Wolverine247 Board

Wait wait. We're only drawing from a pool consisting of the current 2013 commits, correct? Don't want to go galloping off on a tangent later to realize my tighty whities were showing the entire time. The above response has me second guessing...

Dirty slick question either way considering how gradually the line of talent "slopes" from the "top" recruit to the lowest ranked - and that truly is a testament to how loaded the class is.

1. Shane Morris - The kid is a tremendous talent and vocal leader at the most important spot on the field. We would be calling him a franchise player.

2. Logan Tuley-Tillman - Amazing combination of size and athleticism, loves the squad, appears to be high-character with good work ethic. Like Morris, another vocal leader. Really, really high ceiling for this kid.

3. Dymonte Thomas - Another high-character, leader type. Will probably play at about 210 with 4.5 speed. Matches that speed with a nose for the ball and a knack for big hits. Salt in the wound of our rivals.

4. Patrick Kugler - Kugleybear (?) has athleticism, intelligence, work ethic, genetics and a nasty streak working in his favor. Father is Steelers' o-line coach, and he should captain this line brilliantly.

5. Gareon Conley - Rare speed and swivel for a 6'1" corner. Doesn't mind making the tackle either. With college weight training, should be an excellent all around corner.

T - 6. David Dawson, Kyle Bosch, Chris Fox - I can't really distinguish between these three. All appear to have the make up of dominant offensive linemen. The level this staff is recruiting on the line is unbelievable.

9. Khalid Hill - Definitely a sleeper pick. It can be very difficult for a player to make his mark on the offense at 6'2" 235lbs, but seems to be rare tweener that gives you the best of both worlds. He has the size and low center of gravity of a fullback, and kicking out weakside ends and linebackers should be no problem. Yet he has the quickness, hands, and route running to require a top flight linebacker or dedicated safety on passing downs. Hand picked by the coaches after they saw him first hand, Khalid seems a perfect fit for the H-Back spot in Borges' offense.

10. Deveon Smith - He will be more important than tenth out of these recruits, but really is kind of a low risk, low reward guy. He will leave Michigan with a lot of carries and yards, but his value over a Rawls-level replacement isn't that high.

11. Vidauntae "Taco" Charlton - Freakishly athletic with a high ceiling. To me looks like a basketball player playing football, if this staff can reverse that and make Taco a football player who looks like he would be good at basketball, big things could be his future.

12. Jourdan Lewis - Getting rave reviews in camps and in games. A fantastic athlete with the right attitude for corner. Despite the big gap, not sure Conley is the better of the two.

13. Ben Gedeon - He's a football player. Tough, intelligent, active, and fairly athletic. This ranking has more to do with the linebackers already on the roster and the other guys on this list. Will probably be a very good one when he can finally see the field.

14. Wyatt Shallman - See Khalid Hill. Limited in how he can be used, but really could flourish if he finds the right role.

15. Jake Butt - At 6'6" precisely the sort of tight end Borges is looking for. Not entirely sure he separates himself from similar prospects, but definitely a fine weapon.

16. Michael McCray - Big athletic SAM with football in his blood. Like Gedeon and Smith, this low ranking is not based on a lack of talent, but the quality of his peers.

17. Jaron Dukes - Somebody has to go last right? Big wide receiver who tore up Ohio's corner of the future. 247 is on the high side of the height estimates, and Dukes really needs to add some strength or he might not get the separation to put that height to good use.

Really interesting topic because if we can keep the current roster like an NFL team, it changes the way I look at the incoming recruiting class. I love LTT as an OT, but love Lewan and Schofield more, so if we hypothetically could keep them on the roster for the next 5-10 years through their prime, the OT position becomes less critical and LTT would slide down my board. Same is true for Deveon Smith because I think he's a great pickup, but having Toussaint and Rawls for another 5 years and letting them continue to develop means RB wouldn't be as big of a concern. So here would be my take:

1. Shane -- Hypothetically we could keep Denard, Devin, and Bellomy, but QB is the most important position and Shane has a completely different skillset than those guys so he has to be #1.
2. Gareon Conley -- Looking at NFL teams, the second most valuable spot is CB with some teams (Eagles, Falcons, Jets, etc) overpaying to have multiple top CBs. We currently lack height at the CB position, so the thought of having Countess on one side and Conley on the other for the next 5+ years would open up a ton of options to blitzes and different coverages.
3. Taco Charlton -- Again, looking at the NFL there is a premium on rushing the QB. Clark, Beyer, and Ojemudia are going to be good at that spot, but none of them have the size/speed combo of Taco. A guy who can consistently generate a pass rush without blitzing, plus a solid secondary that can do man coverage if we did blitz, would make for a very good defense.
4. Kugler -- Great option at Center where we don't have a lot of depth or experience to know what we're getting.

I could argue pretty much any of the OL coming next or LBs or Smith or Dymonte or TEs, so I'll just stop at the top-4..

Yes, sorry for the confusion. Just thought it'd be a fun topic to discuss, and I'm enjoying everyone's responses so far.

Busy at the moment, but I'll chime in on this later tonight when things slow down a bit.