It’s a star-studded affair when reading through the Michigan Wolverines’ scouting reports for the 2022 NFL Draft. Aidan Hutchinson could be the first overall pick, and despite David Ojabo’s unfortunate injury, he’s still seen as a potential top prospect. Here are the full scouting reports from the Michigan prospects with eyes on the 2022 NFL Draft.
Michigan 2022 NFL Draft Scouting Reports
It isn’t just Hutchinson and Ojabo from this Wolverines defense. It’s Daxton Hill, Chris Hinton, Brad Hawkins, Josh Ross, and Vincent Gray. The aforementioned star-studded affair begins right now.
Aidan Hutchinson, DE
Positives: Impact defensive front-seven player with an explosive style. Fires off the snap, plays with a relentless attitude, and has a violent nature to his game. Effectively breaks down, uses his hands incredibly well, and jolts blockers with tremendous hand punch. Gets off the snap with an explosive first step. Easily changes direction and alters his angle of attack. Bends off the edge and flattens to pursue plays from the back side. Gets a lot of momentum going up the field, can be tough to stop, and gives effort defending the run.
Negatives: Gets out-positioned from the action by bigger opponents. Does not display great lateral speed. Does a lot of bull rushing opponents off the line.
Analysis: Hutchinson moves towards the draft as the darling of the media, and while he had a great senior campaign, there are areas of concern in his game for me. His style and relentless attitude help him make plays, but he’s not as athletic as many of the top players in this year’s draft. Hutchinson must improve his strength at the point of attack but has the versatility to be used out of a three-point stance or standing over tackle. While I don’t feel he has a great upside, Hutchinson is polished and is the safe pick.
For more information on Aidan Hutchinson, visit his full scouting report
Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan DE | NFL Draft Scouting Report
Andrew Stueber, OL
Positives: Large, wide-bodied blocker who is best in a small area. Plays smart, tough football, keeps his head on a swivel, and immediately recognizes blitzes. Sets with a wide base, bends his knees, and sinks his butt at the line of scrimmage. Explosive at the point, fires off the snap into blocks, and turns defenders from the line to open up running lanes. Consistently blocks with proper pad level, works his hands throughout the action, and anchors in pass protection.
Negatives: Struggles to adjust and gets beaten by speed rushers. Average skill blocking in motion and cannot hit a moving target.
Analysis: Stueber was a solid tackle at Michigan and looked terrific when moved into guard during Senior Bowl practices. More of a power gap lineman, he’s a Day 3 pick who could start in the right system on Sundays.
Andrew Vastardis, OL
Positives: Under-the-radar center coming off a sensational senior campaign. Quickly sets up off the snap, fires his hands into defenders, and keeps his head on a swivel. Displays outstanding blocking vision, plays with a nasty attitude, and gets a pad on defenders to knock them from their angles of attack. Blocks down, engulfs opponents, and works to finish plays. Shows the ability to slide in pass protection. Effectively quarterbacks the offensive line.
Negatives: Minimally effective blocking in motion. Slows into blocks on the move and struggles to hit moving targets.
Analysis: Vastardis became Michigan’s starting center last season and displayed a great feel for the position. He’s a small-area blocker with scheme limitations, but he has enough ability to back up in the NFL.
Brad Hawkins, S
Positives: Smart, tough safety with an underrated game. Quick reading and diagnosing plays, possesses outstanding instincts, and moves laterally with speed. Displays good range, quickly gets out to the flanks, and works well with cornerbacks. Fires up the field, gives effort against the run, and wraps up tackling. Defeats multiple blocks to get to the action.
Negatives: Not smooth flipping his hips and loses in transition. Lacks great deep speed.
Analysis: Hawkins was a productive three-year starter at Michigan who was effective defending the run while showing good awareness in coverage. While he has athletic limitations, Hawkins possesses enough ability to line up as a zone or strong safety.
Chris Hinton, DT
Positives: Slightly undersized but explosive one-gap tackle who projects to the 3-technique spot. Explosive, plays with outstanding leverage as well as proper pad level, and fires off the snap with a great first step. Quick in all his actions, immediately gets his hands up, and possesses a closing burst to the play. Quickly changes direction, moves well laterally, and gets down the line in pursuit of the action. Displays a variety of moves to get off blocks, moves fluidly when asked to twist or stunt, and gets penetration behind the line of scrimmage.
Negatives: Lacks bulk and gets handled in 1-on-1 blocking situations. Underwhelming production the past three seasons.
Analysis: Hinton is an explosive one-gap defender who showed consistent improvement in his game and comes with an upside. He still has a ways to go, but if Hinton improves his playing strength, he could eventually start in a four-man line on Sundays.
For more information on Chris Hinton, visit his full scouting report
Chris Hinton, Michigan DT | NFL Draft Scouting Report
David Ojabo, DE
Positives: Explosive and athletic impact defender coming off a sensational season. Fast up the field, very sudden, and displays tremendous quickness off the snap. Quickly changes direction and immediately alters his angle of attack without losing momentum. Possesses an explosive closing burst bearing down on the play. Bends off the edge, rarely gets knocked off his feet, and shows speed in lateral pursuit.
