As it seemingly does every year, the Michigan football team said goodbye to a number of its star players last month, as seven Wolverines were taken in the 2025 NFL Draft. Included were a program-record three top-15 picks, and two others taken as day-two draft selections.
And as it also seemingly does every year, the Wolverines are now tasked with replacing those draft picks with on-field production. The good news for Michigan is that, compared to last year, the Wolverines have far fewer stars to replace, and far more experienced players lined up to try to do so.
So who's up next for Michigan in the wake of its departing draft players? We break it down below.
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Mason Graham, No. 5 overall, Cleveland Browns
Who's next: Rayshaun Benny
Benny was even nice enough to hammer this point home by changing his jersey number to Graham's 55 this spring.
After playing behind Mazi Smith, Kris Jenkins Jr., Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant over the past four years, it's Rayshaun Benny's turn to be the Wolverines' star defensive tackle. Benny has become a familiar name for Michigan fans over the years, as he tallied 29 tackles, zero missed tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups, 14 run stops and 20 quarterback pressures coming off injury last season. The year prior, Benny had 27 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks, two pass breakups, a forced fumble, 15 run stops, seven quarterback pressures and zero missed tackles.
This year, he'll get even more snaps to show what he can do as one of the faces of Michigan's 2025 defense. From an efficiency standpoint, the former four-star recruit has shown the potential to be an All-Big Ten defensive tackle, and with a strong fifth season could emerge as Michigan's fifth defensive tackle to go in the top-50 of the NFL Draft in four years.
Colston Loveland, No. 10 overall, Chicago Bears
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