Name: Tristan Wirfs
Position: Offensive Tackle
School: Iowa
Height: 6-5
Weight: 322
NFL Grade: 6.49 ("Boom or Bust prospect")
| RELATED CONTENT |
|---|
| Buccaneers.com Mock Draft 1.0 |
| Bucs Mock Draft Roundup 6.0 |
| Bucs Free Agency Primer: Offensive Line |
Stats: Three-year starter for the Hawkeyes and the first true freshman to start at offensive tackle under current head coach Kirk Ferentz, according to Hawkeyesports.com. Wirfs started all 13 games in 2019, 10 at right tackle and three at left. He was named the Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year in the Big Ten, earned First-Team All-American honors by multiple outlets and was an All-Big Ten selection his junior year.
Comments: His draft profile on NFL.com has the words, "Weight room monster – can squat a bus," in it, courtesy of draft analyst Lance Zierlein. But his size backs that up, weighing in at 322 pounds and standing at 6-foot-5. While NFL.com has him listed as a boom-or-bust prospect, he certainly looks the part of an NFL starter right away.
Wirfs is a former wrestler and track star, which reinforces his strong-man reputation. The wrestling must have paid off, too, because Zierlein also gushes about Wirfs' hand usage and how strong his upper body is.
Watching highlights and his power is readily evident. Take a look at the second play from the highlights of the Iowa offensive line against Wisconsin below. Wirfs (#74 at right tackle) absolutely manhandles a defender, driving him into the ground and out of bounds well through the whistle.
Then there are plays like the one two plays after where Wirfs inexplicably gets knocked down by a linebacker. Keep watching though and you'll see how good Wirfs is in pass protection as well as his ability to climb to the second level, which Zierlein mentions in his write-up as well. One game is a small sample size but Wirfs seems to have all the necessary tools to do what's asked at the NFL level.
