NFL Draft Profile: Luke Goedeke, Offensive Tackle, Central Michigan Chippewas
#67
Pos: OT
Ht: 6050
Wt: 312
Hand: 0968
Arm: 3228
Wing: N/A
40: N/A
Bench: 26
3-Cone: N/A
Shuttle: N/A
Vert: N/A
Broad: N/A
DOB: 11/21/_
Eligible: 2022
Whitelaw, WI
Valders High School
Luke Goedeke
Central Michigan Chippewas
Pros:
Several small-school offensive linemen stand out each year and establish themselves as legitimate NFL prospects. Central Michigan’s roster is home to two such players, the lesser-known between them being Luke Goedeke. The Chippewas’ right tackle employs consistent hand placement and timing. He fights hands regularly and practices an occasional trap technique. He plays with above-average weight distribution and maintains a wide base. The Wisconsin native keeps his feet active into and through engagement to enhance his mirroring. What’s more, Goedeke has sufficient movement skills to get to space and be used creatively in the run game. He can mirror once engaged. The Central Michigan standout wins primarily thanks to his power. Goedeke drives most defenders off the point of contact with leg drive and pure strength. Once he latches on, the athletic tackle takes defenders for a ride. Goedeke has notable grip and core strength to sustain blocks. In the run game, the former tight end looks for work, engages well in space, and dominates smaller opponents. He has a finisher’s mentality. He uses his anchor to seal defenders. In pass protection, Goedeke boasts a reliable anchor and natural balance. He mirrors up the outside arc with ease and maintains a hard inside shoulder for as long as possible against outside track rushers. He offers guard-tackle versatility.
Cons:
Under-the-radar prospects are sometimes unheralded for a reason. Goedeke’s knee injury and subsequent surgery that ended his 2020 season before it began have likely caused him to be overlooked. What’s more, his level of competition at Central Michigan means that he may see a learning curve in the NFL. On the field, Goedeke takes awkward angles to engagement and struggles to recover. He sometimes gives up his chest with late hands and a consistently high pad level. Group of Five opponents stand the Chippewas’ standout up; NFL defenders will take advantage of these errors with greater costs. Goedeke is regularly bench pressed and allows opponents to manage distance. Defenders often win after landing hands on his frame. Goedeke gets grabby when defenders begin to disengage. The talented tackle’s tendency to give up his chest will invite NFL-level opponents to work through him. Further, Goedeke has average burst and is caught off-guard by quick defenders - they either knife past him or get into his chest. In pass protection, the Wisconsin native’s feet are heavy in his sets at times. He gets flatfooted and ends up on his heels. He does not have great vision as a pass blocker. In the run game, he sometimes lunges or fails to break down into contact when blocking on the move.
Summary:
Central Michigan’s tackle play in 2021 has been outstanding. Luke Goedeke wins with above-average power, solid movement skills, clean weight distribution, and sound hand placement. He will undoubtedly see a learning curve at the next level, as NFL defenders will take advantage of technical issues that he currently gets away with. Still, if teams come to terms with Goedeke’s medical history, he is an intriguing developmental piece that should make a roster early thanks to his positional versatility; he has starter potential in a gap-power scheme.
Background:
Born in Whitelaw, Wisconsin on November 21st to parents Vicki and Todd Goedeke, Luke Goedeke is one of two siblings - alongside his brother, Zack. A standout versatile athlete at Valders High School, the current Central Michigan star was a three-time letter winner on the football team and a two-time All-Eastern Wisconsin Conference selection at tight end. He also played basketball. Despite his accomplished high school career, Goedeke was an unheralded recruit and started his career at UW-Stevens Point as a 6040, 250-pound tight end in 2017. In 2018, he transferred to Central Michigan and walked onto the football team. Since then, he has undergone a significant body transformation. In 2018, he was 6040 and 267 pounds; in 2019 he was 6050 and 285 pounds. In 2020, he was listed at 6050 and 295 pounds. Now, in 2021, he is listed at 6050 and 310 pounds. In his first year with the Chippewas, Goedeke redshirted and did not play. In 2019, though, he burst onto the scene. He was a First Team All-MAC selection by Pro Football Focus. He earned Second Team honors from Athlon Sports. He also received Academic All-MAC honors in 2019. Unfortunately, his excellent career was put on hold by a knee injury that required surgery and forced him to miss the entire 2020 season. To this point in 2021, though, he has been back on the field as a reliable and consistent starter.
One-Liners
One of two standout tackles at Central Michigan, Luke Goedeke wins with above-average power, solid movement skills, clean weight distribution, and sound hand placement; while he will see a learning curve in the NFL and must lower his pad level, the former tight end has starter potential.
Floor/Ceiling: Reserve Developmental Swing Lineman / Starting Tackle
Scheme Fit: Gap/Power Run Scheme
Grade: 4th-5th Round
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