There are plenty of Michigan football players making waves in the NFL and there are a few of them who are considered to be at the top of their respective teams. Pro Football Focus put together a list of every NFL team’s top-three players entering the 2024 season and several Wolverines made the list.
Aidan Hutchinson – Detroit Lions
Hutchinson came in as the No. 2 player on the Lions. In just two seasons with Detroit, Hutchinson has already tallied 21 sacks in his young career. As an Edge defender, the former Michigan great has four career INTs to his name as well.
Aidan Hutchinson also ascended to the elite level, generating a 91.4 pass-rush grade thanks to his 121 quarterback pressures.
Rashan Gary – Green Bay Packers
Gary was listed as the No. 2 player behind Jaire Alexander for the Packers. In 17 games last year for Green Bay, Gary had nine sacks which is the second-best season he’s had with the Packers. Gary also had 44 tackles with the Packers in 2023 and Gary is considered one of the premier Edge defenders in football.
It was a down year for Rashan Gary and Jaire Alexander compared to what they are capable of, but they were still the Packers’ two highest-graded defenders, with 80.9 and 75.9 overall grades, respectively
Nico Collins – Houston Texans
Listed as the No. 2 player on Houston, Collins finally had a season which the Texans thought he could have when they drafted him four years ago. With C.J. Stroud as QB, Collins caught for 1,297 yards and eight scores in 2023 — while missing a couple of games due to injury. The 6-foot-4 wideout has a great chemistry with the former OSU quarterback.
Wide receiver Nico Collins was on the receiving end of a lot of those big passes, earning the team’s lone elite offensive grade (91.0. He shattered his career bests in basically every receiving category.
Jabrill Peppers – New England Patriots
As the No. 3 player on the Patriots, Peppers has really come into his own since coming to New England in 2022. Peppers had 78 tackles in 2023 with two INTs. Peppers is back to his elite ways with the Patriots.
Jabrill Peppers earned the highest grade of any New England player (87.3), buoyed by a 90.7 run-defense grade and an 83.2 coverage grade.
It’s worth noting that OT Mike Onwenu was in the ‘considered’ option for being in the top three for the New England Patriots.
