Five former University of Michigan football players heard their names called in the NFL Draft this weekend. Linebacker Devin Bush went No. 10 overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers and defensive lineman Rashan Gary was picked No. 12 overall by the Green Bay Packers. Defensive end/linebacker Chase Winovich (New England Patriots) and cornerback David Long (Los Angeles Rams) were both selected in the third round, while tight end Zach Gentry (Pittsburgh Steelers) went in the fifth round. It appears that seven more ex-Wolverines are getting NFL opportunities, as undrafted free agents, it’s been announced via the U-M football Twitter account. Running back Karan Higdon was scooped up by the Houston Texans. Safety and team captain Tyree Kinnel is headed to the Cincinnati Bengals. Defensive lineman Lawrence Marshall accepted a free-agent opportunity with the Chicago Bears. Right tackle Juwann Bushell-Beatty is getting a chance with the Washington Redskins. Cornerback Brandon Watson is getting an opportunity with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Defensive tackle Bryan Mone will try to show what he can do with the Seattle Seahawks. Additionally, former Michigan quarterback, who played for UCLA last fall, is getting a chance with the San Francisco 49ers.<doc-sep>Zach Gentry had a rough outing at the NFL Scouting Combine in March. Many questioned the converted tight end’s decision to leave University of Michigan early and pursue his NFL dreams. None of that matters now. At least one team saw something it liked. On Saturday, Gentry was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers early in the fifth round in the 2019 NFL Draft, 141st overall. He joins former U-M teammate, linebacker Devin Bush, in the Steelers’ 2019 draft class. Bush was the No. 10 overall pick of the draft on Friday. Come on home!! https://t.co/TeQmD3t9R0 — Devin Bush ll (@_Dbush11) April 27, 2019 Gentry is the fifth former U-M player to be selected in this draft class, joining first-rounders Bush and Rashan Gary, and third-rounders Chase Winovich and David Long. The 6-foot-8, 265-pound Gentry total 817 receiving yards and five touchdowns in the last two seasons for the Wolverines. He obviously has size and a wide catch radius, even if the speed may not be there. Gentry did not test well at all at the combine. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.9 seconds, which ranked him 16th out of 19 tight ends. He finished last in the 20-yard shuttle and bench press, and next-to-last in the three-cone drill and 60-yard shuttle. Later, at U-M’s pro day, Gentry told reporters he was “a little taxed” at the combine, helping to explain his scores. He improved on several of his combine scores at the pro-day event, including running the 40 in an official time of 4.78 seconds. Gentry, an Albuquerque, New Mexico, native, arrived in Ann Arbor in 2015 as a consensus top-20 quarterback nationally. At U-M, he was asked to make a position switch to tight end. Last season, Gentry caught 32 passes for 514 yards and two touchdowns. In 2017, he made 17 grabs for 303 yards and two TDs, averaging almost 18 yards per catch.<doc-sep>Michigan had two players – Devin Bush Jr. and Rashan Gary – selected in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday, but although many analysts thought the Wolverines could have two second-round picks, their names were not called. Defensive end Chase Winovich and cornerback David Long were thought to be sure second-round picks by many draft analysts but had to continue waiting into the third round where they both were taken early. Winovich was selected by the New England Patriots with the 77th pick and Long is heading home to Los Angeles to play for the Rams, which made him the 79th overall pick. The NFL Draft concludes Saturday. Bush was the No. 10 overall pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Gary went No. 12 to Green Bay. Earlier this week, ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper projected Winovich and Long, who both had strong NFL Combine showings, in the second round. Winovich returned to Michigan for his final year of eligibility after considering an early jump to the NFL, and with that additional year in college football, he turned heads while earning the team’s Most Valuable Player distinction. Long left the Wolverines with a season of eligibility remaining. He had one interception and eight pass breakups last season. He had six pass breakups in 2017 and three interceptions his final two seasons as a starter. Winovich had 69 tackles, including 17 for loss and five sacks last fall. He was a colorful personality and not just because of his long blond hair. At the NFL Combine, Winovich said he wanted to convince teams there was more to him than just being a high-motor player. “Teams ask me that question a little bit,” Winovich said at the combine about his nonstop energy. “It’s a dangerous game in a small way, because you don’t want to get pigeon-holed as a try-hard white guy. At the end of the day, I think there’s more to my game than that. There’s nothing wrong with that in a sense, as well. My whole goal is to get into an NFL organization, add more value and prove