Saturday, May 2, 2015

Rams draft profile (6th round, pick #215): Cody Wichmann, G, Fresno State

Fresno State University
Cody Wichmann, 6'5" 319
G, Fresno State

Rankings
NFLDraftScout: #253 player overall, #15 guard. Seventh-round grade.
Nawrocki: #33 guard. Grade: 4.50, solid free agent who could be invited to a training camp. 
Kiper: Not in top 300 players. Kiper ranked at least 16 guards and three Codys.
Draft Countdown: #17 guard. Late-round / free agent grade. 
NFL.com: Sixth-seventh round grade. Grade: 5.06, better-than-average chance to make an NFL roster.
Sports Illustrated: Not in top 300 players. SI ranked at least 18 guards.
Scouts Inc: Not ranked in top 340 players. #34 guard. Grade: 30, borderline draft prospect. 

Biography/Honors
2014: Second team all-Mountain West. Started all 13 games at right guard. FSU ran for 182.4 yards per game and 22 TDs. Started 50 career games, second-most in team history.
2013: Honorable mention all-Mountain West. Started all 13 games at right guard. FSU allowed only 11 sacks while throwing 675 times. That's 1.6% of dropbacks. They also led the nation in passing.
2012: Started all 13 games, eight at right tackle, five at right guard. FSU allowed sacks on 5.4% of dropbacks.
2011: Played in all 13 games, starting ten. Blocked four kicks on special teams.
2010: Redshirted.

Academics: Majored in criminology and law enforcement. (Insert Law and Order sound effect here again)
Twitter:@cdwichmann33


Injuries

None listed
  
Pro Day Stats
(not invited to NFL Combine. Combine averages for guards in parentheses)

40-yard dash: 4.98 (Faster than any guard at the Combine. Fastest time was 5.19. Average was 5.36)
10-yard split: 1.73
Vertical: 27" (27")
Broad: 8'10" (Would have been second-longest. Average was 8'3")
3-cone: 7.41 (Faster than any guard at Combine. Fastest time was 7.51. Average was 8.00)
Shuttle: 4.75 (4.79)
Bench: 20 (26)

Scouting Report
Pluses: Thick and strong-framed. Excellent build for an NFL guard. Very durable. Will hold up against power players. Generates good push as a base blocker and delivers a jolt on the pull. Good strength and anchor. Played against Leonard Williams this season and held his own. Very good at reading line twists and catching the twister. Plays with fine angles and positioning as a down blocker, seals off his defender.

Minuses: Below-average athlete with average quickness and below-average feet. Best in a phone booth, doesn't block well in space. Doesn't have quick change of direction. Limited athleticism will limit him to a power scheme that lets him maul people and doesn't need him to move around a lot. Hmm.

Compares to: Jacob Bell

Fun Facts
Cody's favorite player is Logan Mankins, and he's following Mankins' path to the NFL. Both went to college at Fresno State and high school at Mariposa (Cal.) High. Cody's hobbies are rafting, fishing and swimming.

RamView
The scouts calling Wichmann a below-average athlete may want to check their numbers again. I see nice explosion and speed in those pro day numbers, and you know Les Snead loves guys with quick 3-cone times. Cody's impressively durable and I think is a solid sleeper pick to claim a main roster spot.

Sources: Fresno State Athletics, NFL.com, Fresno Bee

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