Coach Has ‘No Doubt Whatsoever’ Runyan Will Have Long NFL Career

The coach who sent Corey Linsley to Green Bay sees big things for sixth-round pick Jon Runyan.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
May 11, 2020 2:15 PM EDT

GREEN BAY, Wis. – As the son of longtime NFL offensive tackle Jon Runyan Sr., Michigan’s Jon Runyan Jr. wasn’t content simply emerging from his father’s enormous shadow.

“I’m trying to step out and make an even bigger one,” he said during a conference call after being selected in the sixth round by the Green Bay Packers.

With the help of Ed Warinner, Runyan did just that.

Warinner, who coached Corey Linsley while at Ohio State, took over as Michigan’s offensive line coach in 2018. At the time, Runyan had started one game at right tackle in three years with the Wolverines but was mostly a backup guard. For spring practices in 2018, Warinner put Runyan at right tackle.

“At the end of spring ball, I thought he was our best tackle so I moved him to left tackle,” Warinner said last week.

It was a decision that paved Runyan’s path to the draft.

“The first year he started at Michigan, he made first-team all-Big Ten from nothing – not honorable mention, not anything the year before to first-team all-Big Ten,” Warinner said. “He went from playing 100 snaps to playing 900 snaps. That’s how he took off as a player and grew. I think the biggest thing for him was confidence. Once we got him in his spot and he got real comfortable, he developed a tremendous amount of confidence. He plays that way.”

Despite the famous name and despite playing for a high school powerhouse, Runyan was only a three-star recruit. As Warinner recalls it, Runyan was a 245-pound high school sophomore when he attended an Ohio State recruiting camp. Not long thereafter, Runyan committed to Michigan. That camp was Warinner’s one and only connection with Runyan until Warinner was hired by Michigan.

“A lot of times, three-stars just aren’t quite as physically developed,” Warinner said. “What people don’t understand about offensive linemen is most offensive linemen hit their physical peak about their second or third year in college. Some of these kids are freaky and they hit their physical peak when they’re a junior in high school. I’ve had guys who could bench 450 (pounds) out of high school and then I’ve had guys who could bench 250 out of high school. They’re just at a different place physically.

“Jon’s physical maturity occurred later on in the process as he got older. I think he was in the 240s at the camp at Ohio State. There aren’t many linemen that get offered scholarships at 245 at camp for Ohio State or Michigan. All of a sudden, four years later, he’s weighing 300 pounds. He grew physically and matured. Had he been that height and weight and strength when he was a senior in high school, he probably would have been a four-star. But he didn’t mature that quickly. That happens a lot.”

While Runyan was a bit of a late bloomer physically, he was a quick study once Warinner got his hands on him.

“It was amazingly fast,” Runyan said. “It wasn’t like, ‘This is going to take him a month to figure this out.’ It took him a couple days and then he mastered it and we could move onto the next phase of growth. When you do that, you can grow pretty fast.”

In two seasons, Runyan started 26 games at left tackle. He allowed only two sacks as a senior and thrived in Michigan’s zone-based offensive scheme. For good measure, he flashed excellent athleticism at the Scouting Combine.

“No doubt whatsoever,” Warinner said of Runyan’s NFL success. “He has the physical skills, he has the mental makeup, he has the work ethic, he has the toughness. So, barring some kind of catastrophic injury, I see him being a guy that will be in the league for quite a while. His versatility is going to help him, too, and competitiveness. These teams, they did their homework. They know those things about him. I think they got a class guy that has a lot of versatility. He loves the fact he was drafted by Green Bay. He’s really excited about being picked by the Packers. I think it’ll be a good marriage.”