MADISON, Wis. - While tailback Jonathan Taylor has received plenty of praise for his junior season and offseason combine drills, center Tyler Biadasz has largely gone under the radar because of a minor shoulder surgery that prevented him from any on-field workouts. However, with 41 consecutive games played at center for Wisconsin and having a large impact on Taylor’s 2,000-yard seasons, Biadasz has game tape that speaks for itself.
A consensus All-American and the school’s first winner of the Rimington Award, presented annually to the top center in the country, Biadasz is considered one of the top interior linemen in the draft. However, the Amherst, Wis., native has been pegged anywhere from a late first-round selection to an early fourth-round pick.
With such a wide range, let’s take a closer look at the 6-4, 314-pound lineman.
Coming to Wisconsin as a three-star defensive tackle and helping lead his high school to a state championship his senior season, Biadasz quickly became a hot prospect at a center spot that was lacking in depth. He was so impressive with his ability to pick up the nuances of the position that following the conclusion of his redshirt season, incumbent center Michael Deiter was willing to change positions to allow Biadasz the opportunity to play.
While Biadasz only played center during his three seasons at Wisconsin, he enters the draft following his redshirt junior season having the ability to play any interior position on the offensive line. Across the spectrum of draft analyst websites, Biadasz is praised for his movement, his ability to explode out of his stance, his awareness of defensive stunts and gap assignments, his power and his ability as a run blocker. The latter shouldn’t be a surprise considering the Badgers’ run-first philosophy, but Biadasz’s talent as a run blocker comes from his hand placement and striking ability between the shoulder pads, upper-body strength and ability to stifled defenders without drawing penalties.
Through the regular season, Biadasz graded out with an identical 86.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus that the site gave him in 2018, adding that he improved greatly in pass protection during his junior season. Biadasz allowed just two total pressures through the regular season and was the only center with elite grades in both the run game and the passing game, a reason why he was a consensus All-American and why PFF rated him a top-10 center for three consecutive seasons.
While they don’t factor into his PFF grade, Biadasz’s leadership skills are undeniable, evidenced by the fact the Badgers had to break in four new starters entering 2019 and didn’t miss a beat with Biadasz calling the shots in the middle of the line.
In terms of other weaknesses scouts have seen in him, there’s been criticism of his pass protection, as one site called it solid but unspectacular. I’ve seen it written that Biadasz suffers from poor balance, causing him to drop to his knees when overpowered (a sign that he would struggle against speed defenders), he flails at the second level more than you’d expect, relies too much on his upper-body strength rather than his legs and that he’s not a “classic Wisconsin blocker in terms of strength or grip strength.”
Biadasz has undergone surgery the last two seasons, having hip surgery that caused him to miss the 2019 spring practices and the cleanup of the AC joint this spring. I doubt those cause much concern considering his durability during the last three seasons.
Who Could Draft Him?
There are a lot of teams that would be a good fit for Biadasz. Seattle with its run-oriented offense could use a solid run-blocking lineman on the interior. Miami has three first-round picks and finished dead last in rushing last season in part because of inconsistent offensive line play. Dallas is also looking for a new center after former UW star Travis Frederick announced his retirement this past offseason.
Looking at a couple mock drafts, Los Angeles Times has Biadasz going to Baltimore in the first round at pick 28, the only mock draft I could find that has Biadasz in the first 32 picks. A popular spot is the third round for Biadasz. The San Diego Tribune had him going to New Orleans, DraftWire has Atlanta choosing him and Pro Football Focus has Biadasz going to Minnesota in the third round with the No.89 pick to potentially play guard.
NFL.com agreed with my thought of Biadasz to the Cowboys, but has that happening in the fourth round.
