It’s always a big deal for a program when a player gets drafted to the pros. It serves as a sign the school can create star athletes, bolsters recruiting, and can be a building block towards greater success in the future. If you’re lucky one or two athletes might find a home in the NFL, get even luckier and you might boast an NBA player as well.
The Michigan Wolverines have bragging rights no other school can match
Sorry, Ohio State, but y’all can’t hang with this record.
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
The University of Michigan, however — they have something no other school in the nation can match.
For the first time in the history of the NCAA, Michigan has had players selected in the first round of the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB in the same year. It’s a testament to how well rounder Michigan has become at everything, and why some fans look forward to just football season, folks in Ann Arbor get to enjoy top sports all year long.
The first round picks in question are:
- NFL: Mason Graham (5th overall), Colston Loveland (10th overall), and Kenneth Grant (13th overall)
- NBA: Danny Wold (27th overall)
- NHL: Will Horcroff (24th overall)
- MLB: Mitch Voit (38th overall)
In addition to these athletes there was also a 1st round pick in the MLS Draft back in December with Jason Bucknor being taken with the 20th overall pick. The only other pro leagues with official drafts were the WNBA and Major League Lacrosse. While neither of those sports boasted a first rounder, Michigan had 3rd rounders in each sport.
Honestly, it’s difficult to see many schools be able to boast this kind of range. The kicker in most cases is getting a player into the first round of the NHL Draft, which requires a high-level collegiate hockey program, and teams being willing to take players out of the NCAA, rather than Canadian leagues.
So, until any school is able to play catchup this is Michigan’s world, and we’re living in it.
