Michigan’s Devin Funchess to NFL, And His Future as a WR
Michigan Wolveines wide receiver Devin Funchess is heading off to the NFL, and he said his goodbyes to the football program as he gets set to begin a brand new chapter in his life, declaring for the 2015 NFL Draft.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to play in the NFL, and I am prepared to take the next step in my journey,” Funchess said. “I want to personally thank [coach Brady] Hoke and his staff. I’ve learned life and character lessons from them, and they have helped me become a better person and man.”
“I love Michigan,” he said. “From the former players to the fans, it’s a special place. The opportunity to play in the Big House in front of 100,000 strong each week, those are memories that will last with me forever. It’s been an honor to strap on the winged helmet for three years with my teammates, and I will always bleed maize and blue.”
If you have followed any of Funchess’ career with the Wolverines, you know that he is a talented player at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds that creates mismatches for opposing defenses. You might also know that in his junior season, Funchess was given the honor of wearing the number ‘1’ jersey, which many Wolverine legends have worn. That honor was given to the former tight end turned wide receiver, who gave himself that distinction in lieu of some stuff happening in the NFL recently with contract disputes between Jimmy Graham and the New Orleans Saints, among some other players.
Funchess wanted to make sure that he was classified as a wide receiver going into the NFL process so the league couldn’t screw him out of a big contract. Those are pretty lofty plans for a guy who hasn’t even been drafted into the league yet. Furthermore, those are pretty lofty ambitions for a player that backed up that position switch with four touchdown receptions in 2014.
Not exactly stellar wide receiver numbers, if you ask me.
I’m not trying to be hard on Funchess, and in fact I think he’s going to be a really good player. But you are trying to tell me this guy is a wide receiver? I don’t buy it. If anyone had an argument to be a ‘wide receiver’ coming out of college it was last year’s top tight end selected, Detroit’s Eric Ebron who was selected by the Detroit Lions.
Ebron proved that at 20 pounds heavier than Funchess, he could run like a receiver, and he made plays in college from the receiver position that led us to believe he could make significant contributions wherever he was lined up in the NFL.
Funchess, first of all, is small enough to be considered a receiver, but is almost in that gray area where he needs to add some weight to his frame to be a tight end or lose some to be a receiver. Everything for Funchess playing WR in the NFL hinges on how fast he runs, how quick he is as a route runner, and how versatile he is lining up in the formation.
There are plenty of players in the league classified as tight ends who make more plays in the passing game than wide receivers, but I’ve yet to see a player who is clearly a wide receiver play the tight end position for any reason whatsoever. In the end, I think NFL teams will consider Funchess a tight end, regardless of what he calls himself.