From now until the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, 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, a scouting report on Wisconsin OL Tanor Bortolini.
#63 Tanor Bortolini/OL Wisconsin – 6042, 303 lbs. (Redshirt Junior)
Senior Bowl
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Tanor Bortolini | 6042/303 | 10″ | 31 1/2″ | 77 5/8″ |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.94 | 1.69 | 4.28 | 7.16 | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 9’4″ | 32.5″ | 21 |
The Good
– Hits requirements for NFL height/weight
– Physical and aggressive demeanor
– Strong down the middle, great anchor to stall out bull rushes
– Good football IQ and able to pick up stunts and blitzes
– Plays with good hand placement
– Works hard to recover when beat
– Creates movement on down blocks, able to wash and seal
– Shows solid base and bend in pass protection
– Works well in a phone booth
– Experienced and versatile, started four of five spots along the line
– Regarded as high-character individual
The Bad
– Poor length that will be problematic at NFL level
– Lacks snap and athleticism, struggles out in space
– Takes short and choppy steps in pass protection, struggles to slide laterally
– Vulnerable on his edges and too easily beat on his inside/outside shoulders
– Drops his head/eyes too often in pass protection, causing him to double over; plays with too much forward lean
– Difficulty hitting a moving target on screens and zone/combo runs at the second level
– Lacks coordination and balance
– Had snapping issues, especially early in 2023, too slow and often too high
Bio
– 27 career starts for Badgers
– 14 starts at center, eight at guard, including both guard spots (six LG, two RG), four at RT, and one at tight end
– Made eight starts at guard in 2022 (574 snaps), all of his snaps in 2023 came at center (868 snaps)
– Logged 229 snaps at RT in 2021
– Three-star recruit from Kewaunee, Wisconsin, chose Wisconsin over Air Force, Dartmouth, Columbia, Harvard, and Yale, among many other schools
– Didn’t know he’d become 2023 center until the third week of camp when the starter suffered foot injury
– Suffered torn meniscus and damaged knee cartilage in August of 2022, missed first two games
– Likes playing center most
– Worked out with Joe Thomas during one portion of his college career
– Weighed 245 pounds as a high school junior, got up to 270 as a senior
– Played basketball and competed in shot put in HS along with playing football (left tackle), also played baseball early in HS career
– Had a 4.0 high school GPA and scored 30 on his ACT
Tape Breakdown
Tanor Bortolini was initially a light recruit out of high school, in part because he was light himself in his weight. But as he got bigger and stronger, the Power 5 came calling, and he stayed local at Wisconsin, turning down virtually every Ivy League program.
Bortolini is Wisconsin strong. It’s difficult to bull rush him down the middle, and he has the strength, anchor, and hand placement to consistently stall those rushes out. He’s No. 63, the center, in both of these clips.
He’s physical and aggressive and can downblock in the run game and create some movement overall. A hallmark of Badgers’ linemen, he generally fits the mold. Against Ohio State, he’s the right guard. Against Iowa, he’s the center.
But Bortolini works best in a phone booth and struggles outside of that. In pass protection, he gives up his edges too often and gets beat by finesse moves. He doesn’t play with a bad base and tries to keep his feet moving but takes choppy steps and drops his head too often, causing him to lose.
He’s prone to missing his target in space, and his range is limited, like on this zone run.
Bortolini has said in the past he enjoys playing center the most but he has to keep working on his snapping, an issue early in 2023. Versatility is a plus, he’s played up and down the line, though with his severe lack of length and lateral movement, it’s going to be hard to play him anywhere but the pivot.
Conclusion
Overall, Bortolini is a strong player who can anchor in pass pro and run block in the right schemes. He will work best in a man/duo scheme, and he can handle bigger and stronger nose tackles. But quicker interior linemen will burn him, and zone schemes aren’t his best fit. I don’t see him as a great candidate for what the Steelers are trying to do. My NFL comp for him is Jarrett Patterson, a sixth-round pick last year.
Projection: Late Day Three
Depot Draft Grade: 6.0 – End Of Roster/Practice Squad (Priority Free Agent)
Games Watched: at Ohio State (2022), at Illinois (2023), vs Iowa (2023)
