Hello: Ben Braden
Michigan has broken the seal on the class of 2012 with a big in-state offensive lineman. Ben Braden hails from Rockford, and the informative portion goes like this:
GURU RATINGS
Scout | Rivals | ESPN |
---|---|---|
3*, NR OT | NR OL | NR DT |
It's early in the process, so prospects that start a little under-the-radar rarely have a whole lot of info out there. We'll start with size. Rivals is the most optimistic, measuring him at 6-6, 285. Scout isn't far behind at 280 pounds, but ESPN calls him a mere 6-5, 250 - while simultaneously calling him a defensive tackle. I'd say ESPN, as both an outlier and the absolute worst at evaluating prospects in a reasonable time, is least likely to be accurate. Braden's probably a shade under 6-6, and around 270-280 pounds. 24/7 Sports calls him 6-7, 295, which seems like an exaggeration given all the other evidence at our disposal.
Braden has gotten some message board comparisons to erstwhile Michigan commit Jake Fisher, but based on pictures alone (from the same game, at least), Fisher looks to be a taller, leaner player - unsurprising given he was listed an inch taller and anywhere from 10-30 pounds lighter - than Braden. Of course, that could just mean Braden has done more work in the weight room to this point.
Based on measurements and appearance alone, I would guess Braden could play either inside or outside. In high school, he's a right tackle:
“He’s just a big boy and hard worker, very unassuming, very coachable and very aggressive,” Munger said. He also coached current San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Joe Staley.
“He’s been blessed with size, strength and speed. He’s the right kind of guy. He’s been raised by a wonderful family and believes in the values his family taught him. For us, he’s an awfully good offensive lineman and he’s raw. He’s coming into his own.”
Size, strength, and speed are probably the three most important qualities for an offensive lineman, and it's a bonus to see he has a good head on his shoulders.
OFFERS
Braden held a Wisconsin offer, which you should know by now is the automatic sign he's a serious prospect - much like Ohio State for safeties or USC for Pro-Style quarterbacks. He also held offers from Syracuse and Michigan State.
STATS
Not only is Braden an under-the-radar prospect (at least in terms of news out there on the internets), he's also an offensive lineman. They don't have stats, so nothing to see here.
FAKE 40 TIME
None of the premium sites have a listed 40 time for Braden, so I'll take the liberty to give him an automatic five FAKEs out of five.
VIDEO
I couldn't find any free video of Braden anywhere out there. If you come across any, let me know.
PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE
With the new coaching staff putting a serious emphasis on size rather than agility, a redshirt to bulk up is all but guaranteed (and it probably would have been under RichRod and co. anyway). As a redshirt freshman, Braden will be entering a lineup that loses Patrick Omameh, Ricky Barnum, Elliott Mealer, and Rocko Khoury, so a two-deep position is practically guaranteed, with a starting position possible.
The question becomes what position he plays. He has a good body for tackle if the 6-6 number is accurate (and especially if 6-7 is the right height), and the Wolverines are likely going to have a pair of senior starters in Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield. On the other hand, the interior OL will be decimated by graduation.
Although "it's too early to tell" is basically accurate for all Hello posts, without knowing who else will end up in this class of linemen, we can't even peg a definitive position for Braden.
UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS
Needs MOAR linemen. The Wolverines will probably take 5 or 6 on the offensive line in this class, thanks to the above-mentioned graduations on the way. Braden is a combo player, which means the maize-and-blue can still take many more interior AND exterior OL.
From a less pragmatic standpoint, the commitment of Braden breaks the seal on the class of 2012, and makes fans feel a lot better about recruiting early in this cycle. Hopefully, it'll get the ball rolling for other commits as well.
March 24th, 2011 at 10:07 PM ^
Thank you Ben for popping the cherry of 2012 recruits, many more to come!
March 24th, 2011 at 10:08 PM ^
March 24th, 2011 at 10:11 PM ^
I needed more nightmares
March 24th, 2011 at 10:57 PM ^
if you don't count the other recruits he got before Braden
March 24th, 2011 at 10:08 PM ^
First of the a great new class, I am sure.
Go Blue!
March 24th, 2011 at 10:08 PM ^
Hate to admit it, but at this point, any lineman good enough for Wisconsin is good enough for me.
Welcome to the family, Ben.
March 24th, 2011 at 10:13 PM ^
Wisconsin's 49-16 the past 5 years with one shiny Rose Bowl appearance.
Get over it.
March 24th, 2011 at 10:17 PM ^
...as soon as you change your tampon.
March 24th, 2011 at 10:26 PM ^
How many times are you going to post that in one night?
March 24th, 2011 at 10:30 PM ^
Would you like to try again at being a
March 24th, 2011 at 11:50 PM ^
Those things are so close they're almost touching.
March 24th, 2011 at 10:19 PM ^
I've got three words for you:
NO FUCKIN WAY.
March 24th, 2011 at 11:04 PM ^
Michigan is 35-28. Walk before you run.
March 24th, 2011 at 10:10 PM ^
Great news. Welcome Ben, and congratulations.
