The theory was that Jim Harbaugh would pick a bunch of his Michigan guys. Then the draft starts and … not so much.
The Chargers picked linebacker Junior Colson in the third round. That seemed like a spot they might go for Blake Corum, who ended up going to the other LA team in the same round. And Harbaugh used his final choice on wide receiver Cornelius Johnson.
That’s hardly a tsunami of Michigan players.
And we shouldn’t be surprised. In the 32-team era, nine other college coaches have made the leap to the pros. Only two of them selected one of their college players in their first draft (and with neither pick being made before the sixth round). Harbaugh was one of those nine, not selecting any Stanford players after moing to the 49ers.
| COACHES PICKING THEIR OWN PLAYERS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Coach | School | Player |
| 2002 | Steve Spurrier | Florida | none |
| 2007 | Bobby Petrino | Louisville | none |
| 2010 | Pete Carroll | Southern Cal | TE Anthony McCoy (6th) |
| 2011 | • Jim Harbaugh | Stanford | none |
| 2012 | Greg Schiano | Rutgers | none |
| 2013 | Chip Kelly | Oregon | none |
| 2014 | Bill O'Brien | Penn State | none |
| 2019 | Kliff Kingsbury | Texas Tech | none |
| 2020 | Matt Rhule | Baylor | LB Bravvion Roy (6th) |
| 2024 | Jim Harbaugh | Michigan | LB Junior Colson (3rd) |
| 2024 | Jim Harbaugh | Michigan | WR Cornelius Johnson (7th) |
If we look at the second drafts for these coaches, the results aren’t much different. Only four players selected. Note that one ended up being an unusually good pick, with seventh-rounder Malcolm Smith being named a Super Bowl MVP for Pete Carroll.
Results may have been stronger in previous drafts, before the scouting process was more sophisticated. Jim McKay in his second draft for the Bucs used his first two selections on Southern Cal players, leading off by taking Ricky Bell rather than Tony Dorsett.
| COACHES PICKING THEIR OWN PLAYERS (2nd year) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Coach | School | Player |
| 2003 | Steve Spurrier | Florida | WR Taylor Jacobs (2nd) |
| 2011 | Pete Carroll | Southern Cal | LB Malcolm Smith (7th) |
| 2012 | Jim Harbaugh | Stanford | none |
| 2013 | Greg Schiano | Rutgers | none |
| 2014 | Chip Kelly | Oregon | WR Josh Huff (3rd) |
| 2014 | Chip Kelly | Oregon | DE Taylor Hart (5th) |
| 2015 | Bill O'Brien | Penn State | none |
| 2020 | Kliff Kingsbury | Texas Tech | none |
| 2021 | Matt Rhule | Rutgers | none |
| 2025 | Jim Harbaugh | Michigan | ? |
—Ian Allan