my worth every single day.” He had an impressive showing at the combine, finishing first in the 20-yard shuttle among defensive linemen and his 4.59 40-yard dash placed him fourth among defensive lineman, just a tick behind Michigan defensive line teammate Rashan Gary’s 4.58. Winovich also was third in the three-cone drill (6.94) and tied for third with Bosa in the 10-yard splits (1.55). His showing at the combine, caused NFL Draft analysts to change their projections for Winovich, and he began showing up in Round 2. Winovich was asked by Patriots beat writers Friday night to describe his play. “I like to think of myself as a junkyard dog,” Winovich told reporters. “Tenacious.” Long has always been low-key when it comes to attention, so it came as no surprise that he didn’t crave media coverage during his pre-draft preparations. He ran a 4.46 40-yard dash, fastest of his position, at the combine. After Michigan’s Pro Day, Long said he was letting his agent handle everything and just wanted to know when and where he had to be to work out or interview with a team. “Just trying to give off the best impression I can, and it’ll happen how it’s supposed to happen,” Long said last month. “The cards will fall how they will. I don’t need anybody patting me on the back or saying anything, because regardless, I still have to go out there and play. I really honestly don’t know where I’m gonna go. I haven’t really asked about it.” He went home to Los Angeles and will have an opportunity to play with veteran All-Pro cornerbacks Aqip Talib and Marcus Peters. “(There’s) a lot of experience to be able to pick up from those guys and just do whatever they’ve been doing to stay in the league,” Long told the Rams website. “A lot of those guys have successful careers, Aqib Talib has played a really long time, lengthy career, so he knows what it takes. And Marcus Peters and (cornerback) Nickell Robey-Coleman, those guys have made plays at that level.” Michigan players who will wait for calls from NFL teams on Saturday include running back Karan Higdon is projected a fifth-round pick and tight end Zach Gentry and safety Tyree Kinnel could be late-rounders or free agents. achengelis@detroitnews.com Twitter: @chengelis<doc-sep>With the 79th-overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams select CB David Long from the Michigan Wolverines. Here is my write-up from Long after watching his tape (which was fantastic): Long is one of the best press-man cornerbacks in this draft class. He’s physical, does a great job pressing at the line of scrimmage, has great football intelligence, is sticky in coverage, and does a good job staying on a receivers hip. He turns his head and plays the ball when in coverage. Decent tackler. Long also tested as an elite athlete at the NFL Scouting Combine when he destroyed the short shuttle and 3-cone drills. Not only that, but Long visited the Rams on a pre-draft visit. The Rams are slated to select next at pick #101. This pick (#79) was acquired from last night’s trade with the Atlanta Falcons. Long was #81 on Mocking the Draft’s Dan Kadar’s rankings of the best players available after Round 1.<doc-sep>
Former Michigan running back Karan Higdon was hoping to hear his name called at some point during the NFL draft. Instead, he'll settle for an undrafted free agent deal with the Houston Texans. Higdon agreed to a free agent opportunity with the Texans shortly after Saturday's portion of the draft wrapped up. The former Michigan captain had been viewed by many as a late-round draft possibility after his performance at the NFL combine earlier this winter, but the Florida native did not hear his name called. Either way, he didn't last long on the market, as Higdon's agreement with the Texans was announced shortly after the draft ended. Higdon wasn't the only former Wolverine to agree to an undrafted rookie free agent opportunity Saturday. More:Detroit Lions 2019 UDFA tracker: The latest undrafted free-agent signings More:NFL draft: Ohio State's Mike Weber (Cass Tech) picked by Dallas Cowboys Safety and former captain Tyree Kinnel agreed to a shot with the Cincinnati Bengals while right tackle Juwann Bushell-Beatty will have an opportunity with the Washington Redskins. Brandon Watson, a cornerback, will reportedly have a rookie opportunity with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Defensive tackle Bryan Mone will get a chance with the Seattle Seahawks. Mone’s former linemate, Lawrence Marshall, will have an opportunity with the Chicago Bears. Ex-Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight, who spent his 2018 season at UCLA, agreed to an opportunity with the San Francisco 49ers. Michigan had five players drafted this weekend: Linebacker Devin Bush Jr. (first round, Pittsburgh Steelers), defensive lineman Rashan Gary (first round, Green Bay Packers), defensive end/linebacker Chase Winovich (third round, New England Patriots), cornerback David Long (third round, Los Angeles Rams) and tight end Zach Gentry (fifth round, Pittsburgh Steelers). Contact Nick Baumgardner at nbaumgardn@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickbaumgardner. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter.