Going into the 2011 NFL Draft, the Michigan football program wasn't expected to have any players picked until the fifth round at the earliest. In fact, in Todd McShay's mock draft released earlier this week, linebacker Jonas Mouton was the only Michigan player predicted to be picked, and he wasn't set to be taken until round five.
Rather than wait around until later in day three of the draft, Mouton was actually picked on Friday night in the second round by the San Diego Chargers. San Diego drafted Mouton with the 61st overall pick and stunned Michigan football fans everywhere. While Mouton wasn't terrible last season, he wasn't all that good. Apparently the Chargers see that as more of a reflection on Michigan's coaching than on Mouton's ability, because they went ahead and made him a second-round pick.
This was a move I definitely didn't expect, but congrats to Mouton. Now I wonder when Michigan State linebacker Greg Jones will be picked. McShay didn't have him going until the sixth round, but as the Mouton pick shows, you can't always trust the experts.
SB Nation has full coverage of the 2011 NFL Draft at its NFL Draft hub and NFL Draft blog, Mocking The Draft. For more on the Detroit Lions, make sure to check out Pride Of Detroit and SB Nation Detroit's NFL Draft StoryStream.