Effective standing over tackle and coming out of a three-point stance. Can make plays up the field and off the line in space. Shows a variety of moves to get off blocks. Consistently penetrates the line of scrimmage. Easily exploits offensive tackles with speed and explosion.
Negatives: Controlled at the point by a single blocker and gets out-positioned by opponents. Lacks great strength at the point. Turned in just a single productive season at Michigan.
Analysis: Ojabo burst onto the scene last year and made an impact for the Wolverines, displaying a lot of next-level ability along the way. He’s an explosive pass rusher who can play in a variety of systems and has enough athleticism to be used both in space and at the line of scrimmage. Ojabo must add bulk to his frame and polish his game but comes with tremendous upside.
For more information on David Ojabo, visit his full scouting report
David Ojabo, Michigan DE | NFL Draft Scouting Report
Daxton Hill, S
Positives: Athletic safety prospect with a complete game. Quick and fluid pedaling in reverse, smooth flipping his hips, and tracks the pass in the air. Possesses a burst to the ball and has a nice move to the throw. Quick to read and diagnose plays, shows speed laterally, and keeps the action in front of him. Breaks down well and uses his hands to protect himself. Squares into tackles and wraps up ball handlers. Takes good angles to the action and works hard to get involved.
Negatives: Doesn’t play to his 40 time and lacks a second gear, despite his Combine 40 time. Possesses a long, wiry build.
Analysis: Hill is an athletic safety who has shown consistent improvement on the field and increased his production every year. He possesses good upside and projects as a traditional free safety who can line up over the slot receiver.
For more information on Daxton Hill, visit his full scouting report
Daxton Hill, Michigan S | NFL Draft Scouting Report
Donovan Jeter, DL
Positives: Nice-sized defensive tackle who had an underwhelming college career. Fires off the snap with a quick first step, keeps his feet moving, and works his hands throughout the action. Flashes power in his lower body and bull rushes opponents off the line.
Negatives: Cannot get off blocks once engaged at the point and gets held up by lesser opponents. Gets very narrow-based in his setup.
Analysis: Jeter possesses next-level size as well as growth potential, yet he never presented himself as anything other than an average college backup.
Josh Ross, LB
Positives: Underrated linebacker with a complete game. Instinctive, quickly reads plays, and fires to the action. Displays tremendous range on the field and goes sideline to sideline. Plays with a violent attitude and possesses a terrific closing burst. Can be a devastating hitter and drives his shoulders through opponents.
Easily changes direction, quickly gets out in lateral pursuit, and uses his hands to protect himself. Remains disciplined with coverage assignments, is very effective in zone coverage, and redirects to make the tackle in space.
Negatives: Lacks size, doesn’t stack well against the run, and gets caught up in the trash. Does not always take proper angles.
Analysis: While Ross lacks classic size, he’s an impact linebacker who violently defends the run while holding his own in coverage. Significantly underrated, in my opinion, Ross has starting potential on the inside of a 3-4 alignment. And if properly coached, he’ll be a very productive professional.
For more information on Josh Ross, visit his full scouting report
Josh Ross, Michigan LB | NFL Draft Scouting Report
Hassan Haskins, RB
Positives: Nice-sized interior ball carrier with outstanding vision and football instincts. Strong, rarely brought down by the initial defender, and breaks tackles. Fights hard for every yard, bullies his way over opponents, and plays physical football. Explosive, possesses a burst through the hole, and beats defenders mentally. Displays outstanding blocking vision, sees the blitz, and squares into defenders.
Negatives: Not a creative ball carrier who improvises or makes something out of nothing. Fights the ball as a receiver out of the backfield.
Analysis: Haskins has speed and quickness limitations, but he’s a strong ball carrier who does the little things well. His ability to pick up the tough yardage, effectively block when called upon, and do the little things well makes him a solid projection as a fourth back on the roster.
For more information on Hassan Haskins, visit his full scouting report
Hassan Haskins, Michigan RB | NFL Draft Scouting Report
Vincent Gray, CB
Positives: Nice-sized cornerback who does a solid job reading as well as diagnosing plays. Instinctive, shows excellent awareness, and stays with assignments in zone. Works to locate the pass, effectively positions himself against opponents, and possesses a quick closing burst. Effective backed off the line of scrimmage. Works to defend the run and drives his shoulders through tackles.
Negatives: Gets very grabby and handsy throughout the route. Cannot stay on the receiver’s hip out of breaks and makes plays after the fact.
Analysis: Gray is a cornerback with nice length who would be best in a zone system or a scheme in which he faces the action.
For more information on Vincent Gray, visit his full scouting report
Vincent Gray, Michigan CB | NFL Draft Scouting Report