The Minnesota Golden Gophers produced a strong, if sparse, 2023 NFL Draft class. Could the 2024 NFL Draft invite similar success for P.J. Fleck’s program on the professional stage? Let’s take a closer look at the team’s core for the 2023 season.
Minnesota Golden Gophers NFL Draft Prospects
Counter to expectations ahead of the 2022 campaign, the Golden Gophers impressed and perhaps overachieved as they went 9-4 and competed for the Big Ten West title. There’s enough talent remaining on the roster that they could feasibly stay in contention in 2023 as well.
The biggest losses for Minnesota in the 2023 offseason came at quarterback and in the secondary. Five-year veteran passer Tanner Morgan exhausted his eligibility and was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent. And in the secondary, the Golden Gophers lost starting cornerback Terell Smith and safety Jordan Howden.
Just as notable was the loss of Minnesota’s best player: Center John Michael Schmitz. Schmitz was one of the best interior blockers in the nation and was drafted in Round 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. Luckily, the Golden Gophers have returning upperclassmen at all five OL spots, but replacing Schmitz will be difficult.
In Morgan’s stead, the Golden Gophers have Athan Kaliakmanis under center — a high-upside player with just as much uncertainty. And at the skill positions on both sides of the ball, they’ll rely on transfer additions to keep the ship afloat.
Athan Kaliakmanis, QB
In Athan Kaliakmanis, the Golden Gophers hope to have their successor to Tanner Morgan. Kaliakmanis was up-and-down in limited action last year, completing 60 of 111 attempts for 946 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions. To his credit, Kaliakmanis also showed promise as a runner, adding 140 yards and an additional score on 34 carries. At 6’4″, 210 pounds, he’s a mobile passer with passable arm talent, and the former four-star recruit could take a step up in 2023.
Sean Tyler, RB
P.J. Fleck scored several transfer additions from his former school, Western Michigan. The first on this list is running back Sean Tyler. Tyler is coming off one of the most productive two-season stretches among active CFB runners. Since 2021, Tyler has amassed 2,177 yards and 16 touchdowns on 387 carries, averaging around 5.6 yards per attempt. He lacks the one-step burst you’d want a 5’8″, 185-pound back to have, but he’s a high-energy runner whose stop-and-start ability is superb.
Corey Crooms, WR
Also joining Fleck’s squad from Western Michigan is wide receiver Corey Crooms. The 6’0″, 180-pound Crooms played alongside future NFL receivers in D’Wayne Eskridge and Skyy Moore and may have a future at the professional level himself. Since 2021, Crooms has accounted for 101 catches, 1,582 yards, and 12 touchdowns. He’s an explosive threat both vertically and on crossers, who can also offset DBs at stems with lateral moves.
Elijah Spencer, WR
If the Golden Gophers can rework their passing game, Elijah Spencer could be a massive beneficiary in the 2023 season. The 6’2″, 190-pound transfer from Charlotte has big upside, as evidenced by his 57-catch, 943-yard, nine-touchdown campaign in 2022. Spencer doesn’t have elite speed or explosiveness downfield, but in the short range, he’s a shifty, flexible, and fleet-footed athlete with high-level sinking ability as a separator.
Daniel Jackson, WR
Minnesota’s top returner at wide receiver is Daniel Jackson, a 6’0″, 200-pound pass catcher who logged 37 catches for 557 yards and five touchdowns in 2022. At his size, Jackson has good proportional length, which he’s able to employ with efficiency as a hands-catcher downfield. He has good quickness on his releases and flashes exceptional route-running nuance, but his best plays are a product of his body control and hand-eye coordination.
Chris Autman-Bell, WR
Crooms, Spencer, and Jackson make up the core of Minnesota’s WR room, but veteran Chris Autman-Bell is an eligible prospect for a fourth straight season. The seventh-year senior has a lengthy medical history and is coming off a season-ending leg injury. His medicals, combined with his age as a 25-year-old rookie, may snuff out any hopes of being drafted. But Autman-Bell, who caught 36 passes for 506 yards and six TDs in 2021, has good density and three-level utility at 6’1″, 210 pounds.
Brevyn Spann-Ford, TE
The chances are high that Minnesota’s top offensive prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft will be tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford. Spann-Ford, who towers at 6’7″, 270 pounds, accounted for 42 catches, 497 yards, and two scores in 2022.
At his size, he brings exceptional ball-tracking ability, and he’s a smooth athlete in space with seam capabilities and utility as a short and intermediate-range separator. But what will win over NFL coaches is his tenacious, overwhelming energy as a blocker.
Aireontae Ersery, OT
For the team that’s produced John Michael Schmitz and Daniel Faalele in recent NFL Draft cycles, the offensive line always bears watching. Minnesota might not have an early-round NFL Draft prospect in the 2024 cycle, but left tackle Aireontae Ersery could be a sleeper. He started all 13 games in 2022 and earned honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition. He’s a decent athlete at 6’6″, 325 pounds, with good functional strength. He does exhibit some stiffness in recovery, but he can rise in 2022 with improved synergy.
Kyler Baugh, DT
Though he won’t be on many NFL Draft radars to start the cycle, Kyler Baugh has incredibly intriguing ability and film. He originally transferred from Houston Baptist, and in his first season at Minnesota, he logged 36 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. Baugh, at 6’2″, 300 pounds, primarily played nose tackle in 0-tech and 1-tech alignments in 2022, but he has the first-step explosiveness, pad level, and quick hands to potentially translate at 3-tech as well.
Jalen Logan-Redding, DL
Alongside Baugh, Jalen Logan-Redding could be a player to keep tabs on, though that’s contingent on him experiencing further development. The 6’4″, 275-pound Logan-Redding logged 18 tackles, three TFLs, a sack, a pass deflection, and two fumble recoveries in 2022.
