They helped Badgers steamroll UM. But these star linemen might not be done with Miami
There are two lasting memories from the Miami Hurricanes’ loss in the Bronx Christmas week:
1. The sky turned bright blue at night, thanks to a transformer explosion in Queens.
And 2. Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor ran around, through and past an over-matched UM defense.
Each was eerie and disorienting, particularly for Hurricanes fans.
But as much as UM supporters would like to forget the Pinstripe Bowl, there’s now reason to revisit that tape.
Either of the two senior guards who paved the way for 333 rushing yards by the Badgers would be an immediate upgrade for the linemen-needy Dolphins.
Their names are Beau Benzschawel and Michael Deiter. And they’re about to become the darlings of Mobile.
Mobile, Alabama, that is, site of the Senior Bowl. Practices for the draft showcase game begin Tuesday, and Benzschawel and Deiter are teammates on the North squad. They will get a week’s worth of chances to confirm for scouts, coaches and GMs what their college tape suggests:
That either would be an asset for any NFL offensive line.
In Miami, they might be more than that. They might be Day 1 starters.
The Dolphins’ offensive line was brutal in 2018, ranking ahead of only the Cardinals, according to Pro Football Focus. Laremy Tunsil is the only starter assured to be back.
“What started as a season with some promise turned into the same old Dolphins interior offensive line,” Michael Renner of PFF wrote of the Dolphins. “It certainly didn’t help that injuries took a huge toll, with only Jesse Davis playing 900 snaps, but even some of the penciled starters got routinely worked. After Josh Sitton went down, Jesse Davis, Ted Larsen, and Travis Swanson combined to allow 98 pressures on the interior.”
That was not a problem at Wisconsin, thanks to their giants at guard.
Benzschawel, at 6-6, 315 pounds, is widely seen as the draft’s second-best guard, behind only Penn State’s Connor McGovern, a likely first-round pick.
Benzschawel, who played right guard at Wisconsin after struggling at tackle, could sneak into the bottom of Round 1 if he dominates in Mobile. He would be a stretch for Miami at 13, but certainly is in play at 48, where Miami picks in Round 2.
His resume sparkles. Benzschawel was a first-team all-American pick by AFCA, AP, Walter Camp, CBS Sports, College Football News, ESPN and Sports Illustrated. He started 49 games at Wisconsin, fourth-most in school history.
Ranking first on that list?
Deiter, who played all three positions for Wisconsin in his 54 consecutive starts.
He started 24 games at left guard and 16 games at left tackle for the Badgers.
Still, football people believe he is best suited at center on the next level (even though he played left guard in 2018 and the Senior Bowl lists him as a guard). That again would fit for the Dolphins, who got next to nothing out of Daniel Kilgore last year because of injury.
Like Benzschawel, Deiter is built like a tackle (6-6, 310). He’s also a likely second-day pick. And like his once and future teammate, he had a decorated college career.
Deiter was first-team all-conference and second-team all-American his senior year. He was part of senior class that went 42-12, including 4-0 in bowl games. Two of those four wins? Against the Hurricanes, in first the Orange and then the Pinstripe Bowl.
▪ Other intriguing linemen headed to Mobile: Kansas State tackle Dalton Risner (6-5, 308); Mississippi State center Elgton Jenkins (6-4, 310); Washington State tackle Andre Dillard (6-5, 306); Boston College guard Chris Lindstrom (6-4, 310).
