Ben Braden
Name: Ben Braden
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 331 lbs.
High school: Rockford (MI) Rockford
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #71
Last year: I ranked Braden #27 and said he would be the starting right tackle. He started all twelve games at right tackle.
The tackle positions were giant question marks heading into last season. Michigan had lost Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield to graduation and the NFL, and the backups at those positions were completely unproven. Braden, who had played in just two games in 2013, was one of them. Meanwhile, Erik Magnuson was the higher rated recruit and had played more in 2013. It seemed likely that Magnuson would start at one of the two tackle spots. Instead, Braden locked down the job on the right side while true freshman Mason Cole started all twelve games on the left. Michigan’s offensive line improved from terrible two seasons ago to mediocre last year.
The line as a whole needs to take another step forward, but so does Braden as an individual. A weakness in pass protection makes him a bit of a liability. However, he seems likely to start somewhere. Going into the season, he looks like a front-runner to start at one of the guard positions. Michigan had Magnuson starting at right tackle in the spring, and Braden had bumped over to left guard. Some early reports out of August practice have Braden playing some right guard. Either way, he and Kyle Kalis are manning those two spots. Braden has added 9 lbs. to his already massive frame, and he was reportedly torching the other linemen in sprints and conditioning in the spring. If he can hone his technique, he could be a very powerful interior presence for the next couple seasons.
Prediction: Starting right guard
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I think there is a decent chance that Braden gets knocked out of the starting line-up by someone (perhaps Dawson or Kugler). Two years ago, the previous staff had Braden penciled in at LG before the season. Then he fell off the face of the map and hardly played in ’13. Last year, he was a liability at RT in my opinion. The pass protection is not good, but he does not come off the ball hard on run plays either.
I suspect that Braden is one of those players who intoxicates coaches with his physical measurables. He has an NFL-ready frame and actually runs pretty well in a straight line. But blocking results are what matters. Will be interesting to see if Drevno can improve his agility and get him to play with a little more fire.
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I thought that last year Braden might get pushed aside, but instead it was Magnuson. I think the potential with him is too tantalizing as you said. There haven’t been enough hype about Dawson, Kugler, or any other linemen to think they’ll pass him over on merit. At this point I’d expect another Cole (i.e., freshman) to be more likely to start than those guys this season. But we’ll see. I think our top 5 is our top 5, so cross your fingers for good health.
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The OL performance is just so critical to this team’s success. Not only because that is the Harbaugh way, but the lack of playmakers at the skill positions or dynamic talent at QB makes.
I like the thinking in moving Braden inside and am anxious to see how it works against Utah.
I like the rank for Braden.
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All of our linemen, with the exception being Cole, lack coordination and flexibility. They need yoga, Pilates or some type of training instead of all the power lifting which is leaving them muscle bound. I instituted some of this stuff for my guys and it seemed to work.
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