During the pre-draft process, Ohio State tackle Jack Mewhort and Michigan tackle Taylor Lewan, NFL draft prospects from rival colleges, developed an unlikely bond.
Toiling together in the Arizona desert trying to improve their status for the draft, which runs Thursday through Saturday, blurred some of the collegiate lines that are rarely crossed. As rivalries go, Michigan-Ohio State is famously as rough as it gets.
“I know I probably shouldn’t say this on … camera, but he’s a good competitor,” Mewhort said. “I won’t say we’re buddies on camera.”
Lewan has a reputation for being a nasty player. Mewhort was able to verify those traits.
“Taylor’s got that field persona,” Mewhort said. “He’s like a pro wrestler. When he steps between the lines, he’s kind of got his different personality and I respect that.”
Buckeye fans remember Lewan not shaking hands with the Buckeye captains before last season’s game. They discussed that matter, too.
“It’s just that field persona that he has,” Mewhort said. “Taylor’s a good dude, a great player.”
If the Falcons retain the sixth pick in the draft’s first-round, several analysts are projecting they’ll select Lewan, a two-time All-American who is 6-foot-7 and 309 pounds.
“It seems like no matter how I cut this thing, most of what I look at, he ends up in Atlanta at No. 6,” NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said. “That makes a ton of sense. … (Auburn tackle Greg) Robinson and (Texas A&M tackle Jake) Matthews will go earlier. Atlanta, who needs an edge rusher on defense or a tackle on offense, would then take him at six.”
Lewan has three misdemeanor assault charges pending at a May 19 arraignment stemming from an incident involving two Ohio State fans after last season’s game.
“I wasn’t in any fight,” Lewan said. “I was actually breaking something up. Some guy said I slugged him. That’s not who I am off the field. It’s not the kind of person I am. It might seem that way because of the way I play football, but it’s not who I am.”
Despite the pending case, Lewan apparently has passed the Falcons’ background and character checks. Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said his legal problems did not lead to Lewan’s removal for the team’s draft board.
“Taylor Lewan really benefited from going back for his senior year,” ESPN analyst Mel Kiper said of Lewan’s decision to use his fifth year of eligibilty. “I don’t think he gets past six.”
On April 1, Dimitroff led a contingent of front office members and coaches to work out Lewan in suburban Phoenix. Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter made the trip, too.
The Falcons have talked about adding grit, ruggedness and toughness along the offensive line after quarterback Matt Ryan was sacked 44 times last season, third most in the NFL. The Falcons also were last in the league in rushing.
Falcons coach Mike Smith has spoken about wanting players who can play on the edge, without crossing the line into illegal play. Lewan fits the description.
“If I was a coach, I’d want every player to play through the whistle on every play,” Lewan said. “Not dirty or nasty or get personal fouls, but I absolutely want my players to put their guy in the dirt every single play.”
Lewan was not always a big, mean lineman. He played cornerback in youth football and quit because he didn’t like getting hit.
“I don’t know what happened, but one thing led to another and my senior year of high school, I played offensive tackle and got the opportunity to get a scholarship to Michigan,” Lewan said. “I didn’t take that for granted.”
The Falcons would likely start Lewan out at right tackle, but he played 39 games from 2011-2013 at left tackle for the Wolverines.
He backs up his demeanor with solid football intelligence.
“My main focus in my game is to give my running back an opportunity to gain yards and give my quarterback the opportunity to be successful in the pocket,” Lewan said.
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