Dan Murphy, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

Michigan's veteran defensive line not afraid to look into NFL future

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan senior Chris Wormley has lined up on the outside edge of tight ends, head-to-head with centers, and everywhere in between on the Wolverines’ defensive line during the first three weeks of training camp.

Wormley said he’s happy to be able to help his current team in a myriad of ways depending on what situations arise this fall, but the defensive end can’t help but think about how this added versatility might also be setting him up to help NFL teams in the fast-approaching future.

“Hopefully, at the next level I’ll be able to show scouts and coaches and GMs that I can not only play outside but play inside and be pretty versatile at both positions,” Wormley said Wednesday afternoon at Michigan’s practice facility.

Last August, Wormley was worried about locking down a starting spot. Setting himself up for a professional career wasn’t even on the radar. The change -- which Wormley attributes as much to the team’s rise in 2015 as his own surging play -- is a common one along a deep veteran defensive front for the Wolverines this fall. Unlike in years past and in programs elsewhere, the Wolverines are comfortable thinking and talking publicly about their careers beyond college.

“It’s definitely different than last year, when I was just playing with the boys and trying to win more than five games,” Wormley said. “This year, it’s not only winning a Big Ten championship, but what’s next? How’s my life going to be for the next five to 10 years? It’s exciting to go through that process, but at the same time you have to finish the season and see how everything goes.”

On many campuses (and not along ago in Ann Arbor) it’s considered verboten for football-playing college seniors to think about their professional futures a semester before finishing their formal education. The fear, of course, is that players will get ahead of themselves and forget to focus on the task at hand, as if both thoughts can’t cohabitate peacefully in a 22-year-old mind.

While it’s not a constant topic of conversation, Michigan players say they feel comfortable discussing their hopes for the future because Jim Harbaugh and the rest of his coaching staff encourage them to think about it.

“Coach Harbaugh has always been an advocate of getting things prepared for the next level,” said defensive end Taco Charlton. “He’s never looked down upon somebody putting that as a focus because he believes that should be a goal. He believes that as a football player, one of your goals should be to play in the NFL for a long time.”

Harbaugh spent 15 years in the NFL as a player and another six as a coach. Seven of Michigan's nine assistant coaches have also spent considerable time on the pro level as players or coaches, or both. Charlton and his teammates said that experience makes preparing for an NFL career a less taboo idea around the locker room than it had been in the past.

Senior cornerback Jourdan Lewis, who passed up a spot in this year's NFL draft to finish his degree at Michigan, has noticed the difference too. Lewis said he tries not to look beyond the day or the rep in front of him while in training camp, but having coaches who have walked the same tightrope he's currently walking helps.

“We have a head coach that went to the Super Bowl,” Lewis said. “He understands a lot of things that go on at the next level. He understands what guys go through at this position right now. He wants to ease that a little bit as we proceed in the season.”

Wormley said that along with learning every spot on the line during the past several months, he’s also dealt with people who want to talk to him about agents, insurance policies and financial management. He said he’s learned to balance those constant reminders about what lies ahead with the constant reminders of what’s directly in front of him, such as the list of conference championships that hasn’t been updated in 12 years at Michigan.

The fifth-year senior sought a scouts’ evaluation last winter with no intention of leaving school, and learned he would likely be a fourth- or fifth-round draft pick. He said he received some feedback about how to get better, but it wasn’t anything he didn’t already know. Wormley and Charlton both said that working with defensive line coach Greg Mattison, a former NFL defensive coordinator, on a daily basis gives them all the preparation they need for weekly opponents and for their future football careers.

“I think with this year it can be a couple rounds higher, depending on my play,” Wormley said about his draft prospects.

A year ago, Michigan’s rising tide helped lift Wormley into the consciousness of the NFL. He hopes to make that a two-way street this season as his goals for his own future add another layer of motivation for a player who could help the team reach its goals in 2016.

^ Back to Top ^