Tristan Wirfs' athleticism is rare, but his intangibles will appeal more to NFL teams. (247sports.com)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Kirk Ferentz may be the ultimate authority on offensive linemen in college and pro football, which is why his thoughts on potential Browns No. 1 draft pick Tristan Wirfs carries more weight than the typical hype of a college coach touting his star player.
As line coach for Iowa’s Hayden Fry in the 1980s, Ferentz graduated 11 linemen to the NFL. He was Bill Belichick’s offensive line coach in the Browns’ 1994 playoff season when Vinny Testaverde was sacked a scant 12 times. Ferentz moved on to Baltimore and coached future Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden.
Since Ferentz succeeded Fry as head coach at Iowa in 1999, 17 Iowa offensive linemen have been selected in the NFL draft.
The roll call includes Eric Steinbach (2003, second round), Bruce Nelson (2003, second round), Robert Gallery (2004, first round), Marshal Yanda (2007, third round), Bryan Bulaga (2010, first round), Riley Reiff (2012, first round), Brandon Scherff (2015, first round), Andrew Donnal (2015, fourth round) and James Daniels (2018, second round).
But there may not be a better athlete among them than Wirfs.
“Physically I don’t think there’s much he can’t do,” Ferentz said in an appearance on Countdown to the Draft on 850 ESPN Cleveland. “Tristen’s really a very gifted young person, athletically. He’s done some things throughout his career, in wrestling, track, football. He’s a rare person that way.”
At Mount Vernon High School in Iowa, Wirfs won the state title in shot put and discus three straight years. He won the state heavyweight wrestling title as a senior.
At Iowa, he broke Scherff’s school record in the hang clean by lifting 450 pounds four times in a legendary display in the school weight room that was captured in a video that went viral.
At the NFL Combine, Wirfs, 6-5 and 320 pounds, clocked a 4.85 40 time – by far the best among linemen – set a modern Combine record for linemen in the vertical jump (36.5 inches), and tied the record for linemen in the broad jump (10 feet, 1 inch).
The intangibles
But Ferentz said “the most amazing thing” Wirfs did was lose almost 40 pounds in a matter of weeks to reach the 280-pound weight limit to wrestle as a high school senior.
“It’s a window to his commitment and discipline,” Ferentz said. “If he’s got a goal, he’s going to focus on it and work at it. He’s been a real pleasure. I firmly believe he would’ve won the Outland [Trophy, given to college’s best linemen] this year. I’m just really excited for his future.
“I think wherever he goes [in the NFL], that organization, those coaches, those players, will really be happy about that.”
Ferentz sees great value in Wirfs’ background in wrestling.
“First of all, it teaches guys to compete,” he said. “There is no finger pointing. You’re the only one getting it done or not getting it done out there. So the theory I developed was, kind of like farm kids … I was never around a guy who was a farm kid or a good wrestler that was a bad football player. It didn’t mean they would be a great player, but they were never a bad player. They knew how to work, how to really push themselves and certainly how to compete. I think there’s a lot of advantages, a lot of carryover, from the sport of wrestling to football, particularly in line play.”
Wirfs is the only tackle to start as a true freshman for Ferentz at Iowa.
Injuries to both starting tackles put Wirfs into emergency duty at the age of 18. The first starter to go down was the left tackle, and he was replaced by Alaric Jackson. Two weeks later, the right tackle went down and that’s why Wirfs ended up at right tackle.
Over his three-year career, Wirfs made 29 starts at right tackle and four at left tackle. While some experts project Wirfs at right tackle, or even guard, Ferentz said such limitations are “over-hyped.”
“Some linemen have to play just one side, at guard or tackle, but they’re more comfortable on one side. It really doesn’t matter where you line him up from my vantage point. He’s really adept at just lining up and playing well wherever you put him. In my opinion, I think he’d be fine [at left tackle],” Ferentz said.
“Tristen does have good size. He has good range. I think he could be a really good NFL tackle. I also think he’d be an outstanding guard. So you’re getting whatever you want there. I see no reason why he wouldn’t be a prototype tackle in the NFL.”
Just scratching the surface
What’s Wirfs’ best attribute? Ferentz didn’t hesitate with his answer.
“If I was looking at him as an NFL coach or scout, obviously he’s a good player, a phenomenal athlete,” he said. “But the thing I would accentuate is his upside. He’s still scratching the surface, in my opinion. And beyond that and the reason I think he’ll continue to improve, he’s a great young person. He’s got an unbelievable attitude, he’ll work hard, and he’s the kind of guy you want to have on your football team. I don’t think that can be [over] stated. That is so important, especially in the professional ranks.
“There are certain players that get distracted a little bit by the things that come when players have time and money, which college kids usually don’t have. You don’t have to worry about that with him. He’s going to be a guy who’s going to be focused on getting better and improvement. And when he comes to a team meeting or a position meeting or on the practice field, I think you can really bank on what it is he’s going to bring.
“When I think about our best players, guys like Brandon Scherff, guys like Marshal Yanda, right on through James Daniels, there’s a lot of value in that, having a guy you can count on day after day after day. I think every coach appreciates that.”
Listen here to the full interview with Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz.