The 13-0 Michigan Wolverines will play the 12-1 Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2023 Rose Bowl. How many NFL Draft prospects will play in this game, and what are their projections at the next level?
Rose Bowl Prospect Preview
Two teams, loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, will battle for the right to play in the National Championship game. Michigan and Alabama will battle as the No. 1 and No. 4 seeds in the CFB Playoffs and will play the winner of Texas-Washington.
Both Michigan and Alabama have an abundance of 2024 and 2025 NFL Draft talent at their disposal, and this matchup will truly be a must-watch spectacle — both from an individual prospects perspective and from a body-of-work perspective.
These two teams are two of the strongest in the trenches in the entire NCAA. Both have future NFL quarterbacks. Alabama has a stalwart EDGE duo and a lockdown CB tandem, while Michigan has a brawling running back and a strong young core on defense.
Below, we’ll go through the top NFL Draft prospects to watch in Michigan and Alabama’s Rose Bowl clash while also providing additional names to keep an eye on.
Michigan NFL Draft Prospects
J.J. McCarthy, QB
J.J. McCarthy started the 2023 season on a tear, putting some of the highest-quality reps in the entire QB class on tape. But over the final five games of the season, he passed for just 831 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Michigan won out, but the CFB Playoff will test McCarthy’s ability to elevate his team when it’s truly needed.
As of now, it’s not a lock that McCarthy declares for the 2024 NFL Draft, and his decision could ultimately hinge on his playoff performance. McCarthy has high-end athleticism and a live arm and has shown bright flashes of anticipation, field vision, and pocket navigation in 2023. Nevertheless, consistency remains an area of improvement for the young QB.
Kris Jenkins, DT
The son of former NFL All-Pro Kris Jenkins, the younger Jenkins has long been regarded as a potential early-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. His fourth season didn’t amount to the statistical breakout many had expected, but he still earned second-team All-Big Ten honors.
Jenkins still has room to more consistently channel his traits as a pass-rusher, but there’s no disputing the physical potential he has at 6’3″, 305 pounds. Jenkins is incredibly strong, well-leveraged, and violent in run defense, and he has the twitch and torque to disrupt 1-on-1.
Rod Moore, S
It’s unclear if Rod Moore will declare, but in an unsettled safety class, he has enough high-quality tape over the past three seasons to go early in the 2024 NFL Draft, especially once his testing is added in.
At 6’0″, 185 pounds, Moore is an extremely energetic and explosive mover with all-encompassing versatility on the back end, as well as biting physicality.
Blake Corum, RB
Blake Corum will leave the Wolverines as one of the most productive runners in school history. He rumbled for 24 touchdowns over the course of the team’s first 13 games in 2023, and over four years, he has 635 carries for 3,520 yards and 55 touchdowns.
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Corum will be an older rookie who also doesn’t bring much in the receiving phase. That said, Corum’s vision, quick cutting ability, explosiveness, contact balance, and physicality at around 5’8″, 213 pounds should earn him consideration in the middle rounds.
Roman Wilson, WR
Of the 21 touchdown passes thrown by Michigan in 2023, Roman Wilson has caught 11 of them — and on just 41 catches. At around 6’0″, 190 pounds, Wilson is an elite speed threat who also has the flexibility and route nuance to carve through zones, and he’s a high-level contortionist at the catch point. Wilson still profiles as a top sleeper in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Will Johnson, CB (2025)
Will Johnson isn’t eligible until the 2025 NFL Draft, but he’s already penciled in as a CB1 candidate when the time comes. The 6’2″, 202-pound CB has six interceptions and seven pass breakups over the past two seasons and fought admirably against Marvin Harrison Jr. in the regular season finale, using his athleticism, length, and instincts to produce.
Other Michigan NFL Draft Prospects to Watch
- Donovan Edwards, RB
- Cornelius Johnson, WR
- Colston Loveland, TE (2025)
- A.J. Barner, TE
- LaDarius Henderson, OT
- Trevor Keegan, G
- Drake Nugent, C
- Mason Graham, DT(2025)
- Kenneth Grant, DT (2025)
- Jaylen Harrell, EDGE
- Junior Colson, LB
- Michael Barrett, LB
- Mike Sainristil, CB
- Josh Wallace, CB
- Makari Paige, S
Alabama NFL Draft Prospects
Dallas Turner, EDGE
Dallas Turner is a contender to be the first EDGE off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft, largely on account of his physical tools. The 6’4″, 245-pound rush linebacker amassed nine sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss in a standout 2023 campaign, making his case.
Turner is still developing his pass-rushing arsenal, but his upside is truly unmatched in the EDGE class. Turner has superlative explosiveness, bend capacity, and lateral freedom, and he also has long levers for arms, which he can use to channel devastating power on the move.
Terrion Arnold, CB
Seemingly out of nowhere, Terrion Arnold emerged as a dominant presence at CB for Alabama, both in coverage and in run support. All told, he racked up 61 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, a sack, five interceptions, 11 pass breakups, and a forced fumble over the 2023 campaign.
Arnold has a strong case for CB1. Not only is he an elite athlete with rare burst and fluidity, but it’s also very hard to poke holes in his profile. He’s sharp and efficient technically, he processes and reacts quickly, and he’s a bona fide playmaker in both phases of the game.
Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB
Kool-Aid McKinstry might have been leap-frogged by his teammate Arnold on some teams’ CB rankings, but he’s still a very viable first-round CB candidate in the 2024 NFL Draft.
At around 6’1″, 192 pounds, McKinstry has the superior length out of the two, and he’s a scheme-versatile coverage CB with fast feet, physicality, and swarming ball skills.
JC Latham, OT
Michigan’s offensive line was a solid unit once again in 2023, but the Crimson Tide boast the top-rated offensive line prospect in this matchup with JC Latham.
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At 6’6″, 360 pounds, Latham is a freak of nature with an unmatched combination of launch explosiveness and frame density. He’s a road-grader in the run game but also balanced in pass protection.
Chris Braswell, EDGE
Opposite Turner, Chris Braswell was quietly just as impactful in 2023, accumulating eight sacks and 10.5 TFLs.
Braswell isn’t nearly as flexible as Turner, but at 6’3″, 255 pounds, he has quantifiably elite burst and power capacity with his proportional length, and his speed-to-power profile will earn him fans in the early rounds.
Jalen Milroe, QB (2025)
Jalen Milroe has already confirmed that he’ll be returning to Alabama for the 2024 season, but he’s an early name to watch in the 2025 NFL Draft class.
At 6’2″, 215 pounds, Milroe is an explosive running threat, but over the course of the 2023 campaign, he steadily improved his mechanics, decision-making, and accuracy as a passer.
Other Alabama NFL Draft Prospects to Watch
- Jase McClellan, RB
- Jermaine Burton, WR
- Isaiah Bond, WR (2025)
- Justin Eboigbe, DT
- Tim Smith, DT
- Deontae Lawson, LB
- Trezmen Marshall, LB
- Caleb Downs, S (2025)
- Malachi Moore, S
- Jaylen Key, S