Jake Long's tremendous collegiate career made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

With Michigan’s 2009 season wrapped up, and the decade coming to a close, I thought I would steal an idea from Dr. Saturday and have my readers vote on a Team of the Decade. So, I’ve come up with a list of nominees for every position, and I’ll be posting two position groups every day for the next week, leaving it up to you to vote for who should make the team. At the end of the month, I’ll tally up the votes and reveal the team of the decade. Next up are the offensive tackles:

Michigan has a long tradition of great offensive line play, and the 2000′s did nothing to break that tradition, as the Wolverines produced a No. 1 overall draft pick, three All-Americans, and eight players that made at least one All-Big Ten first team. Let’s take a look at the nominees at tackle:

Jeff Backus (1997-2000): Backus, who started all 12 games as a redshirt freshman in 1997, was named All-Big Ten in all four years he played at Michigan, including consensus first-team honors in 2000. He finished his career with 49 consecutive starts, second all-time at Michigan, and was named a second-team All-American by the College Football News and ABC Sports as a senior. Backus earned the Hugh J. Rader Award as the team’s top offensive lineman in both his junior (sole winner) and senior (sharing with Steve Hutchinson and Maurice Williams) seasons. Backus was selected with the 18th pick of the first round by the Detroit Lions in the 2001 NFL Draft.

Maurice Williams (1997-2000): After spending most of his first three seasons as a back, Williams started all 12 games in the 2000 season, earning All-Big Ten honorable mention and sharing the Rader Award with Jeff Backus and Steve Hutchinson. On the strength of his senior year performance, Williams was selected by Jacksonville with the 43rd pick of the 2001 NFL Draft.

Tony Pape (2000-2003): Pape was a three-year starter who was equally adept at both tackle positions, starting 37 of his 45 career games for the Wolverines, including 31 consecutive starts. He was a two-time Rader Award winner, as well as a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection. Pape was selected in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. Gets bonus points for the Fat Elvis look.

Adam Stenavich (2002-2005): Stenavich was Michigan’s full-time starter at left tackle from 2003-2005, starting every game in that span except the 2005 Rose Bowl, which he was suspended for due to an arrest at a hometown bar. He was named first-team All-Big Ten as a junior, and was the Rader Award winner and a second-team all-conference performer in his senior season.

Jake Long (2004-2007): We’ll go chronologically here, since there’s so much to say about Jake Long:

• After redshirting in 2003, Long was living in a house shared by several U-M players in the summer of 2004 when the house caught fire at 4 am. He escaped the fire by jumping from a second-story window onto the hood of a car, covered in soot. He initially declined medical attention, but was convinced to check into the hospital, where he was treated for smoke inhalation and released two days later. Thus begins the legend of Jake Long, Badass.
• After sitting behind Mike Kolodziej for the first two games of 2004, Long took over as the starting right tackle, starting eight games on the season and earning second-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches.
• Long suffered an ankle injury in August 2005 that forced him to undergo surgery and have two pins inserted into his left ankle. He returned a week earlier than expected, in the eighth game of the season against Iowa. He relieved Rueben Riley at right tackle in the third possession of the first quarter, and was the lead blocker for Jerome Jackson’s game-winning touchdown run in overtime. Long suffered another leg injury two weeks later, against Indiana, and was thought to be lost for the season when he reappeared wearing a protective boot in the second half. Instead, he started the next week against Ohio State, and also the bowl game against Nebraska.
• In 2006, Long moved to left tackle, starting all 13 games at the position. He was also named co-captain of the team. Long was a consensus All-American, Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, first-team All-Big Ten, and the Rader Award winner. Instead of leaving for the NFL, where he was a projected first-round draft pick, Long decided to return to Michigan. His decision was the reason Mike Hart decided to stay for his senior year.
• As a senior, Long was even more dominant, again being named the Rader Award winner, Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year and first-team all-conference, as well as earning the distinction of being the only unanimous 2007 All-American, and was a finalist for the Lombardi and Outland trophies.
• In 2008, Long was taken with the first overall pick of the NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins.

So, yeah, not a bad career.

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Similar Posts:

• Michigan’s Team of the Decade: Interior Linemen
• Michigan’s Team of the Decade: Defensive Tackles
• Michigan’s Team of the Decade: Safeties
• Michigan’s Team of the Decade: Offense
• Michigan’s Team of the Decade: Defense