Tag: Ben Bredeson

Seahawks Wire mock 3.0: Predicting Seattle’s picks in 2020 NFL draft

Seahawks Wire put together their third Seattle mock draft, and this one includes a pair of trades back the team could make.

We are less than two weeks away from the 2020 NFL draft, a spectacle that – thanks to COVID-19 – will happen completely virtually for the first time in NFL history.

The Seattle Seahawks are known for working the phones and making a lot of trades, so they will be particularly fun to watch in light of these new circumstances.

We at Seahawks Wire have already put together a pair of mock drafts, but version 3.0 is the first one to include potential trades – a staple of Seattle’s draft strategy in the John Schneider era.

Two trades occur during this mock draft, and below is a look at what trades they make, and who they end up with in our latest mock.

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See who the Seahawks select in CBS’ latest 7-round mock draft

The Seattle Seahawks address multiple positions of need, while grabbing three players from the same school, in CBS’ latest mock draft.

Most media outlets who attempt mock drafts are only willing to do the first, or maybe the first and second round. After all, trying to predict how the draft will shake out after that is nearly impossible.

However, CBS decided to go the extra mile during this nationwide quarantine and churned out an impressive seven-round mock draft, which has seven players going to the Seahawks.

The draft as a whole does a good job of identifying team needs, although it’s hard to imagine the team using three of their first five picks on players from the University of Michigan.

Regardless, here is a look at the mock draft selections, and whether or not they are a good fit for the Seahawks in 2020.

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DraftWire predicts 7 Michigan players selected in four-round NFL mock draft

Our counterpart at USA TODAY Sports predicts more Wolverines to be selected in the first four rounds than any other mock draft.

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While we’re mostly looking at NFL Draft gurus such as ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. or NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, here at USA TODAY Sports Media Group, we have a great resource as well in DraftWire.

And our sister site, which put together a four-round NFL mock draft this weekend sees a lot more Michigan players coming off the board later this month than some of its competitors.

We already can expect center Cesar Ruiz, who left Ann Arbor with a year of eligibility remaining, to be an early-round pick, but there’s little-to-no consensus about the other dozen-plus players who could be selected. While other sites who have four-to-seven round mock drafts foresee three-to-four former Wolverines get selected in the first two days and about eight total, DraftWire predicts there could be seven maize and blue players selected, including some surprises.

Starting with the first-round pick of Ruiz and DraftWire’s evaluation:

26. Miami Dolphins (from HOU)

Cesar Ruiz | OL | Michigan

Let’s keep with the “protect Tua at all costs” mentality here. Yes, it would be tempting to take the top running back off the board here, but the depth of this year’s class should give Miami better value on Day 2. Instead, they grab this year’s best interior blocker in Ruiz, who is just 20 years old and already as athletic and physical as they come.

While DraftWire didn’t see any Michigan players being selected in the second-round, they do have a mass of former Wolverines being selected in the third and fourth:

Third Round

  • 85. Detroit Lions (from PHI) | Donovan Peoples-Jones | WR | Michigan
  • 92. Baltimore Ravens | Josh Uche | EDGE | Michigan
  • 101. Seattle Seahawks | Ben Bredeson | OL | Michigan

Fourth Round

  • 137. Jacksonville Jaguars (from SF) | Khaleke Hudson | S | Michigan
  • 140. Jacksonville Jaguars (from CHI) | Lavert Hill | CB | Michigan
  • 145. Philadelphia Eagles | Jon Runyan | OL | Michigan

Right now, we have little idea if that will happen, but given the high level of play and/or athleticism from all of the aforementioned, we see it as being more likely that some could come off the board sooner than some of the other experts think.

3 Wolverines make latest NFL.com 4-round mock draft

Three former Wolverines are predicted by NFL.com to go in the first four-rounds.

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Right now, there’s very little going on in the way of sports. But one thing we do have to cling to is the NFL offseason.

