Believe it or not, we are more than a quarter of the way through the 2025 NFL season, and plenty of former Michigan Wolverines are making an impact for their respective teams.
Let’s kick off the Week 5 edition of Pro Blue with a tight end who found the end zone twice.
A.J. Barner posts first multi-TD game
In a shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — possibly the most entertaining game of the week — former Michigan tight end A.J. Barner caught seven passes on seven targets for the Seattle Seahawks, racking up 53 yards and scoring twice.
If you need a tight end in your fantasy league, you may want to pick up Barner. Through five weeks, he ranks sixth among tight ends and 11th in points per game among tight ends on Underdog Fantasy. Obviously, two scores this week are boosting those numbers, but if he’s going to be a red zone target, you may want to try and pick him up before it’s too late.
Through five weeks, of players at the position who have at least 100 receiving snaps, Barner is the highest-rated tight end on Pro Football Focus (78.4). He’s also the highest-rated receiving tight end in the sport in that timeframe.
He wasn’t the only former Wolverine who found the end zone for the Seahawks in that game, with Zach Charbonnet scoring on top of collecting 46 all-purpose yards.
Mike Sainristil picks off Justin Herbert at the goal line, shows love for Jim Harbaugh on Instagram
In a win over Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil was able to pick up his second interception of the season, this one at the goal line.
Michigan Football’s instagram page posted the highlight on Sunday, and Sainristil commented on that post, saying “Coach Harbaugh, I love you.”
That pick was far from Sainristil’s only impact on the game; he also had nine tackles, seven of them solo, and two pass breakups.
Aidan Hutchinson continues to dominate, forces fumble against Cincinnati Bengals
The flea-flicker is one of the most aesthetically pleasing trick plays in football, but the timing of it can get messed up by a dominant defensive end like Aidan Hutchinson, who forced a fumble on that play in a win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
In the dominant Lions win, Hutchinson posted four tackles, five quarterback hits, and the sack and forced fumble above. The eye test matches Pro Football Focus ($): Hutchinson is the highest-graded EDGE in football (93.0 grade).
This game was chock-full of former Wolverines. Here’s how they did:
-Graham Glasgow, who has steadily improved to become the 23rd-rated center (out of 35) on PFF, was part of a Lions offensive line that helped Detroit rush for 118 yards and a score. The unit did give up four sacks, with half those sacks coming from one of the best pass rushers in football in Trey Hendrickson.
-Dax Hill had five tackles, while D.J. Turner II had one tackle.
Other notable performances
-Nico Collins caught four passes for 52 yards and scored his third touchdown of the season for the Houston Texans in a blowout win over the Baltimore Ravens.
Ravens defender David Ojabo also logged a quarterback hit in this game.
-In a win over the Cleveland Browns in London, Minnesota Vikings safety Josh Metellus had four tackles and a pass defensed. In that same game, Browns linebacker Devin Bush had six total tackles, and is rated as the sixth-highest linebacker on PFF (84.0, 6th out of 75).
-Two Michigan offensive linemen faced off in the New Orleans Saints’ win over the New York Giants. Jon Runyan and Giants rushed for more yards (136), but did give up the lone sack of the game. Runyan (50.5 grade, 58th out of 78 guards) and Cesar Ruiz (45.4 grade, 70th out of 78 guards) rank towards the bottom half of their position group on PFF.
-In a loss to the Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Joshua Uche had two tackles and a quarterback hit.
-In a loss to the Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals cornerback Will Johnson had two tackles and a pass defensed. Through 125 coverage snaps, he is the highest-graded cornerback in the NFL (84.5) on PFF.
-In a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday Night Football, Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna had two tackles.
