NEW ORLEANS — J.T. Floyd's development this year has been somewhat overshadowed by the leaps made by the defense as a whole.

But perhaps no one made a bigger jump on defense this year than the Michigan football team's junior corner.

So, it seems only natural he would gauge his NFL interest.

Wolverines coach Brady Hoke revealed on Sunday that Floyd joined quarterback Denard Robinson in submitting paperwork to the NFL Draft advisory board. The move is non-binding, which means he can return to school if he wishes.

Hoke expects him to do just that.

"I think his possibilities will be in maize and blue," Hoke said.

When Hoke was asked when he expected to hear back from the board, he said: "I may have it now," but declined to elaborate.

Hoke, who said he doesn't mind when his players gauge their pro stock after their junior years, added the players will get "a range" of where they might be selected.

Floyd broke up a team-high eight passes this year and picked off two passes. He also forced one fumble and teamed with freshman Blake Countess to form one of the Big Ten's best one-two punches at cornerback.

Michigan was 17th against the pass in the regular season. It was ninth-worst nationally last year and opposing quarterbacks posted a rating of 144.79, 104th in the country.

It was seventh in scoring defense this year, tied with Virginia Tech.

Robinson has said he still expects to return to school at this point, but has yet to hear back from the board.

Will Hoke take his shirt off?
No, that is not a typo.

Defensive lineman Mike Martin mentioned on Saturday that his preferred mode of celebration for a win would be for Hoke to shed his shirt.

Now, fellow lineman Ryan Van Bergen is similarly motivated.

“I didn’t know that was up for grabs, but if I have anything to do with it, I will be aiding that process,” Van Bergen said. “That sounds good to me. We’ll be the fifth team (in the modern era) to win 11 games, if we can pull it off, so that’s definitely a time, especially given the location.

"Obviously, if we weren’t in New Orleans, I wouldn’t expect that. But because we’re here, I'll give him some beads and we’ll get his shirt off.”

Odds and ends
Hoke said he isn't concerned about the lighting at the Superdome and that his returners and receivers didn't have any issues with it during a practice there Saturday. ... Players had a 9:30 curfew for New Year's Eve, although they said they could hear the festivities from the nearby French Quarter. ... Hoke characterized Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas as "a big dude." The 6-foot-6 sophomore completed 59.2 percent of his passes for 2,799 yards and 19 touchdowns and rushed for 416 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Kyle Meinke covers Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2588, by email at kylemeinke@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @kmeinke.