From now until the 2023 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, I will be profiling Ohio State offensive lineman, Luke Wypler.
#53 Luke Wypler, IOL, Ohio State (rSO) — 6025, 303 lbs.
Combine/Pro Day
Measurements
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Luke Wypler | 6’2 5/8”/303 | 9 5/8 | 31 5/8 | N/A |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 5.14 | 1.83 | 4.53 | 7.64 | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 8’10” | 30.5 | 29 |
The Good
— Good pad level and hand placement
— Lateral agility and quickness to reach block
— Excellent mobility and control pulling and in space
— Good timing and balance climbing to the second level
— Solid anchor in pass pro
— Mirrors well, good footwork
— Good awareness and handling of twists and stunts
— Positions himself well on run blocks
The Bad
— Just adequate length to handle long defenders
— Play strength versus power rushes
— Susceptible to push/pull move
— Doesn’t get a lot of push in base blocks
— Inconsistent aiming point on down blocks
— Lack of push on first level can delay release to the second level
— May be somewhat limited in running scheme
Bio
— 2022 – 13 starts, 860 snaps from scrimmage
— 27 games, 26 starts
— 2022 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention
— Won starting center job in 2021
— Helped Ohio State’s offense rank No. 1 in total offense (561.5) and scoring offense (45.7)
— 2-time OSU Scholar athlete; 2021 Academic All-Big-Ten
— Birthday 5/3/2001 (age 21)
Tape Breakdown
Luke Wypler was a two-year starter for Ohio State and an early entry into the NFL draft. He was the man in the middle for the high-powered Buckeyes offense.
As a pass blocker, he shows good quickness out of his stance with good balance and pad level in his set up. His hand placement is good, getting inside the arms of the defender. Laterally he moves well to mirror defenders and moves smoothly on slide protections. Facing rushers across his face he uses agility and good hand placement to push them wide of the pocket. On twists and stunts he shows very good awareness and timing to pass off and pick up rushers. Athletically, he has good mobility in front of screens and plays under control in space. His anchor is good when he wins with his hands and has good pad level.
Wypler (53) knows his assignment on twist and stunts and handles them well.
Here are a couple examples of his inside hand placement and pad level allowing him to anchor versus power rushes:
The first rep he has great hand placement on the defender across his face with the bottom hand on the hip to drive the defender wide. On the second play, he picks up the blitzer and then shows the awareness to chip the DL with his right hand to knock him off balance.
As a run blocker, he excels on the move and understands angles. Whether he is pulling outside or climbing to the second level he shows good timing and plays under control to engage defenders. He has good lateral agility and quickness to execute reach blocks on face up or shaded defenders. On down/base blocks he uses good pad level and active footwork to sustain blocks. He works well with teammates on double-team blocks and is solid as the post on combo blocks.
When pulling, he plays under control, squaring up and making good contact with the defender.
Here are a couple of well executed reach blocks:
He lacks the length to handle long-armed defenders consistently. Versus bull rushers with good length and strength he can be pushed back into the pocket. There is room to add play strength and power to move defenders. He is susceptible to push/pull pass rushes. On outside zone, he is adequate getting his hips around to cut off wider defenders. On power blocks he isn’t going to generate a lot of movement and his aiming point is adequate on down blocks. Quicker defenders had some success swimming over him on base blocks.
Power rushers can give him some trouble using hump, bull or club moves.
On the first rep he doesn’t get across the face of the defender and he gets in on the tackle. On the second play, he gets yanked to the ground.
Conclusion
Wypler has a good football IQ with a good understanding of angles as a blocker. He has good movement skills and hand placement to mirror pass rushers. Against twists and stunts, Wypler displays good awareness, timing, and technique. His athleticism is an asset in the passing and running game and he plays under control in space. He displays good competitiveness and effort to execute his roll and has very good overall technique as s run blocker.
There is room to add strength to handle power rushers and move defenders in the run game. He can work on improving technique versus bull rushes and countering the push/pull move. Wypler’s length will be a disadvantage and will limit him in some areas.
Wypler is a very good athlete with a very good understanding of what it takes to play the position. An offense that will utilize his mobility, athleticism, and intelligence can maximize his abilities. A zone-based offense that relies more on movement rather than displacing defenders one on one would benefit him. He can’t make himself longer but centers with similar length have had success in the NFL. Also, with his smarts and athleticism he should be able to fill in at guard as well.
For his player comparison, I’ll go with Drew Dalman of the Atlanta Falcons. Both are of similar size, position themselves well and are smooth movers in space. Both have length issues and issues with power at the point of attack. Dalman has played every game the first two years of his career and started every game in Year Two.
Projection: Late Day Two
Depot Draft Grade: 7.9 Potential Starter/Good Backup (3rd Round)
Games Watched: 2022 – Vs Notre Dame, Vs Iowa, At Penn State, Vs Michigan, Vs Georgia