He’s a high-motor defender who chases plays with urgency, but he doesn’t have great proportional length and can appear tightly wound on the attack. Improving his pass-rush plan could result in greater efficiency.
Jah Joyner, EDGE
Jah Joyner only laid claim to 15 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, and 1.5 sacks in 2022. But nevertheless, there’s excitement about the kind of player he can become with more development. Among Minnesota’s defensive linemen, Joyner has a different kind of explosiveness at 6’5″, 250 pounds. Accelerating is effortless for him, and he can channel his burst and length into awesome power, even through flawed execution. More refinement could yield exciting growth.
Danny Striggow, EDGE
Neither Joyner nor Danny Striggow is proven on the production front, but Striggow has just as good of a chance to emerge as the Golden Gophers’ breadwinner on the edge. Striggow flashed promise in 2022 with 4.5 TFLs and 3.5 sacks. At 6’5″, 250 pounds, he has an NFL frame with a lean build and good length. He’s an energetic mover on the attack who has the lateral athleticism to stunt across alignments and the ability to load power. The upside is there.
Chris Collins, EDGE
Joyner and Striggow profile as the starters on the edge for Minnesota, but there’s another name to know in the room: North Carolina transfer Chris Collins. Collins, who stands around 6’5″, 245 pounds, is a graduate transfer in his sixth year. 2022 was a quiet season for Collins, but in 2021, he flashed his ability in pursuit, racking up 29 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and six TFLs. His experience and length could earn him rotational opportunities in 2023.
Cody Lindenberg, LB
The Golden Gophers lost their leading tackler in Mariano Sori-Marin, but their second-leading tackler from 2022 — Cody Lindenberg — is still present and very much a problem for opposing offenses. Lindenberg, who stands around 6’3″, 235 pounds, and amassed 71 tackles, four TFLs, a sack, and two deflections in 2022, has a gliding kind of explosiveness and swarming range, and he has the physicality to encumber blocks and halt runners. He could be a riser in the 2024 NFL Draft cycle.
Ryan Selig, LB
The final of three Western Michigan transfers on this list, Ryan Selig is a sixth-year senior who joins Fleck’s Minnesota program after piling on 72 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, and 1.5 sacks in 2022. Selig is expected to join Lindenberg as a starting linebacker, and his experience will prove valuable. Selig might not have the athletic upside that Lindenberg possesses, but at 6’3″, 240 pounds, Selig has proven that play strength at the tackle point isn’t an issue.
Justin Walley, CB
At cornerback, the Golden Gophers can boast one of the Big Ten’s most productive playmakers on the boundary: Justin Walley. Over the past two years, the 5’11”, 185-pound Walley has put up four interceptions and nine pass deflections. Walley is a bit lighter than average, which can hurt in support. But as a coverage defender, he’s fluid and instinctive and can use his feel for positioning and his ball skills to generate momentum-changing plays.
Tre’Von Jones, CB
After losing Terell Smith in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Golden Gophers will need a new player opposite Walley on the boundary. Elon transfer Tre’Von Jones could be one to watch. He’s underweight at 6’0″, 175 pounds, and will turn 25 years old late in his rookie year. But Jones was fairly productive in four years at Elon, with 185 tackles, 11.5 TFLs, two sacks, three interceptions, and 15 pass deflections over that span.
Jack Henderson, DB
The losses of Smith and Jordan Howden will hurt, but the Golden Gophers wasted no time heading to the transfer portal to fill their roster holes. A particularly intriguing name in the secondary is Jack Henderson, a 6’3″, 210-pound transfer from SE Louisiana. In three years at SE Louisiana, Henderson registered 163 tackles, 12 TFLs, two sacks, six interceptions, and 13 pass deflections. Set to play as a big nickel, he could ascend the NFL Draft board with a good year.
Tyler Bride, DB
Tyler Bride might not be a full-time starter out of the gate, but his all-encompassing versatility and playmaking value make him another defensive back to keep tabs on. Bride, who stands around 5’10”, 180 pounds, is a transfer from Georgia Southern. With the Eagles in 2022, Bride put up 42 tackles, three TFLs, two interceptions, and nine pass breakups. He can play cornerback, safety, or the nickel spot and can convert at the catch point wherever he lines up.
Tyler Nubin, S
At last, we’ve arrived at the player who could be Minnesota’s highest-drafted prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft cycle. Tyler Nubin accumulated 55 tackles, two TFLs, four picks, and three deflections in 2022 and could be in line for even greater numbers in 2023 with Howden gone. Nubin is a fluid, free-flowing space operator at 6’2″, 210 pounds. He can play in two-high or support against the run, and he’s instinctive both as a coverage player and a playmaker at the catch point. Early-round capital could be in his future.
Minnesota Golden Gophers Schedule
- Week 1
BYE - Week 2
Aug. 31: vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers - Week 3
Sept. 9: vs. Eastern Michigan Eagles - Week 4
Sept. 16: at North Carolina Tar Heels - Week 5
Sept. 23: at Northwestern Wildcats - Week 6
Sept. 30: vs. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns - Week 7
Oct. 7: vs. Michigan Wolverines - Week 8
BYE - Week 9
Oct. 21: at Iowa Hawkeyes - Week 10
Oct. 28: vs. Michigan State Spartans - Week 11
Nov. 4: vs. Illinois Fighting Illini - Week 12
Nov. 11: at Purdue Boilermakers - Week 13
Nov. 18: at Ohio State Buckeyes - Week 14
Nov. 25: vs. Wisconsin Badgers - Week 15
BYE