Luke Wypler 2023 NFL Draft profile: Scout report for the Ohio State IOL
Luke Wypler, Ohio State
6’3”, 300 pounds; RS SO
Just outside the top-100 overall recruits in 2020, Wypler played in just one game as a true freshman and ended up taking a redshirt. However, he already earned the starting gig at center the following spring and started all 26 contests over the last two seasons. Having two fellow top-100 overall prospects at the pivot in his own conference “only” allowed him to earn third-team All-Big Ten accolades in 2022.
+ Just a redshirt sophomore, who showed he can be a quick learned – in his first season as a starter in 2021 he already earned 79.6 overall grade by PFF, and this past season he improved that to 82.4 – tied for the fourth-best mark among all centers
+ Keeps riding defenders down the line in the zone run game, to create that lateral flow
+ Particularly on wide concepts, he really shoots out of his stance and shows the agility to scoop up 2/2i-techniques, almost pushing off his guards, to get them to climb off those combos
+ Shows the reactionary skills to go from having his shoulders turned play-side to peeling back if a linebacker tries to shoot the gap behind him
+ Has an innate feel of the short-area agility to come off combos right on time, to secure the backer
+ If he can, as B-gap defenders try to stay square of peak inside a little, Wypler will deliver a solid bump to get them turned, without getting off track for his man
+ Works up to the second level in controlled fashion and covers up bodies well, while having a quick burst to get to his landmarks as he directly climbs up to MIKE backers straight across from him
+ Was tasked with plenty of long pulls and had some impressive moments beating linebackers to the spot on toss plays
+ Generally his loose hips allow him to pin defenders inside who try to go underneath of blocks or just if he has to peel back on guys in pursuit
+ Does well to latch his hands inside the chest of interior rushers with his elbows in, to control reps, and plays with good flexion in his joints to provide the anchor
+ Showcases impressive lateral agility to mirror active defenders across from him
+ Yet if they do give a little shake off the line or try to take those wider paths, he’s consistently able to get his hands onto the near shoulder-pad and ride them past the quarterback
+ Gains the appropriate depth when unoccupied, in order to help out his guards
+ Lifts up at the side of rushers over the guys next to him and completely negates their impact for the most part
+ Showcases advanced awareness for games up front and times it well when to come off and slide in front of loopers
+ Very patient at picking up second-level rushers and delayed blitzes, while consistently being able to square them up, and if they peel off, Wypler still makes sure to find work
+ Just has that knack for where the weaknesses of protections may be and where pressures may occur, to make sure his guy back there stays clean, which made him a crucial piece of maybe the most explosive passing attack in college football over the last two years
+ Was responsible for only eight pressures each (one combined sack) in the last two years on 516 and 449 pass-blocking snaps respectively as a redshirt freshman and sophomore
– Likely profiles as a center-only in the NFL and primarily in a zone-based rushing attack
– Wypler isn’t somebody with a ton of upper-body strength to just torque bodies in the run game, and he only has 31 and 5/8-inch arms
– When blocking down, to enable his guard to pull for example, at best you typically get a stalemate at that spot and mostly Wypler has to give up some ground
– You have to question his ability to anchor consistently against powerful interior rushers when left on an island, as you already see guys walk him back at times when selling out for the bull
– Michigan’s Mazi Smith gave him some real issues with getting over the top of zone-blocks and thew his to the side with push-pull maneuvers
Wypler is an impressive young athlete who already plays the game at an advanced level mentally in relation to where he is in his developmental process. As I already mentioned, not leaving him at center in a zone-heavy system would be a disservice to him, as he lacks the play strength and length to dig or twist nose-tackles out of their gap. I am a bit worried about leaving him one-on-one against powerful interior pass-rushers because I’ve seen him get ridden backwards at times, but the ability to mirror twitchier types and slide in front of delayed loopers or second-level blitzers is highly impressive and you consistently see him help out in the right places in order to keep his quarterback clean. If he’s a fit for your offensive scheme, he’s worthy of a mid-day two selection.
Grade: Early third round
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