Tag: Joe Tippman

2023 NFL Draft: The top 8 interior offensive linemen

Broderick Jones, Peter Skoronski, and Cody Mauch. Could three of the best interior o-lineman in the 2023 draft class be tackle converts?

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As the great Greg Cosell said in the debut episode of “The Xs and Os,” offensive tackles define the width of the pocket, while guards and centers define the depth of the pocket.

This is an important delineation when projecting offensive linemen from college to the NFL. If you were a tackle in college, but your skill set leans more toward defining the depth of the pocket than the width of it, you could well be in line for a position change, and that’s not a bad thing. Zack Martin and Joel Bitonio are but two NCAA tackles in recent years who became top-tier guards in the NFL — consistently and immediately — because their attributes were more aligned to the interior, and the liabilities that might have limited their potential on the outside are negated.

Every draft class is different, but for the 2023 class of interior offensive linemen, I decided to take three tackles — Georgia’s Broderick Jones, Northwestern’s Peter Skoronaki, and North Dakota State’s Cody Mauch — and project them inside. I don’t know what their NFL teams will decide; it’s just what I observed after watching multiple games of each player’s performance.

Beyond that, there’s also an intriguing group of interior offensive linemen who did that in college, and project very well to the next level.

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus, Sports Info Solutions, and Football Outsiders unless otherwise indicated).

(All prospect measurement percentiles courtesy of MockDraftable.com). 

2023 NFL Draft: The top 9 safeties

2023 NFL Draft: The top 11 cornerbacks

2023 NFL Draft: The top 8 linebackers

2023 NFL Draft: The top 8 interior defensive linemen

2023 NFL Draft: The top 8 edge defenders

2023 NFL Draft: The top 5 offensive tackles

Joe Tippmann scouting report ahead of 2023 NFL Draft

Shaun Calderon takes a deep dive on the massive interior offensive line prospect out of Wisconsin, Joe Tippmann.

Wisconsin offensive lineman Joe Tippmann is next up on our scouting report series as we continue to inch closer to the 2023 NFL draft.

Tippmann is a massive interior lineman with a physically-imposing physique, standing at 6-foot-6 and 313 pounds — and he knows how to use every bit of it to his advantage.

The former Badger has been a popular player among the countless Titans fans that share their mock drafts on social media — and for good reason.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Indiana native finished the last two seasons with an average overall grade of 81.9.

As always, this article is going to provide you with an educated opinion on the pros and cons of selecting the mammoth interior lineman.

Before we get started, a quick reminder that unless noted otherwise, all of the grades and individual rankings that are included are my own opinions.

Now, let’s find out what exactly it is that makes Tippmann such a popular prospect among teams that need offensive line help.

Five Badgers declare for the 2023 NFL draft

Over the last week, five Wisconsin Badgers have declared for the 2023 NFL draft:

Over the last week, several Wisconsin Badgers announced that they would be declaring for the 2023 NFL draft and presumably forgoing the Guaranteed Rate Bowl against Oklahoma State.

The first Badger to announce their decision to declare last week was cornerback Justin Clark, who transferred to Wisconsin from Toledo for his final year of eligibility. Unfortunately, Clark struggled to stay healthy throughout the season and only played in five games this year recording 10 total tackles.

Senior transfer cornerback Jay Shaw and junior offensive lineman Joe Tippmann announced their decisions on Thursday. Shaw started in every game for the Badgers this year and racked up 31 total tackles, six passes defended and an interception. Tippmann has been a consistent presence on the Badgers’ offensive line this season and was named as a consensus All-Big Ten honorable mention.

Wisconsin senior nose tackle Keeanu Benton announced his decision on Twitter on Friday night after his dominant senior season for the Badgers. Benton ranked in the top 20 in sacks and tackles for loss in the Big Ten this year with 10 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He was a third-team All-Big Ten selection by coaches and was named as an honorable mention by the media.

The latest Badger to announce his decision was junior outside linebacker Nick Herbig, who has been one of the best edge rushers in the county this season. He was named a second-team Walter Camp All-American and a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection after racking up a conference-high 11 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss this season.

It will definitely be tough for Wisconsin to lose so much talent ahead of their bowl game, but it will be very exciting to see these Badgers take the step to the next level.

Below are the five Badgers’ announcements to declare for the 2023 NFL draft:

Eight Badgers named to PFF’s Preseason All-Big Ten Team

Take a look at the Wisconsin Badgers named to PFF’s All-Big Ten Team:

On Monday afternoon, Pro Football Focus writer, Anthony Treash, released PFF’s 2022 Preseason All-America and All-Conferences teams. Wisconsin football had eight Badgers make the cut on Treash’s All-Big Ten team.

Related: Updated Big Ten football recruiting rankings for early August

Only one Badger made first-team All-Big Ten, while four were named to the second team and three as honorable mentions. One of the most notable players on the list is outside linebacker, Nick Herbig, who was ferocious in his second year as a starter in 2021 finishing with 61 total tackles and nine sacks.

Although these are just preseason awards, it shows how high expectations are for this talented Wisconsin team going into this upcoming season.

Below are the Wisconsin Badgers named to PFF’s All-Big Ten Team:

Two Wisconsin interior linemen named to Outland Trophy Watch List

Two Wisconsin interior linemen were named to the Outland Trophy Watch List earlier this week. The Badgers’ last Outland Trophy winner was OT Gabe Carimi back in 2010.

Earlier this week, the Football Writer Association of America released their initial watch list for the Outland Trophy which is awarded to the best interior lineman in college football every year. Fortunately, the Wisconsin Badgers were able to land an interior lineman from offense and defense on the list.

Junior center Joe Tippman and senior nose tackle Keeanu Benton were selected for the award after having breakthrough seasons in 2021. Tippman started 10 out of the 11 games for Wisconsin and helped to create space for the Badgers’ outstanding run game last year.

On defense, Benton disrupted up the middle and is already nominated for several watch lists and preseason awards. The senior nose tackle did it all for Wisconsin in 2021 and finished with 25 tackles, five tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.

The Badgers have had two Outland Trophy winners in the past with offensive tackles Gabe Carimi and Joe Thomas in 2010 and 2006.