We’ve seen several former Wolverines make moves in free agency, but with the NFL Draft coming up in April, there will at least be some modicum of excitement in the sports world.

There’s been little consensus as to where the Michigan entries land, with some projecting Cesar Ruiz to be a first-round NFL Draft pick, though not all see things that way. That includes NFL.com draft prognosticator Chad Reuter, who has Ruiz one of three former Wolverines going in his four-round mock draft. He has Ruiz going early in the second-round.

Reuter’s picks:

  • 2nd round (39 overall) – Cesar Ruiz, NY Giants (via trade with Miami Dolphins)
  • 2nd round (55 overall) – Josh Uche, Baltimore Ravens
  • 3rd round (92 overall) – Ben Bredeson, Baltimore Ravens

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Should the Ravens land both Uche and Bredeson, it would assuredly make up for the fact that Baltimore traded its lone Wolverine, Chris Wormley, to the Pittsburgh Steelers, which currently has four on the roster (Wormley, Devin Bush Jr., Zach Gentry and Tyree Kinnel).

It would also be a blow to early entrant Donovan Peoples-Jones, who has forgone his final year of eligibility in favor of the NFL Draft. With this latest mock, the earliest he would be selected is in the fifth-round — not great for someone who could have bolstered his stock with another year in college.

2020 NFL draft: Ben Bredeson scouting report

Everything NFL draft fans need to know about Michigan offensive line prospect Ben Bredeson

Ben Bredeson | OL | Michigan

Elevator Pitch

Bredeson is a tenacious and powerful interior offensive lineman who possesses leadership qualities and can help a team in the trenches and in the locker room. While he has his athletic limitations, he can develop into a solid starter in time.

Vitals

Height | 6-5

Weight | 315

College Bio Page

Strengths

If you’re looking for a hard-nosed interior blocker with determination to spare, Bredeson is your guy.

A four-year starter at Michigan, Bredeson made an immediate impact in college, and part of that was due in part to the pure power in his game. He has a well-built frame with very good length and good proportions. He packs a powerful punch at the point of attack and has the grip strength to latch onto a defender and overwhelm his opponents. His anchor strength is also impressive, as he has the raw strength to recover from a power move and counter it with a pushback of his own. When he latches his hands inside your shoulder pads, it’s game over.

Bredeson is an intelligent blocker who does a good job of picking up blitzes and contributing with combo blocks and double teams. He has shown some potential in terms of his hand placement, as he can effectively land his strikes at times. He also brings value off the field, as he was named a team captain in both of his final two seasons at Michigan and has a reputation for being a positive force in the locker room.

Weaknesses

For all of the power Bredeson brings to the table, he doesn’t complement it incredibly well with athletic abilities. His lateral agility is below average, as he struggles with changing direction and doesn’t move around too fluidly in pass protection. He doesn’t have stellar acceleration when climbing to the second level as a run blocker, and his overall flexibility on pull blocks and down blocks could be improved.

As a part of this lack of high-end athleticism, Bredeson can struggle with sinking his hips and staying low at the point of attack at times. His pad level and overall body control isn’t very consistent, and he can be knocked off balance at times by forceful or quick-moving defenders.

Projection: Day 3

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Three Wolverines go in latest CBS three-round NFL mock draft

Though a few Wolverines had top combine performances, it’s the ones who have long been seen as top picks that go in CBS’ latest mock draft.

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Some Michigan players helped themselves greatly in the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this month. But for the top-end of those professional hopefuls, it didn’t really matter.

Donovan Peoples-Jones and Khaleke Hudson put on a show in Indianapolis, but with many former Wolverines opting to wait until their March 13 pro day, not everyone participated beyond the bench press.

As CBS put together its latest three-round NFL mock draft, two of the three it has in its top three rounds were very limited in Indy, while the other confirmed what people already knew: he’s very good.

So in the prediction, while none of the former Michigan players went in the first round, it did see Cesar Ruiz and Josh Uche maintaining second-round status, while Ben Bredeson was selected in the third.

