Former Wisconsin offensive lineman Tanor Bortolini was named an under-the-radar day-three NFL Draft prospect by ProFootballFocus.
The versatile lineman set social media by storm with his NFL combine performance last month. He had an up-and-down Wisconsin career on the field, but his pure measurables and athleticism are record-breaking.
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Bortolini’s college career ends after 27 starts over four years — 13 at center, 13 at left or right guard and one at tight end. He started all 12 games at center for the 2023 Badgers under new offensive coordinator Phil Longo, and allowed only one sack in 477 chances according to PFF.
The former Badger made PFF’s list of interesting day three prospects along with Georgia S Tykee Smith, Washington State CB Chau Smith-Wade, Louisville RB Isaac Guerendo, Northern Iowa DL Khristian Boyd, Florida State TE Jaheim Bell, South Dakota State RB Isaiah Davis, Kentucky and QB Devin Leary.
Here’s what PFF had to say about the promising lineman:
Bortolini’s athleticism will allow an NFL offensive coordinator to get creative with any run concept that requires a pulling lineman, much like how Kelce was used with the Eagles…He is a bit undersized at his position, which tends to pop up in his run blocking, where his grade dropped in each of the past three seasons, bottoming out at 61.1 in 2023. On the contrary, his pass blocking improved in every year of his college career, topping out at 80.3. He surrendered just 23 career pressures across 962 pass-blocking snaps. While Bortolini may need to bulk up a bit, his athleticism is extremely rare for his position and would make him a very interesting pick on Day 3.
🤫 Jaheim Bell, Florida State
🤫 Tanor Bortolini, WisconsinUnder-The-Radar Day Three Prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft⬇️https://t.co/QiYpdd7iTb
— PFF College (@PFF_College) April 9, 2024
Bortolini is projected to be a late pick in the draft, but his stock could still rise between now and April 25.
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