Overview
Position: Offensive Tackle
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 320 pounds
School: Iowa Hawkeyes
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.85 seconds (best among offensive linemen)
Bench press: 24 reps
Vertical jump: 36.5 inches (best among offensive linemen)
Broad jump: 10 feet, 1 inch (best among offensive linemen)
Three-cone drill: 7.65 seconds (fifth-best among offensive linemen)
20-yard shuttle: 4.68 seconds
Tristan Wirfs 2020 NFL Draft Profile
A top-50 tackle prospect coming out of high school according to Rivals, Tristan Wirfs was relatively lightly recruited. The Mount Vernon, IA native received just two scholarship offers, both from the two major conference schools in his home state, Iowa and Iowa State. But it was partly due to the fact that he committed to Kirk Ferentz‘s 2017 class way back in December of 2015. In addition to his exploits on the gridiron in high school, Wirfs won state titles in track and field (shot put and discus) as well as wrestling.
Wirfs subsequently arrived on campus and made an immediate impact. He made 10 appearances as a true freshman including eight starts in a campaign that saw the Hawkeyes finish 8-5. His team improved by a win in each of the following two seasons where he made a combined 25 starts. As a sophomore, he received honorable mention all-Big Ten recognition and followed that up with second-team AP All-American notice one year later. And he also closed out his college career by winning Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year. During his three seasons with the program, Iowa went unbeaten in bowl games.
Strengths
- boasts an ideal frame which should hold up well at the next level;
- wrestling background has been beneficial;
- comes from a program with pedigree when it comes to producing NFL-caliber linemen;
- effortless lateral movement helps contain the edge;
- gets his hands on the opponent with proper width;
- comfortable flaring to the outside in zone-blocking situations;
- hit his Combine performance out of the park;
- played both tackle positions during his college career;
- consistent starter-level reps over the course of his three seasons with Iowa.
Weaknesses
- play strength commensurate with his build doesn’t always show up on film;
- pass rushers with a plan can attack and penetrate the B-gap on him;
- a little too much forward lean when down-blocking inhibits optimum leverage;
- plays a tad upright in his pass sets;
- could play with some more explosiveness;
- might be limited to the right-hand side of the line at the next level;
- an off-field red flag as he was charged with OWI ahead of his sophomore year.
NFL Comparison: Brandon Scherff
Teams With Need at Position: Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins
Projection: potential top 10 pick
Bottom Line
Wirfs established himself as one of the most dominant linemen both in the Big Ten and within college football as a whole. He subsequently collected a prestigious conference award, then proceeded to impress mightily at the Combine. For that reason, his draft stock is among the highest at his position in this class.
There’s no doubt that Wirfs exudes ideal physical traits. He’s an effortless mover which enables him to contain defenders who try to bend at the edge. But he does need to learn to generate leverage more properly to unlock his true potential in the pros. Still, he brings enough above average qualities to the table to suggest that he won’t be on the board very long on day one in Vegas.
