(S1) - PT #1 - Draft Profile

[dropbear]

In the lead up to the draft, John Longshaw, father of top Offensive Line prospect Ben Longshaw, tells the story of how he knew his son was destined for the NFL:

"We were in the supermarket and Ben was around 10-years-old. He wasn't paying attention to where he was walking. He was looking at the food on the shelves, knocking things into the trolley when he thought I wasn't looking - he always ate a damn lot even back then - and as we come to the end of the aisle a fully-grown man comes rushing round the corner and walks straight into Ben. Before I can say anything, this guy is flat on his back and Ben's standing there with a box of cereal in his hand wondering what the hell's goin' on. My boy's been a living brick wall ever since and has made a living from putting people on their back. He's gonna make some team - and more importantly some quarterback - very lucky".

While it's easy to wave away his father's words as the sort of hype and praise any loving family member would offer, Ben's college numbers go a long way to corroborating the story from his childhood.

Through 3 seasons with the Huskies he didn't miss a single game, and during this incredible stretch he didn't allow a single sack. Not one. By the end of his collegiate career, opposing defensive coordinators learned to simply send pressure on the opposite side. This made an otherwise mediocre line one of the top performing in Division I football, with TE's beefing up the weaker side and Ben remaining a "brick wall", as his father put it, at the other end.

With the influx of quarterbacks declaring for this year's draft, it would be a smart move for a GM to pick Longshaw early, because even a late-round QB will blow the lid off the competition with such a talented lineman looking out for him. This will open up a slew of opportunities for skill-position picks in the middle rounds, making for a well rounded team that can complete for the championship in year 1.