Michigan tight end Luke Schoonmaker enters the NFL Draft and ‘is projected as a second-round pick’
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University of Michigan tight end Luke Schoonmaker is set to enter the NFL Draft and “projects to be a second-round pick” while praising the work of Jim Harbaugh and offensive coaches to make him “ready for the next level’
Luke Schoonmaker, a fifth-year senior and tight end out of the University of Michigan, announced that he is forgoing his final year of eligibility and entering the 2023 NFL Draft.
Schoonmaker posted his decision on Twitter Monday morning, more than a week after the second-ranked Wolverines lost their second straight college football playoff semifinal.
‘Train [Jim] Harbaugh, thank you for believing in me and guiding me through the best ride of my life,” the post read.
“You taught me what it really means to be a complete soccer player, and I will continue to live those lessons with ‘an enthusiasm unknown to mankind’ every day.”
University of Michigan tight end Luke Schoonmaker has officially declared for the NFL Draft
‘To all my tight end coaches, Coach Moore, Coach Jay and Coach [Grant] Newsome and all the outstanding members of the show, thank you for giving your blood, sweat and tears to teach me the best game in the world every day.
‘I will forever cherish the relationships formed with all of you. All of you have taught me the true meaning of becoming a Michigan man.
He closed his statement by saying, “It is a great honor and privilege to officially enter the 2023 NFL Draft.”
Schoonmaker is a fifth-year senior who still has one year of eligibility remaining from the pandemic rules
Schoonmaker caught 54 passes for 637 yards and seven touchdowns in his career and became an elite pass catcher as well as a quality run blocker.
This season, he caught 38 passes for 418 yards and three touchdowns as the Wolverines’ No. 1 tight end. A sprained shoulder limited him in the last month of the season.
He had a reception for 32 yards in a college football playoff semifinal loss to TCU.
The coaches named Schoonmaker a third-team All-Big Ten selection in 2022. He was an honorable mention in 2021.
“He can out-athleticize a linebacker, outplay physical safety or defensive backs,” a veteran coach said of Schoonmaker. ‘He can also work in the running game. A lot of guys are ‘either/or’ in terms of the passing game and the running game. The best are the guys who can do both.
Schoonmaker caught a pass for 32 yards in a college football playoff semifinal loss to TCU
Field Level Media ranks Schoonmaker among the top five tight ends in the draft at 6-foot-6, 248 pounds.
He’ll be competing among a tight end class that includes Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer, Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave, Utah’s Dalton Kincaid and Georgia’s Darnell Washington.
NFL scouts told ESPN that Schoonmaker projects as a second-round pick thanks to his versatility and impact on both forms of offense.
Schoonmaker is listed as the fifth best tight end in the class of 2023 and is a standout blocker.