Draft Prospect Preview | LB Zack Baun, Wisconsin

Might the Giants go back to the Wisconsin well to shore up their linebackers group?

ZACK BAUN

Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 235 pounds
Class: Senior
School: Wisconsin

The Giants need speed at linebacker. They need versatility as well to fulfill defensive coordinator Patrick Graham's vision of being a multiple front.

Enter Zack Baun from the Wisconsin Badgers program. Baun is a former high school quarterback from Milwaukee, who was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, track, and basketball). He redshirted during his freshman season.

He also missed the 2017 campaign with a foot injury he suffered in training camp. Still, after returning with a clean bill of health the following year, Baun built on his final two seasons at Wisconsin, developing into a steady and reliable inside linebacker. 

Like Ryan Connelly, who also came from the Badgers program, Baun has an impressive football IQ. He also is quick to diagnose plays and get himself into the proper position by taking smart angles to get to the ball carrier in a hurry.

Watching Baun defend the run, it's almost as though he's in tune with the running back in that he sees where the holes are opening. 

Baun, a team captain for the Badgers, doesn't waste movement, which allows him to fill holes and make stops. Although he's still developing as a pass rusher, he has an explosive get-off. And he has the speed to cover from sideline to sideline and dropping back into coverage.

He'll probably need to become a little stouter in setting the edge. Still, there is a lot of upside to Baun's game, including his versatility to be a three-down linebacker in just about any type of alignment.  

Baun's final college career stats scream production. In 34 games, he posted 152 total tackles, 30.5 for a loss; 15.0 sacks, two interceptions (1 returned for a touchdown); four passes defensed, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.

Why He's a Fit

Although they're not the same people, Baun is cut from that same cloth as Connelly in that he plays a lot faster than any timed-speed would suggest, this largely due to his outstanding mental processing ability. 

The Giants have, in the past, had far too many breakdowns at that second level of the defense. Adding a player of Baun's football IQ and skill set to complement Connelly would provide the team with an instant upgrade in the middle of a defense that, for years on end, has been gashed by opposing running backs and tight ends.