Football sets school record with 13 players selected in 2024 NFL Draft

DETROIT, Mich. – The University of Michigan football team continued its impressive performance in the 2024 NFL Draft as six Wolverines were selected on the final day of league selection sessions on Saturday (April 27). The Maize and Blue led all college programs with a total of 13 players selected during the three-day event at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza.

With 13 players selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, UM surpassed its previous school record of 11 draftees set in the 2017 draft. It also marked the fifth time in program history that Michigan had selected ten or more players (11 players in 2017 and ten on three occasions: 1972, 1974 and 2020).

Close end AJ Barner He got the Wolverine going on day three when he was selected by the Seattle Seahawks. Barner was the 121st overall pick, the 21st pick of the fourth round. With the 37th pick of the fifth round, the 172nd overall pick, the Philadelphia Eagles chose the offensive guard Trevor Keegan.

The Wolverines finished strong with four players selected in the seventh round. The Carolina Panthers used the 240th pick to select the linebacker Michael Barrett and nine picks later, the Houston Texans selected offensive tackle LaDarius Henderson with the 249th selection. The last two Michigan players to come off the board started with the lead Jaylen Harrell went to the Tennessee Titans (252) and wide receiver Cornelius Johnson (253) was drafted by Jim Harbaugh's Los Angeles Chargers.

Remaining draft-eligible members of the Michigan football program can sign free-agent contracts with NFL teams.

Remarks

• Michigan had at least one player selected in six of the seven rounds: 1st (1), 2nd (2), 3rd (4), 4th (1), 5th (1) and 7th (4). The only round in which no Wolverine was selected was the sixth round.

• The Wolverines had a program-record seven players drafted in the first three rounds.

• UM ended Jim Harbaugh's nine-year tenure as head coach by selecting 65 players in the NFL Draft.

• A total of 414 Wolverine players were selected in the NFL Draft.

Below are bio sketches for each of the Wolverines drafted on day three of the NFL Draft:

AJ Barner, tight end | 6-6, 251 | Seattle Seahawks | 4th round | 121st choice

Barner was a key contributor 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 average) and one touchdown. His best game in a Michigan uniform came at Michigan State, where he caught eight passes for 99 yards and his only TD of the year. Barner was also a great blocker and a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award, given to the nation's outstanding tight end. He also received All-Big Ten honorable mention.

Barner was a four-year letterman in college and earned three letters at Indiana (2020-22) before joining UM's 2023 national championship team. During his time with both programs, he played in 45 career games and caught 64 passes for 610 yards (9.5 average) and five touchdowns. He also started in 18 career competitions. In the classroom, Barner earned Academic All-Big Ten honors three times.

Trevor Keegan, offensive guard | Philadelphia Eagles | 5th round | 172nd choice

As team captain in 2023, Keegan was an anchor at the helm of the Wolverines' 2023 national championship team. He started all 15 games at left guard, was named second-team All-Big Ten and was an Outland Trophy candidate.

Keegan appeared in 45 career games and was involved in 43 games on the offensive line, making 37 starts at left back. He started in the Big Ten Championship Game and the CFP semifinals each of the last three seasons, as well as this year's CFP National Championship Game against Washington. A two-time All-Big Ten player, Keegan was selected to the first team in 2022 and the second team in 2023. He played 2,256 snaps in his career 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 | 240. Choice

Barrett is the winningest player in school history with 61 career wins. Barrett, a six-year letterman, played a school-record 64 games at linebacker and started 35 contests. He recorded 208 career tackles, including 12.0 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, two interceptions, six pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.

Barrett, a two-time All-Big Ten third-team selection (2022-23), was selected 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, having collected 72 tackles, 5.0 TFLs, 3.5 sacks and two interceptions – the most of his career. He also received All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors in 2020.

LaDarius Henderson, Offensive Tackle/Offensive Guard | Houston Texans | 7th round | 249. Option

Henderson joined the Maize and Blue as a 2023 graduate and was a key contributor on offense. He appeared in 14 games on offense and started 10 games at left tackle. Henderson earned All-Big Ten First Team honors after helping the unit earn semifinalist honors for the Joe Moore Award.

Before joining the Wolverines' 2023 national championship team, Henderson was a four-year letterman at Arizona State (2019-22). He appeared in 33 games with 29 starts for the Sun Devils, starting at both left guard (19 games) and left tackle (10). Henderson played 47 games with 39 appearances as a starter during his five-year career.

Jaylen Harrell, Edge | Tennessee Titans | 7th round | 252. Option

Harrell has been a dominant force on the edge for the Wolverines throughout his career, with a key, game-winning play being the edge pressure that provided the game-winning interception in Michigan's win over Ohio State in 2023. Harrell played in 46 games over the course of his career, 40 of which were on defense. He made 31 starts from the edge. As a four-year letterman, Harrell collected 78 tackles, 19.0 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and three pass breakups.

He was named All-Big Ten honorable mention the last two seasons (2022-23) and posted nearly identical stats in his final two seasons as a Wolverine. Harrell recorded 31 tackles with 9.0 TFLs, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup during the 2023 national championship season. In 2022, he recorded 30 stops, 7.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks and two PBUs. Harrell was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and graduated with a degree in sports management.

Cornelius Johnson, wide receiver | Los Angeles Chargers | 7th round | 253. Option

A five-year letterman, Johnson played in 61 career games and started 46 games as a receiver for the Wolverines. Over his career, he collected 138 receptions for 2,038 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. Johnson had four 100-yard receiving games, including a career-best 160 yards and two touchdowns at Ohio State in 2022. He recorded at least one reception in 41 of his last 43 games in maize and blue.

Johnson started 14 of the 15 games during the 2023 national championship season. He completed 47 passes for 604 yards with one touchdown and scored a first down or touchdown on 34 of his 50 offensive touches (68 percent).

In the classroom, he was Academic All Big Ten four times and graduated with a degree in communications and media.