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| Ben Braden |
Name: Ben Braden
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 325 lbs.
High school: Rockford (MI) Rockford
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Braden was in high school. No stats are available.
Final TTB Rating: 71
Braden is a mammoth offensive lineman for being an incoming freshman. At least in my memory, he’s the largest scholarship offensive lineman to come to Michigan if those measurements prove accurate. Despite excellent size, Braden was mostly regarded by the recruiting services as a mediocre recruit. He’s not the most technical or the most athletic lineman around.
Despite some shortcomings, Braden ranks fairly high on the list for a freshman lineman because of a lack of depth. Technically, Michigan’s only two non-freshman offensive tackles are their starters, Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield. Outside of those two, options are limited to freshmen, walk-ons, or guys who are expected to play guard like Elliott Mealer and Patrick Omameh. Braden might not be any better than those walk-ons as a true freshman, but because of his size, he is perhaps the second-most likely rookie lineman to see the field. If he plays at all, expect to see him limited to the right tackle position.
Prediction: Backup right tackle
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Forgeting about our tackle depth chart for a moment – is Braden someone who could potentially move to DT (given his size/strength) if he doesn't work out at RT?
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This is very, very strange comment. How many DTs are 6'7", 325 pounds? Players with prototypical OT size generally don't fit in anywhere else except maybe as a massive tight end or a 3-4 DE (and that's a big maybe).
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6'7" is too tall to get good leverage as a DT IMO
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Obviously they're rare, but John Henderson won the Outland Trophy at Tennessee while playing at 6'7", 315+ lbs.
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I think Braden is too tall to play defensive tackle effectively, and I'm not sure how much experience he has on defense.
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I'm sure this picture is deceiving me, but it looks like Braden is wearing eye shadow in this shot.
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It's the shot lol, his teammate has the same thing
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At 6'7" his size might be a liability at DT, but it depends on the coaches and what they think of his skillset. Personally I think we need the depth on the offensive line more immediately with PeeWee coming in the same year on defense.
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Holy smokes! I did not realize this kid was up to 325. I thought he was in the neighborhood of 280 when he committed. It's tough to imagine that kind of growth could be all good in that short of a time span. Hopefully, he is in shape come camp. He's likely to be on the two-deep by default.
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Don't forget about the sidebar:
http://touchthebanner.blogspot.com/2012/02/ben-braden-answers-your-questions.html
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