Former Michigan offensive lineman Drake Nugent is signing an undrafted free agent deal with the San Francisco 49ers, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported Saturday.
Nugent went undrafted during the 2024 NFL Draft after a season in which he allowed just one sack in 375 pass block snaps. Nugent, the Stanford transfer, started all 15 games this past season for the Wolverines. He earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors.
Moving forward, Nugent will be looking to bring his championship mentality to the NFL, as he was part of the team that brought Michigan back to national championship status, playing a key role during their undefeated season in 2023.
Nugent played high school football at Highlands Ranch (CO) SCHOOL, where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 1016 overall recruit in the 2019 cycle, according to theOn3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Drake Nugent
Ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com took some time to evaluate where each NFL Draft prospect could end up with their careers, including the former Michigan offensive lineman.
First, the analyst listed Nugent’s strengths, “Compact build with good core strength and upper-body power. Started 39 games between Michigan and Stanford and was a team captain at Stanford in 2022. Can snap and punch with good quickness into the nose. Keeps head out of his punch and stalls rush with lower-body leverage. Sticky to the block once he gets inside the opponent’s frame.”
Continuing, Zierlein provided an in-depth analysis into how he believes the offensive lineman will adjust to the rigors of the NFL.
“Nugent comes from NFL bloodlines (his father, Terry Nugent, played for the Colts and Browns) and an extended family with a college football background (his uncle, Brian, played at Washington State)” Zierlein stated. “The former high school shot-put champ is stout and powerful through his upper body but lacks the size, length and leverage many teams will be looking for. He’s well-versed as a technician but might see his success decrease away from home base.
“Nugent does well at protecting his gaps in pass protection and battles back against bull rushers but doesn’t have the foot quickness to survive on an island if isolated against an athletic rusher. Nugent has a shot at making an NFL roster, but the ceiling could be fairly low for him.”
