Minnesota OL Blaise Andries is up next in Unpacking Future Packers, a countdown previewing the 2022 NFL draft for Packers Wire.
The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2022 NFL draft.
The Green Bay Packers have had a lot of success drafting offensive linemen on the third day of the NFL Draft. David Bakhtiari, Corey Linsley Josh Sitton, T.J. Lang, JC Tretter and Jon Runyan were all day three selections by the Packers.
An offensive lineman that Brian Gutekunst could target on the third day of the 2022 NFL draft is Blaise Andries. The Minnesota Golden Gopher checks in at No. 22 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.
Andries, a Marshall, Minnesota native was listed as the top recruit in the state. The versatile offensive lineman was part of a talented senior class that had one other athlete commit to a Division I program (Reece Winkelman, South Dakota State University).
Andries was a four-year starter for the Gophers and earned Big Ten All-Conference honors three times.
It’s all about versatility for Andries. The Minnesota native finished his career with 21 starts at right guard, 11 at left guard, nine at right tackle and five at left tackle. He even took snaps at center during practice.
“At the University of Minnesota, I took a lot of pride in putting our team in the best position to win,” Andries said in an interview with Packers Wire. “That being said, I would tell the offensive line coach and the head coach to put me wherever the team needs me. This allowed them to have a lot of freedom with many different personnel groupings involving more than five offensive linemen as I would gladly be the swing player for them. We practiced this and I know the plays and concepts inside and out so it was not a big difference for me.”
Andries graduated with a degree in mathematics and is pursuing his Masters in Applied Business Analytics. That intelligence shows up on the football field, with his high football IQ. He’s rarely fooled by stunts or twists.
“I would say intelligence and solving the blocking scheme in the fraction of time right before the snap of the ball would be one of my biggest strengths,” Andries said. “So long as I took the time to understand the concept and ran the situations through my head, I became quite good at solving looks that we might have never seen before. Now elite offensive linemen cannot only do this, but communicate their solution to the rest of the line. That is something that I feel I have grown immensely at in the past couple years.”
Andries is a natural mover with balanced feet. He’s explosive in short areas and looks comfortable in space. He hits his landmarks when he reaches the second level. Andries has strong hands to latch on and move people as a run blocker. The Minnesota native plays with a ton of energy and is always looking for work.
“For football in general, but most of all in run blocking I like to be mean,” Andries said. “Downhill run blocking and moving a player from point A to point B against his will are some of the best feelings there are. There is nothing like finishing a player on the ground knowing sure and well that you just dominated him. He did everything he could to not allow that to happen, but you still did it. That is the mentality I would like to bring to the run game.”
Andries is a technician. He has quick, strong hands and strikes with violence. His high football IQ shows up in pass protection. He understands protections and is quick to pick up assignments. He has athletic feet and the quickness to mirror edge rushers on the outside.
“Pass blocking also has a nasty side to it that some people do not understand because they think to protect you must be passive,” Andries said. “There is nothing passive about stopping a full grown man in his tracks with a strike and being able to have the body control to move with someone who is clearly more athletic than you. As for my game, I believe you can never take enough practice reps and mental reps with pass pro specifically. As I mentioned above, I will be most comfortable taking pass pro reps wherever I have been practicing them the most recently. To help myself out, I would take one-on-one reps at tackle while taking all of the team reps at guard (or occasionally tackle depending on the situation). That way I would cover all the risks of taking an unpracticed rep.”
Fit with the Packers
A team can never have enough quality offensive linemen. Gutekunst has done a great job of building The Great Wall of Lambeau.
Since taking over as general manager in 2018, Gutekunst has drafted at least one offensive lineman each year. That investment into the offensive line is a big reason why the Packers have been able to overcome injury after injury up front.
That streak of taking an offensive lineman will likely continue this season. With his versatility, Andries could be a target for the Packers on day three of the draft.
“I believe an NFL team should draft me because I have shown consistency on the field and off the field,” Andries said. “They know what they will be getting with me, there are no questions to be asked. I have four years of film that show how I have grown and gotten better with each game and season. These games show starting at four different positions on the offensive line. I even practiced snapping for Minnesota in case we lost our first two centers. I am willing to put in the work and earn a spot on the field.”
Andries could battle for starting reps at right guard or right tackle as a rookie. If he doesn’t earn a starting spot, he could serve as a versatile sixth offensive lineman for the Packers.
With his high football IQ, athleticism, versatility and his high character off the field, Andries would be a slam dunk day three selection for the Packers.
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