Junior Colson picked early in third-round of 2024 NFL draft
It didn’t take long for the Michigan Wolverines to realize Junior Colson was among their best options at linebacker — despite being a true freshman.
Usually, when you’re playing a first-year player at linebacker, something has gone horribly wrong, but for Colson, he was an athletic freak with an instinctive nose for the football. He helped save and seal the game for the maize and blue in Week 4 of the 2021 season against Rutgers, which was making a late push. He was fourth on the team with 61 tackles in his first year of playing college football, and he appeared in all 14 games that season.
In 2022, he took that next step, leading the Wolverines with 101 tackles while adding six tackles for loss and two sacks. While his stats waned in 2023, it was his best season yet, though he registered 95 tackles with two for loss.
And on Friday, the Haiti-born Colson realized his dreams when he was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft with the 69th pick overall. It’s Jim Harbaugh’s first pick of a former Wolverine since departing the program in January.
Playing high school ball at Brentwood (Tennessee) Ravenwood High School, Colson was athletic and fast. He also played running back before coming to Ann Arbor. A speedster, Colson ran a 4.77 40-yard dash at his pro day.
Colson leaves Michigan football with a year of eligibility on the table, having only played three years in Ann Arbor.
