Michigan football: 5 most underrated players in Michigan Wolverines history

Mario Manningham made clutch catches for Michigan football too.

Mario Manningham spent seven years in the NFL, primarily with the New York Giants. He is a legendary figure in Giants history, as his unforgettable catch vs. the New England Patriots helped the G-Men win Super Bowl 46. Before he hoisted a Lombardi Trophy in 2011, Manningham was a collegiate standout for three years with the Wolverines.

Manningham was a two-time First-Team All-Big Ten performer. He was a finalist for the Fred Biletnikoff Award in 2007, earning First-Team All-American honors by some publications. Every year at Michigan, Manningham got better, as he thrived in the receiving game with quarterback Chad Henne rifling him the football.

As a junior in 2007, Manningham had 72 catches for 1,174 yards and 12 touchdowns. After three years with the Wolverines, he turned pro and was a third-round pick by the Giants in the 2008 NFL Draft. He left Ann Arbor with 137 career catches for 2,310 yards and 31 touchdown receptions. All of those marks rank in the top 10 in Michigan football history, with the latter two in the top-five.

The reason Manningham is so underrated is because of a few other receivers to play for Michigan ahead of him. He’s never going to usurp 1991 Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard in the Michigan pantheon. Manningham’s numbers simply don’t measure up to all-time leading receiver Braylon Edwards in Michigan football lore. However, we need to give Manningham more love.

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