Player Pos. Rd. Pick Team
Cesar Ruiz iOL 2 40 Arizona Cardinals
Josh Uche EDGE 2 47 Atlanta Falcons
Ben Bredeson iOL 3 89 Minnesota Vikings

Should Ruiz get picked by the Cardinals, he’d be reunited with his predecessor at center in Mason Cole, who was taken by the franchise following the 2017 season.

Uche has long been looked at as a player that could go to the Pittsburgh Steelers, reuniting with Devin Bush Jr., but in this scenario, he comes off the board two picks before Pittsburgh can snatch him up.

And Bredeson would fit in nicely as a Viking, perhaps taking up the mantle of another former Michigan player who spent time in Minneapolis, in new NFL Hall of Famer Steve Hutchinson.

The NFL Draft is set to take place next month in Las Vegas.

Chargers 2020 NFL Draft Target: Michigan IOL Ben Bredeson

Chargers Wire puts Michigan guard Ben Bredeson, a potential target for the Los Angeles Chargers, under the microscope.

Within the next couple of months, we are going to be taking a look at a handful of draft prospects leading up into the 2020 NFL Draft. With the Chargers having needs at various positions, we will do our best to evaluate the players that we feel fit the team precisely.

Today, we are taking a look at Michigan guard Ben Bredeson.

Honors and Awards

  • Four-time letter-winner (2016-17-18-19)
  • All-American (2019; second team, Walter Camp; third team, AP)
  • Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2017)
  • Three-time All-Big Ten honoree (first team, coaches and media, 2019; second team, coaches and media, 2017-18)
  • Two-time All-Big Ten selection by the Associated Press (second team offense, 2017-18)

Highlights

Strengths

  • Checks boxes for with his frame, carrying his 316-pounds well for the position.
  • Consistent with base and punch (which creates a surge once landed) in pass protection to keep defenders in front.
  • Rolls his hips at contact and runs his feet to generate power and move bodies in the run game. Mauler in short yardage situations.
  • Very smart with the awareness to adjust on the move. Always looking for work.
  • Enough lateral agility to run defenders wide of the pocket.
  • Competes with NFL toughness and a finishing attitude. Above average football intelligence.
  • Plenty of experience, 3,219 snaps played in his collegiate career. Two-time captain.

Weaknesses

  • Top-heavy with excessive forward lean.
  • Bad habit of over-setting in pass protection.
  • Tight-hipped and lacks ideal body control to counter athletic rushers.
  • Struggles to reset and sink if he doesn’t land his initial punch. Anchoring needs work.
  • Foot speed is not ideal when climbing to the second level.

Summary

A two-time team captain, Bredeson has the make-up and mature leadership traits ready for a NFL locker room. While there are some questions about his athleticism, he is physically imposing and a technician in pass pro and as a run blocker, displaying powerful hands, sound feet and intelligence for the position.

Chargers Fit

Bredeson might not be the perfect fit because of his athletic limitations, knowing Los Angeles is going to be running more of a wide zone scheme moving forward. However, his intangibles and skill in pass protection and run blocking, which are areas that aren’t easy to come by, could be selling points, projecting as a starting guard in Year 1.

Projected Round: Late 2nd-Early 3rd

NFL Draft expert breaks down Michigan’s top players

What the NFL.com expert has to say about four former Wolverines and where we think he’s right and wrong.

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Despite the 9-4 record in 2019, Michigan could send up to 12 players to the NFL Draft in April, a staggering number, considering that the team that was on the cusp of the College Football Playoff in 2016 set a school record with 11 draftees.

Granted, many of the seven-round mocks that have circulated recently have seen eight Wolverines selected, but in advance of the NFL Scouting Combine — which starts later this month — some former players are starting to rise up the draft boards.

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One of the latest NFL.com mock drafts, by Chad Reuter, has center Cesar Ruiz, who declared early, going in the mid-first-round, which would make him the highest-rated of the 2020 draft class if that’s to come to fruition. But the focus beforehand has been on players like Josh Uche — who still seems to have a third-round grade, and Ben Bredeson, who’s been rising as a potential second or third-round pick.

Daniel Jeremiah is the preeminent voice of NFL.com when it comes to all things NFL Draft — though Reuter, Bucky Brooks and Lance Zierlein also are notable in that regard. To date, he’s only released one mock draft, back in January, which is solely based in the first-round, where he had no Wolverines selected.

However, Jeremiah held a conference call on Friday, and discussed the top Michigan players at length, what he sees in them, and where they fall in his eyes with the combine and draft fast approaching.

Daniel Jeremiah’s breakdowns and our thoughts

Josh Uche

Josh Uche

Starting with Josh Uche — a player that Reese’s Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy expects to get some first-round looks after his weeklong performance in Mobile — Jeremiah sees a player who’s versatile, aggressive and has extreme talent.

However, in some ways, his versatility has left some confused as to what he does best.

The way Jeremiah sees it, despite Nagy’s evaluation, Uche is still destined as a day two pick, given the uncertainty of his position at the next level.

“When you watch Uche, first of all he just plays really hard,” Jeremiah said. “That’s the first thing that jumps out to you when you study him. He’s eight and a half sacks, stands up, plays on and off the ball. Just really the motor is what jumps out to you. You can use him as a looper. He’s a finisher now.

“At 6-0-1-3, 241, you’re, like, what do I do with this guy? Where do you play him? Can he play on the edge? I thought at the Senior Bowl, especially in the game, he was dominant in rushing. I know when you get in sub packages he can rush off the edge. And I think he’s athletic enough that you could play off the ball on those early downs. So, I gave him a grade which kind of puts him in the third-round range. I think he’s just a really good football player and I like kind of the edge that he plays with.”

Verdict: His expertise aside, we anticipate that, given that Uche can be both a dominant pass rusher as well as use his speed in coverage, that his showing at the NFL Scouting Combine will cause many teams to consider selecting Uche much higher than currently anticipated.

Uche’s ceiling is in the first-round, but he’s more likely a second-round pick — his numbers at the combine being the biggest caveat.

NEXT: Jeremiah’s breakdown of Cesar Ruiz

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One Wolverine makes a big move up in latest NFL.com mock draft

One Wolverine moves into the heart of the first-round in the latest NFL.com mock draft.

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For awhile, it seemed like Michigan wasn’t going to have a high-level NFL draft pick this upcoming April, after putting players in the high rounds for most of the past few seasons.

Then, with a strong outing by Josh Uche in the Reese’s Senior Bowl, it looked like that would change. And now we’re seeing one former Wolverine looking more likely as a first-round pick. But despite Uche’s post all-star showcase hype, he’s not the one starting to get first-round projections.

In the latest NFL.com three-round mock draft by Chad Reuter, Uche is still listed as a third-round pick — though we anticipate that to change after his turn in the NFL Scouting Combine later this month. Instead, it’s junior center Cesar Ruiz who’s flying up draft boards as of late, with Reuter including him in the highest pick we’ve seen yet, at No. 22 overall to the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills’ guard play was less than stellar in 2019. Ruiz started at guard early in his career at Michigan, but moved to center with Ben Bredeson and Michael Onwenu manning either side of him.

The highest we’d seen Ruiz go was 31st overall, but he’s clearly moving up in the eyes of many prognosticators.

Reuter also has two Wolverines going in the third-round, with guard Ben Bredeson being selected at No. 74 by the Cleveland Browns and Uche going at No. 83 to the New York Jets.

Who and what to watch at the 2020 NFL Combine: Offensive line

The Lions Wire staff has identified which offensive linemen Detroit Lions fans should be watching at the 2020 NFL Combine.

The 2020 NFL Combine on-field workouts begin Thursday, February 27th in Indianapolis but the offensive linemen won’t take the field until Friday, February 28th.

This is the latest in a series of articles leading up to this year’s NFL Combine, where the Lions Wire team has identified players they will be tracking in order to determine potential fits within the organization.

If you missed the previous articles in this series, be sure to check out our quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends previews.

Offensive line traits to evaluate

There are several on-field drills that emphasize a player’s abilities and the main areas Lions’ scouts will likely be focusing for the offensive line are:

  • Balance through the player’s hips
  • Knee bend, bending at the waist is a red flag
  • Kick slide: Is it smooth? Do they cross their feet when shuffling?
  • Mental processing: Do they react/respond to coaching or are they guessing and trying to anticipate? Do they follow directions?

Mekhi Becton, Louisville

Suggested by: Max Gerber and Bryce Rossler

Becton has been one of the biggest “risers” throughout the draft process, working his way up to be considered among the top offensive linemen in this class. He is a massive human being (est. 6-7, 365 pounds) but is surprisingly light on his feet. He has three year’s starting experience and looks comfortable playing at right or left tackle (he’s played both). If he gets a hold of a defender it’s over, but intelligent EDGE rushers will use his overaggressiveness against him.

Austin Jackson, USC

Suggested by: Erik Schlitt

An upside left tackle, who if he returned to college would have been in the top-of-the-first-round conversation. He needs to be more consistent in his technique — especially in the run game — but he has NFL traits and his upside is going to get him drafted, likely early on Day 2. He’s athletic enough to play guard, but for teams willing to give him a season to develop, he could be a longtime starter at left tackle with proper coaching.

Lloyd Cushenberry, LSU

Suggested by: Jeff Risdon

Cushenberry will battle Michigan’s Ceasar Ruiz for the title of top interior offensive line spot in this year’s class. Cushenberry’s game is drenched in power and he will be able to handle his own against NFL nose tackles. LSU scheme asks its center to be able to work on their own, which should help him if a team wants to switch him from his natural position over to guard. His experience playing in the middle should afford him the opportunity to play on both left and right guard.

Matt Hennessy, Temple

Suggested by: Matt Urben

A technique technician from the middle, Hennessy uses his intelligence and hand placement to put himself in the correct position to execute his assignment. He will get knocked for his struggles against power, but his balance and movement skills will help him find success at all three interior offensive line spots, especially in a zone-blocking scheme — which the Lions lean on more often than not.

Ben Bredeson, Michigan

Suggested by: Scott Warheit

A 51 game starter at left guard for the Wolverines, Bredeson was a rare 2-time team captain in Ann Arbor. For a team looking for experience and leadership, he will be near the top of their list. He loves to compete, showing a mean streak and toughness when squaring up against power rushers. He is well-balanced as a blocker but isn’t as athletic as some of the other interior offensive linemen in this class, which will limit his scheme flexibility.

Jonah Jackson, Ohio State

Suggested by: Zack Moran and Sonja Greenfield

Between his time at Maryland and Ohio State, Jackson started five games at center, 11 at right guard, and 13 at left guard, giving him multi-positional appeal. He is significantly more polished as a pass protector, handling one-on-ones and switches easily, but his lack of impact as a run blocker could cause him to start his career as a position flexible reserve.

Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin

Suggested by: Ty Finch and Derek Okrie

Yet another experienced Big Ten interior offensive lineman, Biadasz is highly intelligent and technique sound, which makes him more NFL ready than other linemen who will be drafted around the same time. He plays with good balance overall, but can overextend at times, and will struggle with elite power and speed rushers.

Matt Peart, UConn

Suggested by: Scott Bischoff

A swing tackle who could potentially push inside in a pinch, Peart played right tackle on the Lions coached North squad at the Senior Bowl. Strength is an issue but he has the frame to add muscle, and showed lots of promise as a run blocker this past season. Peart would fit in the Lions scheme in a very similar way to Tyrell Crosby, and like Crosby, he could spot start early in his career and potentially develop into a starter.