March 24th, 2011 at 10:50 PM ^
...except for Antonio Poole, Russell Bellomy, etc.
March 25th, 2011 at 10:31 AM ^
I meant "of his first class", but said something dumb instead.
March 24th, 2011 at 10:13 PM ^
Bryan Bulaga. Another BB. RT in 3 years.
March 24th, 2011 at 10:13 PM ^
Bradenfreude!
March 24th, 2011 at 10:14 PM ^
Really like his HS helmet
March 24th, 2011 at 10:17 PM ^
all now Ben Braden can play MANBALL if he got offered by wisconsin. Great start to the 2012 class. Now lets pick up a couple more this weekend.GO BLUE!!!
March 24th, 2011 at 10:22 PM ^
Welcome Ben, I'm glad to hear that you will be turning in your horns for a pair of wings in a year and a half. Just don't get to three strikes once you get on campus, or else you'll have to answer to this guy...
March 24th, 2011 at 10:18 PM ^
He looks big. Woo!
March 24th, 2011 at 10:18 PM ^
As a West Michigan native, I welcome Ben to the Wolverines! Let's hope he can have a productive career as fellow Rams Joe Staley and Bryan Anderson
March 24th, 2011 at 10:19 PM ^
Welcome to the party Ben!
March 24th, 2011 at 10:20 PM ^
grumble grumble Rockford grumble.
But he looks like a good prospect and my Michigan fandom outweighs my dislike of Rockford.
EK? Jenison? Grandville? Grand Haven?
March 24th, 2011 at 10:20 PM ^
What do I like best about this post? It's all by itself on the front page and not accompanied by an MGoBoard post by some doofus that ignores the great likelihood that Tim/whoever will cover the issue comprehensively.
March 24th, 2011 at 10:25 PM ^
There was one; it was deleted.
March 24th, 2011 at 10:55 PM ^
the post I started wasn't a hello post, it was an twitter update from Trieu. The other guy who made one though, I have no excuse for.
March 24th, 2011 at 10:21 PM ^
March 24th, 2011 at 10:24 PM ^
Family Lineage is rich in music
wisdom
and justice
March 24th, 2011 at 10:22 PM ^
Hopefully this opens the floodgates this weekend.
March 24th, 2011 at 10:23 PM ^
Hellooooooooo!!
March 24th, 2011 at 10:27 PM ^
March 24th, 2011 at 11:13 PM ^
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't eagerly awaiting the first "Hello" post of the season.
March 24th, 2011 at 10:24 PM ^
I'll tell you, Rockford's coach is a MASSIVE UM guy. He's coached at their camps for years, and was/is very close to Lloyd and heavily influenced by Bo. I'm more excited for him that he has one of his players commit than I am for Blue to get their first player for 2012. Great news all around. I hope Ben has a great career!
March 24th, 2011 at 10:26 PM ^
things to come
March 24th, 2011 at 10:28 PM ^
Hey guys, I've been on the blog for only a couple months and never figured out what FAKE means in terms of the 40 time. Can someone clarify?
March 24th, 2011 at 10:51 PM ^
Until the last couple years, the recruiting site were notorious for making up ridiculously fast times for prospects. There was no way some of them could have been accurate, and thus, FAKE.
March 24th, 2011 at 10:52 PM ^
Just that the various services and high schools kids come from usually shave time off the 40 similar to adding a ouple of inches and anywhere from 10-20LBS. More fakes more likely bogus information.
March 24th, 2011 at 10:53 PM ^
1 FAKE out of 5 would be an accurately measured 40 time at a public event, reasonable for the athlete in question.
5 FAKES out of 5 would be reporting a 300 pound lineman routinely races cheetahs in his spare time, and wins.
(40 times are constantly exagerated. Not every high school and college kid runs a 4.2)
March 24th, 2011 at 10:54 PM ^
Forty times you see on the internet are almost always fake. When you see high schoolers claiming to run a 4.3 (Chris Johnson, the NFL's fastest man, ran a 4.24) or linebackers claiming to run a 4.5 (Pat White ran a 4.55), then you know they're probably lying.
Five fakes out of five means the time is totally unbelieveable.
One fake out of five means it sounds pretty accurate.
March 24th, 2011 at 11:00 PM ^
So they aren't all sub 4.4?
March 24th, 2011 at 10:57 PM ^
The NFL combine measures everyone's 40 times. Typically, there's about one running back or cornerback who runs about a 4.25. The speed jumps him a full round or more. There are only a select few who get around 4.4. There are literally dozens of recruits with "sub 4.4 speed."
One FAKE is probably true. Five FAKES(!) is really FAKE--like a linebacker with 4.4 speed at 240 pounds. It's also relative. Denard was a sprint champ, so sub 4.4 would probably be two FAKES out of five.
so the only time you would worry about fake 40s is self reported or hand timed. FWIW Indy is a slow track.
Denard ran a 10.3 100 meters which is the equilavent of a 9.4 100 yard dash. To say him running a sub 4.4 is two fakes is flat out wrong. That would mean he could run an extra 20 yards in .6 seconds. Sub 4.4 would be expected.
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