Hart Off the Board

Mike Hart joins the group of 2nd-day Michigan draftees who get to laugh at the 1st-day draftees stuck in Miami. Hart was selected in the 6th round (36, 202 overall) by the Indianapolis Colts, and this may be the best possible situation for Hart. Hart gets to run behind a very good offensive line on a team who wins based on cerebral prominence, and he backs up a very consistent runner in Joseph Addai, while still getting ample opportunities given the amount of games in which the Colts run up the score early. With that having been said, take a look at what ESPN Scouts Inc. had to say about Hart:

"At one time he was a first-round prospect, but he dropped due to pre-draft workouts. He is a natural runner who displays great patience setting up his blocks. He is very slippery and is able to break arm tackles. But he is very undersized, lacks top-end speed and shows an inability to be very helpful in pass-protection."

That must be a joke... or it must be written by someone who simply never watched Hart play. First of all, Hart is slippery? Sure, he bounces off of tackles and is hard to bring down, but that's because he's strong. I've never seen Mike Hart shy away from a hit. That might be nit-picky, but the last portion of this blurb about Hart is simply absurd. Mike Hart is not "helpful in pass-protection"?!? Hart is an intelligent blocker who always impedes pass rushers, even if that means sacrificing his own body. I feel like so much of this draft was based around the Michigan-Ohio St. game, in which Michigan had to deal with playing the Buckeyes after a loss without Henne or Hart at full-strength. Was Vernon Gholston seriously worthy of the #6 overall selection because he came out to play against Michigan and beat Jake Long once? Watch his highlight reel on ESPN... over half of the clips are from that one game. In that game, Hart was beaten by Gholston a few times, and all of a sudden Hart is not "very helpful in pass-protection." Something is wrong here.

Adrian Arrington, the last Wolverine we expect to be taken, is still on the board. Serves him right for leaving the family behind. Jamar Adams is also a possible draftee, but I expect him to be a free agent acquisition after the draft.

Manningham and Crable Join Super Bowl Finalists

2 more Wolverines have been drafted, and no, they are not members of the Miami Dolphins. Rather than joining the worst team in the football, Mario Manningham and Shawn Crable have joined the two Super Bowl Finalists from the 2007-2008 season, with Crable taken by the New England Patriots (15th pick in the 3rd round, #78 overall) and Manningham taken by the New York Giants (32nd pick in the 3rd round, #95 overall). Crable figures to slot in nicely in New England's hybrid defense and play a great deal on special teams with his speed and athleticism, while Manningham, whose stock dropped considerably due to off-field concerns (plus he's not exactly the tallest WR in the draft), joins a deep WR core in New York, with Plaxico Burress, an aging Amani Toomer, and last year's 2nd round pick, Steve Smith from USC.

Mike Hart and Adrian Arrington figure to go next, with Hart most likely the first of the two off the board. Apparently scouts have figured out that Arrington exploited bad cornerbacks while teams focused on Manningham, and he is now projected as a 6th rounder. Meanwhile, Hart had some nice combine performances, but, despite his strength, still lacks NFL-worthy size and speed.

NFL Draft Day 1 and Misc.

The painstaking first day of the NFL Draft has come and gone and only two Wolverines were taking in the first two rounds. Both Jake Long (1st Overall) and Chad Henne (2nd Round) were taking by the Miami Dolphins. Obviously, Bill Parcells and Tony Sporano like the chemistry that these two bring to the field. Henne's drop back style and strong arm could develop into the kind of passing game Parcells had with Drew Bledsoe and Phil Simms in the 90's. It'll be interesting to see the kind of competition he has with Jon Beck for the starting spot come this fall.

On the other hand, four other Wolverines were left waiting till Day 2 to find out their draft fates. Mike Hart, Mario Manningham, Adrian Arrington, and Shawn Crable are all still undrafted and waiting to hear their names called. For Manningham and Arrington, both players who had off-field troubles during their college careers, the decision to go pro early could prove to be a regretful one if they aren't drafted after Round 3. Stay Tuned.

Finally, congrats to Michigan Softball on another impressive victory over MSU. They take on Northwestern in a DH tomorrow, which can be heard live on the Stream or MGoBlue.com (Stu Zaas will have the call). After seeing the highlights and having attended a few games myself, this is one of the most entertaining events to attend at Michigan these days and tickets are very easy to get ( Home games end by mid-May, so hurry fast and catch the 6th Ranked team in the land).

Speaking of highlights, who is Robert St. Clair and did he really just ask Jordan Taylor if she likes pitching with a lead in the UM-MSU Video Report?!? Have you seen/played a game of baseball or softball in your life? In the words of Hamilton Porter in The Sandlot: You are killing me, Smalls!!!! Bring your A game, or I move for you to be replaced by crack Softball enthusiast (and WCBN's finest) Stu Zaas.

(In all seriousness, a big thanks goes out to the people at MGoBlue.com for allowing all of us to broadcast these games, which has been a great experience).

Alright, that's it for now. Time to enjoy some NBA action.