We’re back for the second year in a row for my Football Guy Big Board for the 2022 NFL Draft. If you want to know what a Football Guy is, just read the blog attached below.
Let’s get into it.
Iowa Center Tyler Linderbaum: Tyler Linderbaum is true football guys and gets the nod partly because I have a bias to wrestlers and Linderbaum was a successful high school wrestler. He even pinned his former Hawkeye teammate and NFL All Pro tackle in high school.
The reason I do have that bias to wrestlers that play football though is because they’re super tough. You have to be a really tough person to play offensive line and wrestle against 280 pound individuals and Linderbaum has done both.
In addition to Linderbaum being a badass wrestler, he also was the best player on the Iowa Hawkeyes teams this season. He’s the main reason the Hawkeyes rushed for 171 yards a game and 4.6 yards per carry. True football guy that rocks the classic center drip with an elbow pad and a taped glove on his off hand. TRUE FOOTBALL GUY.
Wisconsin Fullback John Chenal: A fullback from Wisconsin is an automatic bid to make the Football Guy list. Chenal won the Lowman Award this year which is presented to the nations best fullback by Big Cat and PFT of Pardon My Take, two fellow Football Guys.
This past season, Chenal put up true fullback numbers. He carried the ball 32 times for 78 yards and 2 scores while catching 7 passes for 39 yards and a touchdown. Chenal was the reason that the Badgers averaged 210.9 rushing yards per game.
Fullbacks are traditionally Football Guys by nature, but Chenal takes it to another level. He meets linebackers in the hole like a truck and will make a great lead blocker in the NFL.
Wisconsin Lineback Leo Chenal: You can’t have one Chenal brother without the other, and it helps that Johns brother Leo Chenal is a football guy. He was one of the nations best linebackers this season as he made 96 tackles with 8 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.
What makes him a football guy is that he’s not afraid to meet someone like his brother John in the hole. He was the best player against the run this season as he was given a PFF grade of 94.1 in run situations.
In addition, Chenal would write DEATHROW on his arm going from his bicep down to his wrist which is intimidating and badass. Much like his brother John, he’ll make an NFL team happy after they pick him.
Minnesota Offensive Tackle Daniel Faalele: At 6’9, 380 pounds, Faalele is a monster of a man and a true Football Guy. He shot up my Football Guy big board after he scored a Thick Six in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl that I was at. It was an electric experience.
The Aussie Faalele is a powerful run blocker and a very stout pass protector. While some players who are bigger than their competition will just rely on size, Faalele doesn’t. He’s got great quickness and is extremely explosive. This guy is a player that you dream of if you’re a quarterback because he is tough, gritty, and larger than life.
Navy Linebacker Diego Fagot: Diego Fagot solidified his spot on this list and his legacy at Navy after they beat Army in the classic Army vs Navy game. He single handedly took over that game when he tallied 9 total tackles and had the biggest play of the game when he took a snap at up back on punt and hurdled his way to a first down.
One thing that essentially gets you an auto bid to this list is having a butterfly neck pad. Those are sick. And when a badass, hard hitting linebacker from a service academy rocks one, you’ll see him on the Football Guy list.
This past season he embodied what a captain at the Naval Academy was. His leadership paired with his 94 tackles made him the best player on the Midshipmen roster.
William and Mary Fullback/Linebacker Tyler Crist: The next guy up on this list of Football Guys is William and Mary fullback/linebacker Tyler Crist who has the look of a Football Guy. The Tribes lead blocker sports a full sleeve of tattoos on his left arm with bicep bands on each arm.
Crist can power clean 352 pounds at only 245 pounds which is gritty Football Guy stuff. He also plays both linebacker and fullback, and dual position guys SCREAM Football Guy. Over his career at William and Mary he’s rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown while also making 40 tackles and 4 sacks. Crist has also reeled in 22 passes for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns.
I love smaller school guys that play with tenacity and energy and Crist is that guy.
Northern Iowa Offensive Tackle Trevor Penning: Right here we’ve got another small school guy that’s tough as nails in Trevor Penning. He’s following in the footsteps of another Football Guy that went to UNI, Spencer Brown. UNI is breeding this gritty linemen.
Penning moves defenders with ease and enjoys putting dudes in the dirt. He has the look of an offensive lineman. The big pass blocker rocks double elbow pads with heavy taped gloves, it’s the look that every lineman wants to have. Penning is mean, nasty, and darn right brutal to play against if you’re an edge rusher. He’s a true Football Guy.
Missouri Linebacker Blaze Alldredge: I mean are you kidding. His name is BLAZE. That’s the main reason I have Alldredge on this list because he’s got a sick name, but his play doesn’t hurt either. Blaze is a dog.
After transferring from Rice to Missouri over the offseason, Alldredge exceeded expectations in the SEC. He made 89 tackles with 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble. He was instrumental in Missouris wins this year in an effort to turn the Tigers around.
Another reason he is on the list is because of his actions after Missouri defeated Florida 24-23 in overtime. He went into the post game press conference with a light saber which was absolutely hysterical. This was a true football guy move from a dude that has one of, if not the best name in college sports.
Boston College Center Alec Lindstrom: Lindstrom was an All American this season and is following in the footsteps of his older brother Chris who is a dominant guard for the Atlanta Falcons. He was a Rimington Trophy finalist but was beat out by the first guy on this list Tyler Linderbaum who is a machine.
While Linderbaum has solid center drip, Lindstrom beats him out. The Dudley, MA native sports a headband to hold back his locks, double elbow bands, double wrist braces, and goes with two Under Armour lineman gloves. A Football Guy that has a Football Guy for a brother. It runs in the family.
Pittsburgh Long Snapper Cal Adomitis: You want to know what Football Guys do? They give back. And that’s what Pitts long snapper Cal Adomitis does. With the NIL bill, he started Cal’s Kids to help raise money for UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. What a class act.
The econ major from Pittsburgh was named as a first team All American and won the Patrick Mannelly Award for the nations top long snapper. Adomitis also sports a BEAUTIFUL flow that is easily the best in college football. This guys a Football Guy through and through.
Kentucky Offensive Guard Darian Kinnard: Darian Kinnard is a monster. At 6’5, 345 pounds, he anchored one of the nations top offensive line units and the best in the SEC that kept Will Levis upright. He’s a two time SEC First Team player, won the 2021 Jacobs Blocking Trophy, and was a 2021 first team All American.
He sports the classic dual elbow pads, double wrist brace, and white lineman glove look with, what I love, the small knee pads with knee braces. Kinnards a true protector and mauler that has the mind of a Football Guy.
Baylor Defensive Tackle Siaka Ika: I fell in love with Siaka Ika when I watched Baylor play Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship. He dominated a very good guard in Josh Sills by throwing him in the backfield on run plays and making tackles for loss.
He was instrumental in the win because he anchored the Bears defense when they held the Cowboys to three points on seven plays inside the five. Ika is a large individual and played like a big time player as he made 24 tackles with 4 sacks as an interior defensive lineman, which is tremendously impressive. Ika is a Football Guy.