Chargers rumors: Mel Kiper, Albert Breer stick with Michigan connections in Round 1

Draft day is here! The 2025 NFL Draft will get underway from Green Bay on Thursdsay night, and it will be Jim Harbaugh’s second draft since becoming the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. Harbaugh was the coach of the Michigan football team from 2015-2023, and he won a national championship with the Wolverines in his final season. On Thursday, there is a chance that he reunites with some of the players that he coached at Michigan.

There aren’t a lot of people who love Michigan more than Jim Harbaugh, and a lot of NFL Draft experts expect Harbaugh to select a Wolverine on Thursday if he has the chance. Michigan has four players who are expected to be drafted in the first round. One player that ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has his eye on is Kenneth Grant.

“Booker is definitely a hot name right now, as teams have gone back to his great tape,” Kiper said in a recent mock draft. “There are a few teams in the 20s that could use him on their offensive lines, including the Texans and Ravens. I’ve also been told to watch Kenneth Grant at this pick. He shares a Michigan connection with Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, and, as I mentioned, Grant is getting some mid-Round 1 love right now. He might not even reach Los Angeles’ pick.”

Another Michigan football player that might be available at #23 for the Chargers is Will Johnson. Coming into the 2024 season, Johnson was viewed as top-10 pick, but his stock has been falling. He is now expected to be a late first-round pick, and Albert Breer has him going to LA.

“Johnson has a knee issue that has teams worried about his longevity,” Breer wrote. “There’s a toe problem, too, and questions about his long speed. But he’s also a really good player, and was very highly thought of in Ann Arbor. So someone who’d know that better than most (Jim Harbaugh) swoops in to stop his slide.”

Last year, Jim Harbaugh selected two of his former players in the NFL Draft as he picked linebacker Junior Colson and wide receiver Cornelius Johnson. Harbaugh didn’t select a Wolverine until the third round last year, and that was a bit surprising.

There will be a lot of first-round talent coming out of Michigan when the 2025 NFL Draft gets started on Thursday night. If any of those Wolverines are available, Harbaugh and the Chargers might have to swoop them up.