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The Washington Commanders are keeping an eye on 2025 NFL draft prospects who have stood out the most throughout the draft process, including the Senior Bowl where they either drafted, or signed five players in last year's draft.
One player who made a name for himself at the Senior Bowl All-Star game was interior offensive lineman Willie Lampkin from the University of North Carolina. Lampkin's name was first brought up on Day 1 of the Senior Bowl when players had to check in and measure up. To everyone's surprise, the former Tar Heel measured in at 5-foot-10, and 279 lbs. Willie wasted no time quieting those criticizing his size by dominating top defensive tackles in the NFL draft throughout the week of practice in Mobile. I checked in with Lampkin, who tells me he had a meeting with the Commanders at the Senior Bowl, and it's easy to see why Washington likes him.
Willie Lampkin is a player that I could see getting the "Commander Tag" from Adam Peters because of his mentality to compete on every single rep, even with a size difference agaisnt interior defensive tackles. Justin Melo of the Draft Network interviewed Lampkin recently and explained what makes him such an effective blocker. The former Tar Heel credits his wrestling background, which helps with his leverage in his anchor, hand placement, and footwork. He also tells Melo that he's heard from teams that he could play at both center and guard, where he has all his college experience at North Carolina and Coastal Carolina. Lampkin finished with 1,712 snaps at left guard, 937 at center, and 1,473 at right guard.
The film and resume speak louder than the measurements for Lampkin, as he finished as the fifth-highest graded overall guard in college football by PFF. Lampkin hasn't allowed a sack since 2022 and finished his polished five-year college career allowing only an astounding five sacks total. In his 2,156 career pass protection snaps, Willie Lampkin only gave up eight hits, 32 hurries, and 43 pressures. He is a quarterback's best friend and is as reliable as possible. It's encouraging to see players use the transfer portal as an opportunity to improve, and challenge themselves with a step up in competition, and that's precisely what Willie did with his transition from the Sun Belt Conference, to the ACC, and still played at an elite level as a run and pass blocker.
It's easy to overthink prospects as April gets closer, but for Lampkin, it's about controlling what you can control, and that's exactly what showed up when I watched him dominate at the Senior Bowl. You can't teach size and measurements, but you also can't teach the mentality and competitive toughness Lampkin plays with.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders interested in UNC OL Willie Lampkin
Continue reading...
One player who made a name for himself at the Senior Bowl All-Star game was interior offensive lineman Willie Lampkin from the University of North Carolina. Lampkin's name was first brought up on Day 1 of the Senior Bowl when players had to check in and measure up. To everyone's surprise, the former Tar Heel measured in at 5-foot-10, and 279 lbs. Willie wasted no time quieting those criticizing his size by dominating top defensive tackles in the NFL draft throughout the week of practice in Mobile. I checked in with Lampkin, who tells me he had a meeting with the Commanders at the Senior Bowl, and it's easy to see why Washington likes him.
Willie Lampkin is a player that I could see getting the "Commander Tag" from Adam Peters because of his mentality to compete on every single rep, even with a size difference agaisnt interior defensive tackles. Justin Melo of the Draft Network interviewed Lampkin recently and explained what makes him such an effective blocker. The former Tar Heel credits his wrestling background, which helps with his leverage in his anchor, hand placement, and footwork. He also tells Melo that he's heard from teams that he could play at both center and guard, where he has all his college experience at North Carolina and Coastal Carolina. Lampkin finished with 1,712 snaps at left guard, 937 at center, and 1,473 at right guard.
The film and resume speak louder than the measurements for Lampkin, as he finished as the fifth-highest graded overall guard in college football by PFF. Lampkin hasn't allowed a sack since 2022 and finished his polished five-year college career allowing only an astounding five sacks total. In his 2,156 career pass protection snaps, Willie Lampkin only gave up eight hits, 32 hurries, and 43 pressures. He is a quarterback's best friend and is as reliable as possible. It's encouraging to see players use the transfer portal as an opportunity to improve, and challenge themselves with a step up in competition, and that's precisely what Willie did with his transition from the Sun Belt Conference, to the ACC, and still played at an elite level as a run and pass blocker.
It's easy to overthink prospects as April gets closer, but for Lampkin, it's about controlling what you can control, and that's exactly what showed up when I watched him dominate at the Senior Bowl. You can't teach size and measurements, but you also can't teach the mentality and competitive toughness Lampkin plays with.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders interested in UNC OL Willie Lampkin
Continue reading...
