Derrick Moore was the first Michigan player off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft, going No. 44 overall to the Detroit Lions.
The edge rusher leaves Ann Arbor after four seasons and 10 sacks in his final year, a run that started when he arrived as a four-star recruit in the 2022 class. He also leaves with a record of durability and production: a full-time starter in 2024 and a three-time All-Big Ten selection across his three seasons in Ann Arbor.
Moore’s Michigan career included the program’s 2023 national title team, and he was on the field for the final play of the Rose Bowl win over Alabama. That made him part of one of the defining stretches of the Jim Harbaugh era, and his draft slot reflects how NFL teams valued a player who kept improving each season.
The Lions’ selection also sharpens the outlook for Michigan’s edge rush next season. The Wolverines will be without Moore, Jaishawn Barham and TJ Guy, who were their top three edge rushers last year, and John Henry Daley is expected to center the group once he returns from an Achilles injury. Daley, a 2025 All-American transfer from Utah, cannot participate until June 1.
That leaves Cameron Brandt, Dominic Nichols and Nate Marshall to carry larger roles, with Michigan leaning on a room that will look very different from the one Moore helped anchor. Nichols had one sack this past season, and Brandt finished with 0.5 sack, underscoring how much production the Wolverines must replace if the next wave is going to hold up.
For Michigan, Moore’s departure is both a reward and a warning: the program developed another NFL pick, but it now has to rebuild one of its most important position groups before the season arrives.