Michigan TE Luke Schoonmaker drafted by Dallas Cowboys in second round of NFL draft 2023

At this time last year, Luke Schoonmaker wasn't even the top option in his own position room.

Now, the former Michigan tight end is in the NFL, after he was chosen by the Dallas Cowboys on Friday with the 58th overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft.

Schoonmaker joins Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith in reuniting with the Cowboys. Smith was drafted by "America's Team" on Thursday in the first round with the 26th pick.

Schoonmaker measured in at 6 feet 5 and 251 pounds at the NFL combine in early March, where he ran a 4.63 40-yard dash, had a 33.5-inch vertical jump and ranked fifth among 20 tight ends in his athleticism score in one of the deepest tight end classes in years.

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His RAS (relative athletic score) was also near the top of the charts, coming in at 9.86 out of 10, which ranks 16th all time out of 1,091 tight ends tested since 1987.

That athletic ability helped him make the rather seamless transition from Michigan's second tight end in formations, who is primarily used as a blocker in Jim Harbaugh's scheme, to the lead, pass-catching tight end spot when captain Erick All went down with an injury in Week 3.

There, he emerged as quarterback J.J. McCarthy's top security blanket; the quarterback had a 125.8 QB rating on throws when Schoonmaker was targeted. The Hamden, Connecticut native finished his final season with career highs in catches (35), yards (418) and touchdowns (3) despite battling injuries of his own over the final month of the season.

He's seen as a ready-made NFL blocker, with the caveat he needs to add more weight to hold up over the long term.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan's Luke Schoonmaker drafted by Dallas Cowboys in NFL draft