Zack Baun is one of the best NFL draft stories this year. Considering entering this past season Baun was considered a fringe NFL draft prospect but now he will be drafted in one of the top two rounds.
Baun prior to his senior year showed glimpses of what kind of player he could become but at the same time, he had to sit behind some talented players at outside linebacker who are currently playing in the NFL and he missed the entire 2017 season because of a foot injury he suffered during preseason camp.
In this BadgersWire feature, we will examine Baun’s strengths, weaknesses, and where he could possibly land in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Strengths:
Simply Baun just needed a chance of getting regular playing time and being able to stay healthy in order to improve as a player. After recovering from his foot injury in 2017 Baun was able to close his Wisconsin career by starting 27 straight games as he also appeared in 39 games overall for the Badgers.
Baun’s biggest strength right now is his ability to create pressure in the backfield. Baun went from 2.5 sacks as a junior to 12.5 this past season. Baun’s 12.5 sacks ranked second in the Big Ten behind Ohio State’s Chase Young.
The reason Baun was able to make a big jump in sacks this past season was because he worked on his pass-rushing moves. In particular, his hand placement to allow himself the ability to shed the blocker as he made his way into the backfield.
It also helped that Baun was explosive off the edge allowing him to get the first step over the opposition, which allowed himself to bull rush his way into the backfield.
Baun has also shown his ability to drop back in pass coverage as he has registered an interception in each of the last two seasons. In addition thanks to his athleticism and speed he’ll be able to help cover running backs and match up with tight ends in space.