Two Michigan Wolverines in discussion as top-five players at their position for 2026 NFL Draft

Another year, another Wolverines defensive lineman to watch. The 6-4, 296-pound Benny will be tasked with replacing first-rounder Mason Graham. The fifth-year senior had only 1.5 sacks last season as a rotational player but has breakout potential. He ended the season playing his best ball, sharing Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors after helping Michiganupset Ohio State.

Michigan has had a plethora of defensive linemen selected in the first round of NFL Drafts. Last season, Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant both went in Round 1. Benny returned to Michigan to lead the Wolverines' defensive line after sitting behind players for the past four years. But, now it's Benny's turn to shine, and the former highly-touted recruit had good numbers as a rotational piece in 2024. Benny recorded 29 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, and 1.5 sacks for Michigan.

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While Reid didn't rank any Michigan players inside his top five of any position, Miller had Rod Moore listed as his No. 5 safety, but he also noted the veteran is the toughest player to rank at safety.

The fifth-year senior missed last season after suffering a torn ACL in the spring of 2024. If he can return to his previous level of play (six combined interceptions in 2022-23), that's a huge win for the Michigan defense and could push Moore near the top of the safety class. But scouts are in wait-and-see mode as he returns from injury.

Moore could have been the first safety off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft if he hadn't sustained the spring injury last year. The former three-star recruit had a terrific 2023 season, recording 38 tackles, two INTs, and five PBUs for the Wolverines' secondary. While it appears it took Moore longer than expected to recover, Sherrone Moore anticipates the fifth-year player to be ready for Week 1 against New Mexico.