Will the Gopher linebacker hear his name called on Saturday?
The NFL Draft officially kicks off Thursday with the first round from Green Bay. Rounds two and three will take place on Friday night, and rounds four through seven will take place on Saturday. The Minnesota Golden Gophers are likely to have several players hear their name called in the final four rounds of the draft on Saturday, and one of them potentially is linebacker Cody Lindenberg.
Measurables:
Height: 6’2
Weight: 236 lbs
Arm: 32 3/4”
Hand: 9”
40 Time: 4.71 seconds
10 Yard split: 1.69 Seconds
Vertical 36.5”
Broad Jump: 9’ 10”
3 Cone: 7.01 sec
20 yd shuttle 4.32 sec
Bench Press 20
Lindenberg did not do drills at the combine but did at the Gophers pro day, and his numbers measured up well with a RAS score of 8.17—which may boost his draft stock.
For those unfamiliar with RAS, this evaluation formula — created by Kent Lee Platte — collects a multitude of a player’s testing metrics and physical attributes to generate a score to measure a prospect’s athleticism entering the NFL. The final number is determined by what percentile a player falls relative to their peers at a particular position.
The highest score a prospect can achieve in this tool is a 10. Prospects are graded on a scale of 1-10 for each contributing factor, which is a great reference point to help determine exactly how a player’s athleticism stacks up against incoming prospects at the same position to help aid the evaluation process.
Lindenberg was graded good on everything, which checks out. He’s not going to blow you off the page with anything he does, but he is a good solid player who should be able to carve out a spot somewhere on an NFL roster whether that’s being a special teams grinder or finding a spot where he can grow into playing time similarly to how Jack Gibbons did with Tennessee in recent years.
Lindenberg has a high football IQ and knows how to avoid blocks and wrap up with strong tackles. He was Minnesota’s green dot on defense and always had the Minnesota defense in the right place. His weaknesses include that he doesn’t have a strong burst and instead reacts to a play rather than blowing one up. He’s not graceful in space and is a much better player in traffic tight in the box rather than trying to make an open field stop. He has good straight line speed, but when breaking things can go haywire. He needs to improve his coverage skills significantly—great against the run, but not an amazing pass defender.
The biggest question mark is his injury history. When Lindenberg was on the field for the Gophers he was a beast, but he often was not on the field dealing with shoulder and leg injuries. That may turn off many teams.
What Do the Mocks Say?
Again the mocks are split on whether or not Lindenberg will be drafted. If he is selected it looks like either a sixth or seventh round selection is the most likely.
PFF Baltimore Ravens R5 Pick 176
CincyJungle Cincinnati Bengals R6 P193
Sporting News Baltimore Ravens R6 P 212
DogPoundDaily Cleveland Browns R6 Pick 216
Arrowhead Addict Kansas City Chiefs R7 P 226
USAToday Detroit Lions R7 P 228
Dane Brugler The Athletic Chicago Bears R7 P233
Final Prediction:
It appears the AFC North is onto Lindenberg which makes a lot of sense for a hard nosed kid from Anoka. He obviously would have friendly faces in Baltimore, and the Ravens seems to like Minnesota players.
With the 212th selection in the NFL Draft in the 6th Round, the Baltimore Ravens select Cody Lindenberg from the University of Minnesota.