Future Badger Breakdown: 2021 OL Riley Mahlman

After a late September verbal commitment, 2021 prospect Riley Mahlman currently sits as one of two Wisconsin commits for that class projected to play on the offensive line along with fellow four-star standout J.P. Benzschawel. For that matter, he told AllBadgers.com that assistant coach Bob Bostad and head coach Paul Chryst recently came to visit on Tuesday of this week.

AllBadgers.com unveils its "commitment capsule" of Mahlman, breaking down his basic info, star rankings, our coverage and more. Both Mahlman and Lakeville South head coach Ben Burk also provide insight.

Basic info

Public commitment date: Sept. 22, 2019

Ht./Wt. (according to Hudl profile): 6'8, 270 pounds

Hometown: Lakeville, Minn. (Lakeville South)

Offers (according to Rivals): 8 (Wisconsin, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern and Ohio State)

Mahlman also told AllBadgers.com on Wednesday that he plans to attend Wisconsin's junior day event on Feb. 1.

COMMITTED!!🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/IZ1T9lX3ka
— Riley Mahlman (@riley_mahlman) September 22, 2019

Star ratings

247Sports Composite: Four stars, 0.9206 rating; No. 215 player overall in the country, No. 26 offensive tackle in the country, No. 1 player in Minnesota

247Sports: Four stars, 92 rating; 148 player overall in the country, No. 20 offensive tackle in the country, No. 1 player in Minnesota

Rivals: Three stars, 5.7 rating; No. 37 offensive tackle in the nation, No. 2 player in Minnesota

ESPN: Four stars, 83 rating; No. 171 player overall in the country, No. 20 offensive tackles; No. 13 regional, No. 1 player in Minnesota

Coverage of Mahlman on AllBadgers.com

How Wisconsin Plans to Use Mahlman

Despite playing tight end and on the defensive line in high school, Mahlman told AllBadgers.com that the plan is for him to play at offensive tackle when he gets to Madison.

From the Coach

Burk took over as head coach for Lakeville South recently; however, he has worked as offensive coordinator for the Cougars' varsity program since 2017. The team runs a Michigan Power T scheme with 32 personnel (three running backs, two tight ends). Mahlman plays at tight end.

"If we didn't play with two tight ends, he’d probably play tackle, but since we do, he does everything that a college tackle is going to do in our offense at tight end," Burk said on Monday. "He blocks down and doubles to linebacker, and he'll pull and trap or pull and kick out guys in our scheme, and then he'll occasionally go out for a pass. I'm sure his highlights got a couple of his catches."

Mahlman also asserts his presence on the defensive line and really does not come off the field.

"We always try to debate offensively and defensively, are teams gonna try to take him away from us, or are they gonna commit to stopping everything else because he's a matchup nightmare as a blocker," Burk said. "He's a matchup nightmare as a defensive lineman so they're going to commit two guys to him every time and that frees up other guys."

Strengths

When speaking with Mahlman, his aggressiveness stands out.

"I think just the aggression I come with off the ball and finishing, that's what I do," Mahlman said. "It's top tier and it's above anger and aggression coming play-by-play. It's pretty top notch."

Burk, who previously called out his fast feet and his brain, also mentioned how quickly Mahlman can move laterally and how "fast he gets on people." He noted the future lineman's play on the basketball court and ability to shuffle over and cut off the baseline on dribble drives. That translates to the football field.

"Because Riley looks like this big ogre, but he can move just as well as anybody on the court side-to-side," Burk said. "That's a gift and that works itself onto the field in football with his ability to reach block and cut people off. That's why he plays the edge of the line because I know if I call a play to his side, nobody's going to get past him in his area.”

Potential Areas of Improvement

From the four-star offensive lineman's perspective, he can always work on becoming "bigger, faster and stronger."

"I mean I'm always working on that. I think almost everyone is," Mahlman said. "Also I think I just need to refine some technique points and stay lower."

From Burk's perspective, since Lakeville South does not utilize an aerial attack often, he believes Mahlman will have to learn how to pass block.

“Every pass that we do comes off of a run action, and so we're not dropping linemen ever in like pass blocking type things," Burk said. "I know he works on that stuff, because I know he projects to play at the next level and who knows how far, but that's stuff that he's not being worked on every day in practice for us. That'll be kind of new, but his athleticism should carry over.

"Then just playing with guys that are his size. He's going to be the biggest guy on the field no matter who he plays against in the state of Minnesota. Once he gets to college, everybody's going to be his size so how he can translate that will determine the success that he has."

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