NFL Draft Profile: Luke Wattenberg, Offensive Lineman, Washington Huskies
#76
Pos: OL
Ht: 6040
Wt: 299
Hand: 938
Arm: 3438
Wing:
40: 5.2
Vertical: 29.5
Broad: 905
3 Cone: 7.45
Bench: NA
Shuttle: 4.57
DOB:
Hometown: Trabuco Canyon, CA
High School: JSerra Catholic
Luke Wattenberg
Washington Huskies
One-liner:
A solid center/guard for your offensive line, he is knowledgeable about his position and has a fast snap to pass set.
Pros:
Very good in pass protection, he is able to get the snap off quickly and get his hands back to blocking position. Powerful base with good hip movement. He is good at sealing off lanes and spinning his hips to get back to the proper position. Moves upfield very well and is great at staying on his path. Strong hands, once he has a good grip of a defender it is very difficult for them to get away from him. He is a smart player who seems to always know what he is supposed to do and has great communication with teammates, which is fantastic to see. Shows good poise, he doesn’t get flustered even after a couple of bad plays. Versatile lineman that has played multiple positions in college.
Cons:
Not a strong run blocker. Though he is good at snapping the ball and getting into a pass set, he seems to struggle at getting the snap off and getting upfield. Very good when he can stay straight up with the defender but gets easily overwhelmed when deviated from his plan. Has a very hard time picking up stunts and line shifts, he can also struggle when stopping an aggressive blitzer. He gets really out of balance when a player goes around him and will miss his target. Lowers his head when run blocking and will get tossed down on his face because of it. Not good at mirroring defenders, he really needs to work on his lateral agility and footwork if he wants a chance to be a starter at the next level.
Summary:
If you’re looking for a lineman that has a lot of potential and you can throw in at multiple positions, but is not quite a starter yet, this is your guy. He is a solid player but needs to develop more. His versatility will definitely help him see playing time earlier than he could if he only played one position. He is a very strong pass blocker but struggles with run blocking. Has a powerful base and strong hands, so when he is one on one with a defender he is great. Unfortunately, when things get complicated he becomes overwhelmed. Does not handle stunts or fast blitzes well at all. He becomes very unbalanced and misses his target, will also duck his head too much. He is very athletic though and can move upfield very well, as long as he can stay on the correct path. If he gets diverted off his path, however, he becomes flustered and misses defenders. Being a smooth runner helps him get to appropriate gaps and quick hip rotation makes him good at sealing run lanes. However, does need to work on lateral agility. He is a smart player and you can tell he understands what to do, he just gets easily overwhelmed. The good thing is that he has a short memory and doesn’t lose confidence after a couple of bad plays.
Background:
Born in Trabuco Canyon, California. He attended JSerra Catholic for high school and had a very esteemed career with many accolades. Named to the Los Angeles Times all-area first team and the Orange County Register All-County first team in 2015 ... Trinity League Co-Lineman of the Year in 2015 ... CalHiSports.com's first-team all-state ... selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl following his senior season ... as a senior in 2015, helped the Lions to a 7-3 record ... as a junior in 2014, the Lions went 10-2 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Pac 5 playoffs ... named second-team All-Trinity League and made CalHiSports.com's junior-class all-state in 2014 ... helped Lions to a 7-3 mark in 2013 ... also a part of the varsity roster as a freshman ... a PrepStar All-West Region selection ... named JSerra's male athlete of the year as a junior ... named to the Tacoma News Tribune "Western 100" ... made scout.com's top 300 nationally, taking the No. 239 spot ... scout.com's No. 19 offensive tackle ... listed by rivals.com as the No. 18 offensive tackle and the No. 43 overall prospect in his state ... rated the No. 32 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 47 recruit in California by ESPN ... 247sports.com's No. 286 overall and No. 12 offensive guard in the nation, as well as No. 40 prospect in the state ... also played basketball and threw discus and shot at Serra ... qualified for the state meet in the discus as a sophomore ... earned all-county honors in track as a sophomore. He redshirted as a freshman at Washington but found his footing the next season as he played in eleven of the huskies games and started five. He was also named to the PAC12 All-Academic Team that season. He started every game of 2018 and 2019 at left guard. In 2020 he made the move to center and started all four games. He won PAC12 Lineman of the Week against Arizona and won the team’s Iron Husky Award. He once again started every game in 2021 and was named Honorable Mention All-PAC12, he also won his team’s Lineman of the Year Award at their postseason banquet.
Grade:
6.1/7.0
