Wisconsin Football Product Emerging as Under-the-Radar Draft Prospect

Originally posted on Badger Notes | By Dillon Graff | Last updated 4/9/24

Wisconsin football offensive lineman Tanor Bortolini has been identified by Pro Football Focus staff as an ‘under-the-radar’ NFL Draft prospect who could be selected on day three.

Bortolini gained attention from the national media following his impressive performance at the NFL combine last month. Bortolini shattered the combine record for centers with a stunning time of 7.16 seconds in the three-cone drill, previously held by Jason Kelce.

The versatile lineman wore many hats during his Wisconsin football career. Bortolini played 1,974 career snaps for the Badgers, starting at left and right guard, right tackle, and center. He even filled in an inline tight end at times when needed.

However, his exceptional physical attributes and athleticism have garnered plenty of NFL interest from scouts.

Tanor Bortolini is a OG prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 9.79 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 32 out of 1459 OG from 1987 to 2024.https://t.co/8UY9T8rxyn pic.twitter.com/zYZoIwv2Rl

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 18, 2024

During the 2023 season, Bortolini played center in all 12 games under the direction of offensive coordinator Phil Longo. Despite the transition to spread concepts, Bortolini excelled as a blocker, allowing just one sack in 477 pass-blocking opportunities, as per PFF.

“Bortolini’s athleticism will allow an NFL offensive coordinator to get creative with any run concept that requires a pulling lineman, much like how Kelce was used with the Eagles,” Jim Wyman wrote.

“He is a bit undersized at his position, which tends to pop up in his run blocking, where his grade dropped in each of the past three seasons, bottoming out at 61.1 in 2023. On the contrary, his pass blocking improved in every year of his college career, topping out at 80.3. He surrendered just 23 career pressures across 962 pass-blocking snaps. While Bortolini may need to bulk up a bit, his athleticism is extremely rare for his position and would make him a very interesting pick on Day 3.”

PFF’s list of intriguing day three NFL prospects also includes Georgia safety Tykee Smith, Washington State cornerback Chau Smith-Wade, former Wisconsin football running back Isaac Guerendo, Northern Iowa defensive lineman Khristian Boyd, and several others.

Bortolini is anticipated to be a late-round selection in the upcoming NFL Draft. However, his draft stock could climb before the event on April 25th. Either way, the former Wisconsin football standout is a name to watch.

This article first appeared on Badger Notes and was syndicated with permission.

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