Wisconsin Badgers Draft Profile: OL Logan Bruss

MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin has recruited, developed, and prepared countless offensive linemen over the last two decades, five of whom are in-state players currently collecting NFL paychecks. Before long, Logan Bruss will become the sixth.

A former three-star prospect from Kimberly is the headline lineman for the Badgers entering the 2022 NFL Draft after he registered 35 starts in 42 career games during his four seasons with the program.

BadgerBlitz takes a closer look at Bruss’ NFL profile.

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At the NFL Scouting Combine, Bruss recorded a 5.32-second 40-yard dash (tied for 45th), 31" vertical (sixth), 112" broad jump (tied for sixth), 7.57-second 3-cone drill (tied 12th), and 4.55-second 20-yard shuttle (eighth). He only did positional work at UW's Pro Day.

At the Combine, Bruss measured at 6-5, 316 pounds, 33 1/8-inch arms, and 10 3/4-inch hands.

Wisconsin linemen are at a huge advantage coming into the professional ranks, considering the Badgers’ philosophy as a run-heavy offense that relies on heavy personnel formations, pulling guards, and between-the-tackle runs.

At 6-5 and 316 pounds, Bruss is a well-built lineman who plays with a strong base, good leverage, and has hands to hit and drive defenders off course. With 2,281 college snaps, Bruss knows angles and leverage and how to use them to his advantage, especially as a pulling guard in Wisconsin’s offense. He’s solid at the snap of the ball and above average in the run, grading out at 82.8 by Pro Football Focus in run and zone blocking.

In pass blocking, Bruss allowed no sacks against 262 pressures last season and just two hits, seven hurries, and nine pressures for a 98.3 percent efficiency by PFF.

While he is projected as an interior lineman in the pros, the experience Bruss has as a starting right tackle (26 games), right guard (six), and an extra tight end (three) gives him a full picture of the scheme.

Here are some of the strengths NFL.com listed for Bruss

· Three-year starter with enormous hands.

· Bent knees and ready hands in his pass sets.

· Works at staying square in his slides for as long as possible.

· Recognizes quarterback's drop point and sets depth accordingly.

· Athletic in adjusting slide to match the pace of the rusher.

· Uses redirect power and sliding feet to protect his edges.

· Fits run blocks with good momentum from settle steps.

· Centers up contact with a wide strike zone and good lift.

· Unencumbered for work-up blocks and stretch plays.

· Above-average finding his landmarks as zone blocker.

Bruss isn’t going to win many foot races, as his limited quickness will cause him to likely struggle against brut defensive ends and outside linebackers. Ranked in a tied for 39th among the 55 draft-eligible offensive linemen in measured arm length (33 1/8), Bruss is forced to let a longer defender initiate contact, which prevents him from dictating when a defender gets inside leverage.

There’s questions about Bruss’ strength moving into the NFL. He missed three games last season with a foot injury and didn’t test in the bench press at the NFL Scouting Combine or UW’s Pro Day. How he improves his strength and balance will go a long way to determining his viability to teams.

Here are some of the weaknesses for Bruss by NFL.com

· Ends up second in race to land punch first.

· Needs to play with less predictable, more explosive hands.

· Too much weight drifts to his outside foot in his sets.

· Can be a little lazy with his outside hand in pass pro.

· Could use better attention to hand placement for block security.

· Needs to keep weight under his pads throughout the sustain phase.

· Had trouble playing too far out on his toes versus Penn State.

Bruss will likely be a third-day pick but there’s no consensus where he could fall, as the senior is ranked anywhere from No.89 (NFL.com) to No.273 (NFL Draft Diamonds) in terms of overall draft prospect. Most amateur mock drafters have Bruss going in rounds six or seven to a variety of teams (long-time Green Bay reporter Bill Huber sees the Packers picking Bruss in the seventh round, especially after the franchise nabbed former teammate Cole Van Lanen and Jon Dietzen in recent history), but CBS did see Bruss going to Dallas in the fourth round at No.129.

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