| A three-year starter for Wisconsin, Konz was considered a top-30 prospect when he decided to pass on his senior season and enter the draft. He's still looked upon as the best center prospect in the class, but despite being heralded for his size and strength, Konz's 18 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press at the NFL combine were among the worst of all participating offensive linemen. He still graded out at an 85.0 in Indianapolis, and there's a real likelihood Konz could be the first interior offensive lineman in the past five years to be drafted in the first round after putting up fewer than 20 reps. Konz helped the mammoth Wisconsin line pave the way for running back Montee Ball to tie Barry Sanders' single-season NCAA record of 39 touchdowns last season. Konz, who became the full-time starter at center as a sophomore in 2010, is considered to be a very good station-to-station blocker and also excels when asked to pull in the run game. He possesses a desired combination of size, strength and quickness that could lead to a successful NFL career. The major knock against Konz is his durability, as various injuries kept him out of two games in 2010 and three late last season, including Wisconsin's 42-39 victory over Michigan State in the Big Ten championship game Dec. 3. |
