DETROIT, Mich. -- The University of Michigan football program saw six more players chosen during Friday's (April 26) second day of the 2024 NFL Draft as Kris Jenkins (49 overall, Cincinnati Bengals) and Mike Sainristil (50 overall, Washington Commanders) were selected during the second round and Junior Colson (69 overall, Los Angeles Chargers), Blake Corum (83 overall, Los Angeles Rams), Roman Wilson (84 overall, Pittsburgh Steelers) and Zak Zinter (85 overall, Cleveland Browns) were selected during the third round. The six day-two selections give Michigan a program-record seven picks in the top 100 (J.J. McCarthy, 10 overall, Minnesota Vikings).
This year's draft marks the third year running with at least three U-M players chosen in the top 60 picks overall. It's the fifth time in the last six seasons that at least three or more Wolverines have been among the top-100 selections.
The Bengals made Jenkins the 49th overall selection with their second-round pick. He is the 18th Wolverine drafted by the Bengals and the fifth defensive lineman. Jenkins will join Chris Evans, Dax Hill, Brad Robbins and DJ Turner, as former Wolverines on the Cincinnati roster.
Nicknamed "The Mutant" for his freakish athletic ability, Jenkins was a team captain and second-team All-American on the Wolverines' 2023 National Championship team. He was named the Robert P. Ufer Bequest recipient as the senior who displayed the most enthusiasm and love for Michigan and was named the team's co-defensive player of the year. Jenkins started all 15 games at defensive tackle in 2023, amassing 37 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one fumble and one interception. An All-Big Ten second-team selection, Jenkins was also a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award and was a candidate for three other defensive player of the year awards.
A four-year letterman, Jenkins appeared in 44 games for the Maize and Blue and started 32 of those contests at defensive tackle. He amassed 113 career tackles, including 8.0 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, one fumble recovery and one interception.
His father (Kris) played 10 years in the NFL, earning All-Pro honors four times after being drafted in the second round.
The Commanders chose Sainristil with the 50th overall selection, their second-round pick, one selection after Jenkins. He is the 19th Wolverine drafted by the Washington franchise and the second defensive back.
A two-time captain for the Wolverines (2022-23), Sainristil was a starter at defensive back and receiver during his career. He made 36 starts (27 at cornerback and nine at receiver) and appeared in 62 career games, playing 29 contests in the secondary and 33 games at receiver. In two seasons in the secondary, Sainristil contributed 108 tackles, including 11.5 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, seven interceptions and 20 total passes defended. He collected 37 receptions for 539 yards and scored five touchdowns at receiver.
Sainristil earned first-team All-American and All-Big Ten honors during the 2023 National Championship season. In addition, he was named the team's Co-Defensive Player of the Year and the Defensive Skill Player of the Year after tying the school record with two interception returns for touchdowns during the season. Sainristil started all 15 games in the secondary, recording 44 tackles, 4.0 TFLs, 1.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, six interceptions and six PBUs (12 total passes defended). He was named the Big Ten Championship Game MVP after forcing two fumbles, breaking up a pass and delivering a sack. In his final career game, Sainristil secured the program's 12th national title with an interception and title game record 81-yard return to put the game away against Washington in the CFP National Championship Game.
The Chargers made Colson the 69th overall pick with their third-round selection. It marked the first Wolverine to be drafted by former head coach Jim Harbaugh with the L.A. organization. Colson is the ninth Michigan player to be drafted by the Chargers and the second linebacker. He joins defensive tackle Christopher Hinton and fullback Ben Mason as the third Wolverine on the L.A. roster.
Colson entered the NFL Draft after three years, appearing in 43 career games and starting 36 contests at linebacker for the Wolverines. He started seven games as a true freshman in 2021 and started every game over the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Colson recorded 256 tackles including 8.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one fumble recovery and five pass breakups. He contributed at least one stop in every career game and posted double-digit tackles in eight contests.
A two-time All-Big Ten second-team selection (2022-23), Colson led the defense in tackles each of the past two seasons, recording 95 tackles in 2023 after finishing with 101 stops in 2022. He won the 2023 Lott IMPACT Trophy and was voted the team's Toughest Player. Colson won the 2022 Roger Zatkoff Award as the Wolverines' top linebacker after being named a 2021 Freshman All-American.
