Sports

Bacon: Grading Lions’ NFL draft and why Michigan’s Jake Butt could have the last laugh

Michigan Public | By Stateside Staff

Published May 1, 2017 at 4:58 PM EDT

Michigan's All-American tight end Jake Butt was projected to be a first round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, but a torn ACL in the Orange Bowl made him a fifth round pick. Luckily, he had some insurance.

Stateside's conversation with Michigan Radio sports commentator John U. Bacon.

The 2017 NFL Draft in Philadelphia wrapped up this past weekend and there were a number of storylines involving players with Michigan connections.

One of the highlights was Western Michigan's star wide receiver Corey Davis being selected with the No. 5 overall pick. Davis' decision to come back for his senior season rather than bolt for the NFL early really paid off. Some experts felt that if he would have left early he could have been a second or third round pick, but with a big senior season with the Broncos, he's going to receive a massive contract from the Tennessee Titans.

The Lions' first round pick, Jarrad Davis, a linebacker from the University of Florida, may not be the big name that some fans often want to see on draft day. However, Bacon said they need someone who can step in and play right away and Davis can do that, while also filling a big hole on the roster.

The most interesting local story may be Michigan's All-American tight end Jake Butt. After choosing to return to Ann Arbor for his senior season, rather than entering last year's NFL Draft, Butt took a big risk. Many expected him to be a first-round talent, but any major injury could put his draft stock in jeopardy. Unfortunately, for Butt, he tore his ACL in the team's final game, an Orange Bowl loss to Florida State.

He went from being selected in the first or second round to being a fifth-round pick by the Denver Broncos. However, before deciding to return for his senior season, he took out a $2 million loss of value insurance policy on himself. He could collect, according to ESPN, as much as $543,000.

Michigan Radio sports commentator John U. Bacon joined Stateside to hand out his grades for the Detroit Lions, and to talk about Michigan's record draft class and how many Spartans were selected over the weekend.

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