Essentially the most feel-good tales of NFL drafts are normally those wherein gamers defy all odds to make it to the subsequent degree. Whereas recruiting evaluation has improved dramatically over time, coaches and recruiting specialists nonetheless miss diamonds within the tough. The newest instance is offensive lineman Cody Mauch, a former North Dakota State College walk-on who was simply picked within the second spherical of the NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Beneath is a screenshot of the 247Sports recruiting web page for Mauch from 2017. He doesn’t have any prospect stars. He didn’t have any faculty gives (even from NDSU, he enrolled however wasn’t provided by the soccer program). He doesn’t also have a headshot on the positioning.
His hometown of Mantador, in line with MaxPreps, has a inhabitants of solely 69 individuals.
With none gives, Mauch walked on to the North Dakota State crew as a good finish in 2017, and created a brand new profile from there. He beefed up from 220 kilos to greater than 300 as he shifted to the offensive line, began 39 straight video games over his last three seasons, and was drafted by the Buccaneers with the No. 48 choose of the 2023 NFL draft. The Bucs traded up two spots to make sure they might seize him.
The place did Mauch come from? How did he get missed by all people?
If there was an athletic exercise whereas he was rising up, Mauch was in all probability current. The NDSU web site says he performed tight finish, quarterback and defensive finish at Hankinson Excessive Faculty and was a two-time all-region and all-state choice. He set a college file of 13 receiving touchdowns within the 2016 championship season.
He was additionally a basketball all-conference and all-region participant. In response to the Buccaneers, his two entrance enamel have been knocked out throughout a seventh-grade basketball sport and he doesn’t plan to interchange them till his soccer profession is full.
Mauch additionally performed baseball and was a state qualifier in observe, in line with the NDSU bio.
Buccaneers Vice President of Participant Personnel John Spytek mentioned that whereas interviewing prospects, they ask who’s the most effective participant they confronted in faculty.
“The quantity of D-Linemen who introduced up Cody Mauch from the Senior Bowl after not figuring out something about him was astounding, and is one thing we all the time take note of,” he mentioned, per the Buccaneers web site. “They give it some thought for a minute and so they put some thought into it and so they say, ‘That lineman from North Dakota State, he was actually good. He was exhausting. He made me work.’”
After years of exhausting work, Mauch grew to become among the best tales of grit and dedication on this 2023 NFL draft. He’ll deliver that very same mould to the Buccaneers as he mans the offensive line.