile depth player for an odd-front defense.”