8. Zack Baun, Wisconsin
Height: 6’2″ Weight: 238
40-Yard Dash: 4.65 seconds
Bench Press: 24 reps
Vertical Jump: 32.5 inches
Broad Jump: 115.0 inches
3-Cone Drill: 7.0 seconds
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.31 seconds
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: Baun attended two Wisconsin high schools: West Bend East High, where he was a receiver, and Brown Deer High, where he became a quarterback and linebacker of some renown. He was named the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association State Offensive Player of the Year and Dave Krieg State Quarterback of the Year as a senior after throwing for 1,936 yards and 20 touchdowns, adding 1,837 yards 39 touchdowns as a runner. He was also a championship-level basketball player and track athlete. Over three seasons as a linebacker and edge defender for the Bagders, Baun amassed 152 tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, two interceptions, and four passes defensed.
“Because I know how to do the edge stuff, I look at inside ‘backers,” Baun said at the combine about which defensive players he studies. “Joe Schobert is a great example, a guy that’s made the transition. There’s guy like Kyle Van Noy as well that do a lot of different things in a really cool scheme. He’s able to lay on the ball, off the ball and kind of show his athletic ability through the position he’s playing.”
Stat to Know: Over his last two seasons, Baun dropped into coverage 195 times and allowed just 112 yards, with five combined pass breakups and interceptions.
Strengths: Works easily and athletically between the edge and off-ball responsibilities. Advanced transitions between pass-rush and run-stopping and coverage. Gets into curl/flat responsibilities with safety-level footwork. Runs and chases swaths of the field in a big hurry. Uses quickness and a low bend around the edge to get through and into the pocket. Has the quickness and diagnostic ability to seek gaps on stunts as a running back would.
Weaknesses: Baun’s lack of bulk and strength as an edge defender shows up quickly and often. Has no consistent response to power and can be easily erased if his first pass-rush plan is foiled. Must develop his inside counter. Gets so frantic in the pocket, he’ll miss run responsibilities at times.
Conclusion: I chose to list Baun as an edge-rusher in our positional rankings, but at the NFL level, he could just as easily take far more off-ball snaps and work his way into a blitzing weapon. He’d be an ideal candidate for teams like the Ravens, Buccaneers, Patriots, or Cardinals, who get a ton of their pressures from blitzes and need half-field linebackers to help in coverage and against the run.
NFL Comparison: Kyle Van Noy. Baun has spoken of the value Van Noy brings to a defense both as an inside and outside rusher, and an off-ball specialist at times. There are elements of Joe Schobert and Jamie Collins in Baun’s game as well. The common denominator is that Baun’s NFL coaching staff will probable have to move him between the first and second levels of the defense, and will be rewarded with a great player if they do it right.