With football season approaching it’s easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of practice reports, scrimmages and preseason games. The hollow, empty feeling of football-less February is thankfully long gone, so it’s with an eye toward getting a leg up next February that it’s time to take stock (pun intended) of the NFL draft prospects for current Badgers.
Today let’s take a peek at how the offensive and defensive linemen project to the next level:
Photo Credit: FoxSports.comName: Ryan Groy
Position: OT/OG
Vitals: 6-5, 317 lbs, RS Senior
Talent Ceiling: Josh Sitton, Green Bay
Talent Floor: Kraig Urbik, Buffalo
Why He’s Here: Unlike the spotty history of Badger running backs in the NFL, Wisconsin is an NFL lineman factory. Groy is next in line.
Scouting Report: Although he’s moving from LG to LT this season, Groy lacks the ideal LT NFL build and will likely move back inside at the next level. Powerful against the run, and adequate against the pass, Groy is the next Badger lineman who will hear his name called on draft day. His play is similar to that of current Packer Josh Sitton, who also moved from OT in college to OG in the pros. Should Groy prove to be a lock-down LT there’s a possibility he’ll play there on Sundays, but given his lack of length, the odds are slim.
This Season He Must: Show the ability to shut down opposing pass rushers. If Groy – and the Wisconsin O-line as a whole – maintain their level of play, Groy will go in the mid rounds.
If The Draft Was Today: 4th Round
Projected Draft Position: 4th Round
Photo Credit: JSOnline.comName: Beau Allen
Position: DT/NT
Vitals: 6-3, 333 lbs, Senior
Talent Ceiling: Domata Peko, Bengals
Talent Floor: Barry Cofield, Redskins
Why He’s Here: Even as the best defensive lineman on the Badgers, Allen has flown under the national radar. He has the measurables that NFL teams look for, albeit at an unflashy position.
Scouting Report: A big, high motor NT, Allen can play any interior position in any scheme. Although he’s best against the run, he’s able to collapse pockets through his brute strength, size and determination. His pass rushing repertoire is limited, but he’s a high character guy that’s more than willing to do all the dirty work necessary to allow others to get the glory.
What He Needs To Prove: That he’s capable of being an immovable space eater against good offensive line competition. Continuing to develop a pass rushing repertoire to match his motor could do great things for his draft position.
If The Draft Was Today: 5th Round
Projected Draft Position: 5th Round
Photo Credit: UWBadgers.comName: Ethan Hemer
Position: DT/DE
Vitals: 6-6, 296 lbs, RS Senior
Talent Ceiling: Tyson Jackson, Chiefs
Talent Floor: 1st Grade Teacher, Henry David Thoreau Elementary School
Why He’s Here: Starting defensive linemen with his size on good defenses tend to get noticed by NFL scouting departments. The NFL needs role players too, and Hemer fits that mold.
Scouting Report: A long armed space eater, Hemer is the ideal 5-technique defensive end for a 3-4. He’s stout against the run, and athletic enough to make plays down the line of scrimmage. His pass rush repertoire is very limited to this point, but he’s a solid contributor inside on early downs in a 4-3, or as a DE in a 3-4.
What He Needs To Prove: That he has the ability to make plays against elite competition.
If The Draft Was Today: UDFA
Projected Draft Position: 7th Round
What do you think of these Wisconsin linemen and their NFL Draft stocks? Let me know by commenting below.
Part 1: Defensive Players (Chris Borland, Dezmen Southward, Brendan Kelly)
Ian Culver is the newest writer to The Sports Bank community and brings a vast knowledge of Wisconsin Sports and marketing. In fact, Culver spends a ton of his free time putting together scouting reports on any athlete to join one of the state’s professional teams. You can follow him on twitter @mushroomcloudmf.