Jim Harbaugh’s successful 2024 season, leading the Los Angeles Chargers to 11 wins and a playoff berth in his inaugural year, has reinforced his status as one of the NFL’s premier coaches. However, his ties to the college football world, particularly his former players at Michigan, remain strong.
Harbaugh’s recent comments have highlighted the potential for a historic draft for Michigan, with as many as four of his former players—Mason Graham, Will Johnson, Kenneth Grant, and Colston Loveland—projected as potential first-round picks.
“It’s really exciting. I went back and looked, I don’t think there’s ever been four Michigan players drafted in the first round,” Harbaugh noted. “I think three is the most and I think it’s been done twice. So that would be, I mean, [they’re] like beloved sons, to watch four, potentially five, go in the first round. Excitement is building.”
Colston Loveland Top Mocked Los Angeles Chargers Draft Pick
While Graham and Johnson are frequently projected as early first-round selections, Grant (defensive tackle) and Loveland (tight end) have appeared in numerous Chargers mock drafts. Despite this, Harbaugh believes the likelihood of a former Michigan player landing with the Chargers is relatively slim.
“Yeah, there’s so many good players there. We feel like at 22 where we’re picking, there’s going to be a really good player there for us,” Harbaugh explained. “You just really have to just wait and see when it comes to your time to pick, you pick the best player available. There’s 256 that will get drafted. We have 10 picks, so I mean the math on it, the odds of it all, he’ll probably be playing against us.”
Harbaugh emphasized the unpredictable nature of the draft and the Chargers’ focus on selecting the best available player.
“That’s the way I look at every player. But you know that one that you get, you know that 10 that you get, just excited as heck to have them and can’t wait to work with who that will be,” he added. “It’s the magic of the draft, really. Put yourselves in the shoes of the players. You’re going into that draft, you have no idea where you’re going to go.”
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