The Rams took Corum with the 83rd overall pick, a third-round selection. He is the 12th Wolverine to be drafted by the organization, the first running back, and the first offensive player since George Lilja in 1981. It was the first of three straight draft picks from Michigan (Corum-Wilson-Zinter) in the draft.
Corum leaves Ann Arbor as one of the most accomplished players in the history of the storied program. He is one of just three running backs in school history to be named a first-team All-American twice (2022-23). Corum was a two-time top-10 Heisman Trophy finisher (2022-23), two-time Big Ten Running Back of the Year (2022-23), Chicago Tribune Silver Football Winner (2022), and the 2023 Comeback Player of the Year.
Corum set single-season and career-program records in rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns and points scored during his 45-game career, helping lead Michigan to three consecutive Big Ten Championships (2021-23) and the 2023 National Championship, where he was the game's Most Valuable Player on offense. Corum started 28 of his 45 games, rushing 674 times for 3,737 yards and a school-record 58 rushing TDs. He also added 56 receptions for 411 yards and three touchdowns.
A team captain in 2023, he started all 15 games en route to the national title. Corum carried the ball 258 times for 1,245 yards and a single-season record 27 rushing TDs. He was the only player in the country to score in every game including two-plus scores in 10 contests.
For his off-field contributions, Corum was recognized as the 2023 AFCA Good Works Team Captain and as a finalist in 2023 for both the Wuerffel Trophy and Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award, all community service and/or character-based honors. A three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, he graduated with his degree in sport management.
With the following pick, No. 84 overall, the Steelers used their third-round choice to select Wilson. He is the 21st Michigan player to be drafted by the Steelers and the second wide receiver.
A great route runner and elusive player with the ball in his hands, Wilson was a big factor for McCarthy and the Wolverines in 2023. Wilson was an All-Big Ten second-team performer and was named U-M's Co-Offensive Skill Player of the Year. He started all 15 games at receiver, corralling 48 receptions for a career-best 789 yards (16.4 avg.) and 12 touchdowns. His 12 receiving TDs were the most for a player during the Jim Harbaugh era and listed ninth nationally and second in the Big Ten last season.
A four-year letterman, Wilson saw action at receiver in 46 career contests and made 24 starting assignments. He caught 107 passes for 1,707 yards and scored 20 TDs during his career. His 20 receiving scores rank seventh all-time at Michigan. Wilson surpassed 50 receiving yards in nine contests during the 2023 season and in 15 career contests. He set career highs in receptions (9) and receiving yards (143) against Purdue last season.
Zinter was selected 85th overall by the Browns, ending the run of three consecutive Wolverines. Zinter is the 26th Wolverine drafted by the Browns and the seventh offensive lineman.
Zinter capped an outstanding four-year career by helping lead the Wolverines' 2023 National Championship season. He started the first 12 games at right guard prior to suffering a season-ending injury in the Ohio State game. A team captain, Zinter earned unanimous first-team All-American honors on the field and received first-team Academic All-American honors in the classroom. In addition, he garnered first-team All-Big Ten accolades and was a semifinalist for both the Outland Trophy and Rotary Lombardi Award. Zinter was also named one of 16 recipients of the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award.
A starter during each of his four seasons, Zinter started 42 of the 45 games in which he played in the Maize and Blue. He was a three-time All-Big Ten performer, earning first-team accolades twice (2022-23) and second-team honors in 2021. Zinter played 2,509 snaps during his career and was flagged for only four penalties. He was a starter on back-to-back Joe Moore Award-winning offensive lines (2021-22) and a unit that was a semifinalist in 2023.
Academically, Zinter was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, two-time CSC Academic All-District selection and two-time Academic All-American (first team in 2023, second team in 2022). He also was named the team's Humphries-Miller Scholarship Award winner as the top senior student-athlete. Zinter was also a finalist for the William V. Campbell as the top scholar-athlete in college football. He graduated with his degree in sport management.
The fourth-seventh rounds of the NFL Draft will resume on Saturday (April 27) at noon on ABC, ESPN, and the NFL Network.
