Luke Wypler Center, Ohio State
Hey, another center? Can you tell I'm quite smitten with the idea that the Houston Texans should draft a center? In my previous two rounds of this exercise, I had the Texans drafting a center in either of the rounds. Wypler only makes sense here if the Texans don't already have a rookie center by the time the third round starts.
I also want to take this moment to state that I'm not quite sure why the center position is regarded as a devalued position on the offensive line. The way scouts talk about the position sounds like the running back of the offensive line. This is the quarterback of the line, the leader that we're talking about, right? I would have preferred the Texans drafted Tyler Linderbaum last year, a proven cerebral hard-nosed leader on the offensive line who will play for ten years in Baltimore.
If you look at the Kansas City Chiefs or the Philadelphia Eagles, who just played in the Super Bowl, both have the top two centers in their leagues. Teams should be emulating what those franchises look like, and both offenses utilize their centers very well. Centers are people too. They matter. Houston, Please draft a good one.
The former Buckeye spent the last two seasons captaining the offensive line, showcasing his ability to be a plus pass blocker, leader, and intelligence. Wypler is a technician. He doesn't have many more coachable areas to grow due to how polished he already is as a blocker. This is a big reason he's the third center to be drafted, as teams like higher-upside players.
Personally, I'm just fine with a plug-and-play starting center who faced Wisconsin and Michigan defensive lineman year in and year out and fared well in those matchups. Wypler also projects best utilized in a zone-blocking scheme, which seems to be the scheme that new offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik brings over from the Shanahan tree.