Central Michigan Lineman Who Started at Tight End Will Have Predraft Visit With Packers
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Next week, the Green Bay Packers will host a predraft visit for a Central Michigan offensive tackle who started his collegiate career at tight end.
No, it’s not Bernhard Raimann. Rather, it’s his sidekick, Luke Goedeke, a potential Day 2 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
A native of Whitelaw, which is located about 45 miles south of Green Bay, Goedeke started his career at Division III Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He caught 12 passes in 2017 but wasn’t satisfied with being a freshman starter.
“Being a Wisconsin kid, going to 20-plus Badger games throughout my life, I bled Badger red and white through and through,” Goedeke said at the Scouting Combine. “So, that was my dream was to go to play for the Badgers and play in the NFL one day. Unfortunately, in high school, to be honest, I didn’t have a recruiting process. I was negative two stars, if you can believe that.”
So, Goedeke went to Stevens Point, working toward two majors (chemical engineering and paper science) while on a two-year plan.
“I had this mind-set like, ‘All right, I got to start somewhere. I’m not giving up this dream,’” Goedeke said. “That’s not who I am at the end of the day. I’m a grinder. So, I played at the Division III school, ended up starting as a true freshman, and then had a plan that it would take two years to try and transfer to a Division I school. Surprisingly, thankfully, it only took one.”
Goedeke put together some of his game tape and sent it to Wisconsin and Central Michigan. The Badgers offered him a walk-on opportunity; Central Michigan – coached by former Packers special teams coordinator John Bonamego – offered him a scholarship.
The transition to offensive tackle began with a footwear shortage.
“Funny story,” he said. “I got to Central and they’re like, ‘All right, you’ll get your shot at tight end.’ I go to the equipment room and, of course, they tell me the only cleats they have are these offensive line cleats. So, I was out in fall camp the first week, week-and-a-half running routes in these offensive line cleats, just slipping and sliding all over the place.
“I eventually sat down with our tight ends coach (Tavita Thompson) who used to play offensive tackle for Oregon State and just asked him, ‘What can I do to get on the field here and help this team win?’ He just talked about transitioning to the offensive line. They told me this past year, which I had a feeling that was the plan all along, to just transition me to the offensive line.”
The big part of that transition was nutrition. A 250-pound tight end with the Pointers, it took a lot of work – and a lot of calories – to become the 312-pounder he was at the Combine. During the peak of the transition, he consumed about 6,500 calories per day. That didn’t mean putting “crap” into his body but, instead, eating the right foods and a lot of them over the course of six or seven meals.
“I’d try and gorge myself and eat until I couldn’t eat anymore, feel like I’m going to puke and stuff,” he said. “But just knew I had to gain weight to play the position and I’m all about the position, so I’m just going to grind in the weight room and eat my ass off at the end of the day.”
Goedeke was up to 295 pounds in 2019, when he started all 14 games at right tackle. He missed 2020 with a knee injury, then started all 10 of his appearances in 2021. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed zero sacks and just seven total pressures. In Central Michigan’s zone-based running game, his blown-block rate of 0.3 percent was the best in the draft class, according to Sports Info Solutions.
Goedeke measured 6-foot-5 and 312 pounds at the Scouting Combine. He sat out the Senior Bowl, Combine and pro day due to a hamstring injury. With 32 1/4-inch arms, he might be destined for a move inside to guard.
Whatever the position, Goedeke is ready for it. He’s prepped for all of the line prospects with O-line guru Paul Alexander and former Central Michigan and NFL star Luke Staley.
“My mindset’s really, at the end of the day, I know I’ll be a starter in the league at tackle, center or guard,” he said. “I want to be a very versatile player at the end of the day. I think I can be great at either three of those positions, and whatever a team sees fit for me, I’ll bust my ass and work my ass off to be the best I can for them. And then just having that backup versatility, as well, kind of be a two-people-in-one kind of guy, but still maintain the starter role.”
