Thirteen UM Wolverine football players picked in the 2024 NFL Draft, setting a new school record

The University of Michigan had a successful showing at the 2024 NFL Draft, with 13 players chosen overall, leading all college programs. (NFL/UM Photo)

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	Thirteen UM Wolverines picked in the 2024 NFL Draft, setting a new school record By HB Meeks Tell Us USA News Network DETROIT - The University of Michigan's football team had a successful showing at the 2024 NFL Draft, with six Wolverines getting drafted on the final day of the selection meetings on April 27th. With a total of 13 players chosen overall during the three-day event at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza, U-M led all college programs. This year's draft saw U-M surpass its previous school record of 11 draftees set in the 2017 draft. It was the fifth time in program history that Michigan had ten or more players chosen, with 11 players in 2017 and 10 on three occasions: 1972, 1974, and 2020. On day three of the draft, Tight End AJ Barner got things started for the Wolverines when he was selected by the Seattle Seahawks. Barner was the 121st overall pick, the 21st selection of the fourth round. With the 37th choice of the fifth round, the Philadelphia Eagles chose offensive guard Trevor Keegan. The Wolverines finished strong with four players chosen in the seventh round. The Carolina Panthers used the 240th pick to select linebacker Michael Barrett, and nine picks later, the Houston Texans chose offensive tackle LaDarius Henderson with the 249th selection. The final two Michigan players to come off the board went back-to-back as edge Jaylen Harrell went to the Tennessee Titans (252) and wide receiver Cornelius Johnson (253) was drafted by Jim Harbaugh's Los Angeles Chargers. Michigan had at least one player chosen in six of the seven rounds: 1st (1), 2nd (2), 3rd (4), 4th (1), 5th (1) and 7th (4). The only round that a Wolverine was not selected was the sixth round. The Wolverines had a program-record seven players drafted in the first three rounds. U-M finished Jim Harbaugh's nine-year tenure as head coach with 65 players being selected in the NFL Draft. A total of 414 Wolverine players have been chosen in the NFL Draft. Following are bio sketches on each of the Wolverines drafted during the third day of the NFL Draft: AJ Barner, Tight End \| 6-6, 251 \| Seattle Seahawks \| 4th Round \| 121st Pick Barner was a major factor at tight end for the Wolverines in 2023. He played in all 15 contests and started nine games at tight end, collecting 22 receptions for 249 yards (11.3 avg.) and one touchdown. His best game in a Michigan uniform came at Michigan State, catching eight passes for 99 yards and his lone TD on the year. A great blocker as well, Barner was a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award, which is given to the nation's outstanding tight end. He also earned All-Big Ten honorable mention. A four-year letterman in college, Barner earned three letters at Indiana (2020-22) before joining U-M's 2023 national championship team. He played in 45 career games during his time with both programs, catching 64 passes for 610 yards (9.5 avg.) and five touchdowns. He also started 18 career contests. In the classroom, Barner earned Academic All-Big Ten honors three times. Trevor Keegan, Offensive Guard \| Philadelphia Eagles \| 5th Round \| 172nd Pick A team captain in 2023, Keegan was an anchor up front for the Wolverines' 2023 national championship team. He started all 15 games at left guard, earning All-Big Ten second team honors and was a candidate for the Outland Trophy. Keegan appeared in 45 career games, contributing along the offensive line in 43 contests with 37 starting assignments at left guard. He started the Big Ten Championship Game and CFP Semifinal each of the past three seasons, as well as this year's CFP National Championship Game against Washington. A two-time All-Big Ten performer, Keegan earned first-team honors in 2022 and second-team accolades in 2023. He played 2,256 career snaps with only two penalties called against him. Keegan was a starter on back-to-back Joe Moore Award-winning offensive lines in 2021 and 2022. Michael Barrett, Linebacker \| Carolina Panthers \| 7th Round \| 240th Pick Barrett is the winningest player in school history, with 61 victories in his career. A six-year letterman, Barrett appeared in a school-record 64 games and started 35 contests at linebacker. He notched 208 career tackles, including 12.0 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, two interceptions, six pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. A two-time All-Big Ten third team selection (2022-23), Barrett was voted a captain of Michigan's 2023 national championship squad. He received the Roger Zatkoff Award as the team's top linebacker after collecting 65 stops in 2023, including 3.5 TFLs, 3.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two pass breakups. Barrett was the team's Most Improved Player on defense in 2022 after collecting a career-high 72 tackles, 5.0 TFLs, 3.5 sacks and two interceptions. He also was named All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2020. LaDarius Henderson, Offensive Tackle/Offensive Guard \| Houston Texans \| 7th Round \| 249th Pick Henderson joined the Maize and Blue as a graduate transfer in 2023 and made a significant contribution along the offensive line during his one season at Michigan. He started all 15 games at left tackle. Henderson previously played in 37 games at Kilgore College (2019-20) and was a first-team All-Southwest Junior College Football Conference selection in 2020. Jaylen Harrell was selected as the 252nd pick by the Tennessee Titans in the 7th round of the draft. During his career as a Wolverine, he played in 46 games, including 40 on defense, with 31 starts off the edge. He was a dominant force off the edge, with one of his key game-defining plays being a pressure off the edge that led to the game-ending interception in Michigan's 2023 victory over Ohio State. Harrell accumulated 78 tackles, 19.0 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, and three pass breakups. He was an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection in 2022 and 2023, with nearly identical statistics during his final two seasons as a Wolverine. Cornelius Johnson was picked as the 253rd selection by the Los Angeles Chargers in the 7th round of the draft. He played in 61 career games during his five years as a Wolverine and started 46 contests at receiver. Johnson amassed 138 receptions for 2,038 yards and scored 14 touchdowns during his career. He had four 100-yard receiving games, including a career-best 160 yards and two TDs at Ohio State in 2022. Johnson had at least one reception in 41 of his final 43 games in the maize and blue. During the 2023 national championship season, he started 14 of the 15 games and caught 47 passes for 604 yards with one touchdown. He gained a first down or touchdown on 34 of his 50 offensive touches (68 percent). Johnson was also a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and graduated with a degree in communication and media. Harrell, on the other hand, was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and graduated with a degree in sport management.